Premature Babies- Providing the Right Care
Premature infants, or preemies as they are called are babies delivered before the 37th week pf a pregnancy. Either a result of the mother's lifestyle choices like alcohol, drugs, poor diet, etc, or a result of factors beyond a mother's control like an abnormality of the uterus, chronic illness or hormonal imbalance, premature infants have special needs that make their care all important.
Their lives begin surrounded by machines and equipments in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) which provides for a preemie's basic needs of warmth and nutrition to ensure their proper growth and development. The advancements in postnatal care have enabled a 90 percent survival rate of premature babies weighing 800 gm or more, provided they get the right care.
A Preemie's Requirement of Warmth
a premature baby has very thin and sensitive skin. They even lack the necessary body fat to keep them warm. Within the mother's uterus, they floated in the warmth of amniotic fluid; pulled out of that warm and secure environment, they depend on NICU incubators to provide the same warmth.
Incubators are made of transparent plastic which completely surround a premature infant and maintain the internal temperature of the incubator. The air within is sterile, decreasing the risk of infections and loss of moisture too. A preemie's immune system is yet to mature, and it is best they are kept away from any sources of infection.
Nutrition and Growth Requirements
premature babies need to be provided with special nutrition to allow faster growth; yet all this while their digestive tracts are underdeveloped. A premature baby weighs between 500 to 2,500 grams, while a full term baby usually weighs more than 2,500 grams; in order to catch up in the same time span what they would have gained within the womb, they need to be fed accordingly.
Breast milk is the best source of nutrition; however, preemies are still immature to directly feed from either a breast or a bottle because their sucking reflexes may not be that strong. This they are able to do once they are 32 to 34 weeks of gestational age.
Breast milk is a complete diet; it contains all essential nutrients and supplement for a healthy growth. The proteins in breast milk also help fight infection. The milk fed to preemies may be supplemented with extra vitamins as premature babies have higher vitamin requirements. The milk given to preemies also contains additional calcium and phosphorus to promote growth.
Feeding the right way to premature babies is essential; they need to be fed slowly because of the risk of developing an intestinal condition called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). They are generally fed breast milk through a tube that goes through the baby's nose or mouth directly into the stomach.
A premature baby is specially prone to health problems like anemia, respiratory disorders and infection; it is therefore critical to provide the right environment and nutrition to ensure a healthy growth and development of a premature baby.