The premature baby
Preterm births represent 7.2% of births in Quebec. It is considered a premature birth before the 37th week of pregnancy.
The duration of a normal pregnancy is 40 weeks. Most premature infants born between 32nd and 37th week of gestation. Most of them will grow well and have little (or no) effects.
Several factors may influence the risk of delivering prematurely: maternal infections, blood pressure problems related to pregnancy, certain problems related to the baby and the number of babies expected.
There are two kinds of preterm birth: those that are accidental and those medically caused due to the health of the mother or the unborn child.
The premature infant is exposed to several problems, because:
- he still lacks reserves (fat, sugar ...);
- his functions are immature: respiratory (lung), cardiac (heart), hematologic (blood), brain (brain) ...
After birth, he may be that baby is hospitalized for several days or weeks at the neonatal unit of a hospital.
At the hospital, once your child's condition stabilized, you can take care, take baby skin to skin contact (Kangaroo), feed him. Mothers wishing to breastfeed can do when their child is mature enough to coordinate breathing, sucking and swallowing. Meanwhile, they must express milk with an electric breast pump. The hospital staff can assist in this task is not always easy.
A Quebec study shows that taking supplements of omega-3 (DHA) improves the composition of breast milk and increases the amount in the baby's blood. This is insufficient if the mother eats little oily fish. Omega-3s are involved in brain development of children.
During the first weeks after birth, it is possible that you feel helpless and without support. Grandparents, family and friends can be invaluable.
They can, for example, participate in the preparation of the baby's room, do some housework, take you to the hospital, talk with you about the situation that you live ...
After hospitalization, children often need medical care and paramedical particular, to detect possible problems of development and start the necessary treatment.
Some children will not need any treatment. Only a minority of them will require longer follow-up, ranging from a few months to several years.
If a child is born before 32 or 34 weeks:
- he is placed in an incubator in order to maintain the body temperature;
- he is powered with a small tube (gavage) passing through the nostril or mouth to its stomach. This minimizes the effort required by the sucking and swallowing;
- a solute is given him to complete his intake of fluids and nutrients. It thus receives the calories and essential to its growth.
Moreover, he is likely that he needs:
- of antibiotic treatment to cure an infection or a risk of infection;
- phototherapy to treat jaundice (jaundice), very common in premature infants or low birth weight;
- of respiratory support, because his lungs are still immature.