During pregnancy, parents often hear acronyms. The EDD (expected date of delivery) represents the most important day of the process. However, there are some cases in which the delivery ends up happening earlier, resulting in premature babies .
Generally, gestation takes from 37 to 42 weeks, by which time the baby’s organs need to be prepared and in place. However, in US, near about 300 thousand children are born premature, making up 11% of the annual births in the country. To learn more about premature babies, read on!
Levels of Prematurity
After all, a baby is preterm for how many weeks? If birth happens before 37 weeks of gestation, the baby is already preterm or premature. And invoking the (SBP), there are then the following levels of prematurity:
- less than 28 weeks (extreme preterm);
- 28 to 32 weeks (very preterm);
- 32 to 34 weeks (moderate preterm);
- 34 to 37 weeks (late preterm).
Since the baby is not fully developed to come out of the womb, he or she might face problems in breathing, feeding, and control of temperature. This is why the premature babies are taken special care of.
Normally, when a baby is born before his or her due date, the baby must be taken to the neonatal intensive care unit. The good news is that, with medicine advancement, the chance that the child is healthy when growing up is even higher.
Care for mothers and fathers
In addition to the little ones, parents need support during this delicate time, as feelings of anxiety, fear and guilt can arise. The psychological issues of those responsible for the child become even more intense with the strict rules of the neonatal ICU after the coronavirus.
At this time, a widely used treatment to calm parents and premature babies is the “kangaroo method”, which consists of placing the baby in contact with the mother or father’s skin. This process improves emotional bonding, development, breastfeeding and thermal stability.
This exhausting hospital routine can cause a lot of psychological stress on family members. To deal with this situation in a calmer way, it is recommended that parents seek support groups and professional help in caring for premature babies.
In addition, it is important to always pay attention to the daily updates on the health of premature babies and follow all medical advice. Another tip is to try to spend as much time as possible with the little one so that he or she “understands” who the parents are.
After discharge
After days or even months of hospitalization, the long-awaited moment has arrived: discharge! Although it is a joyful stage, it can also bring many doubts and insecurities. After all, during the time in the hospital, the little one was accompanied by a team of professionals.
Family love and care are the best way to contribute to the development of a child. It is worth remembering that a moderately or late preterm baby is only discharged when he or she is in excellent health and the parents have received the necessary guidance on how to maintain care at home.
Hospital discharge is also decided by a group of professionals, such as doctors, physiotherapists and speech therapists. At this time, they check the patient’s breathing capacity, suction, body temperature and weight gain.
Discharge means that the child has been stable for a few days, with normal tests according to the premature baby weight chart, which normally varies between 1.9 and 2 kg. However, it is important to have a doctor and a referral hospital for emergencies.
Main care at home
Premature babies have a more delicate respiratory system and skin than newborns at full term. Therefore, some care needs to be given twice as much attention. Check out our tips below.
- wash your hands frequently;
- keep your vaccination card up to date;
- avoid putting the baby to sleep on his/her stomach;
- use a diaper for premature babies and change it every two or three hours;
- avoid closed or crowded places;
- prefer breastfeeding;
- refrain from contact with people with respiratory illnesses, such as a runny nose and cough;
- bathe with neutral soap and avoid rubbing;
- avoid smoking in the house, especially around the baby.
Premature baby development
Development in babies will often occur at an individual pace, but most of the premature babies can safely go through this process, but the smaller and the more premature they are the greater the risk of a feeding and motor skill difficulties.
Counted chronological age is correct. To check your baby’s development, you must calculate it. If your baby was born on May 2nd at 36 weeks, that means he is two months chronologically older from his birth date which was on July 2nd.
Therefore, since this child was born before term, it could not be anticipated that he would display similar milestones with a child born at term. The aim is then to make use of corrected age up to the age of two.