Women who go into labor early are often unprepared and taken aback by the experience. Fortunately there is much they can do to help their baby flourish.
Definition
A premature baby is traditionally defined as a baby born before thirty-seven weeks gestation. Premature births account for approximately six percent of all births each year. Risk factors for giving birth to a premature baby include multiple fetuses, youth or advanced maternal age, high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, smoking, malnutrition and lack of medical care. Very often, however, prematurity has no apparent cause.
In general if your child is born after twenty-seven weeks he or she will probably have a good chance of surviving and living a normal life. In the meantime a premature baby will often stay in an NICU or neonatal intensive care unit at a hospital. Here nurses and doctors trained to help infants arriving before their expected due day will give your child the best possible care. Your child may have tubes in his body to help him breath or electrodes that monitor his heart function. A baby typically stays in the NICU until he has reached a certain weight, ideally at least five pounds. Babies in the NICU are kept in incubators, specialty beds that can be programmed to stay at certain temperature.
Kangeroo Care
Experts have found that one of the best ways to help your baby gain weigh and leave the hospital sooner is a method called kangaroo care. Kangaroo care involves placing the child on the mother or other caregiver’s body. The child’s head is placed next to the person’s heart. The baby’s clothing is taken off so that much of the child’s skin is in direct contact with another person for at least twenty minutes. The idea behind the concept is to mimic the conditions found in the womb. Kangaroo care has been repeatedly shown to help premature babies gain weight, promote bonding and help regulate a baby’s breathing.
Swaddling
In addition to using the kangaroo care technique many hospitals also promote swaddling for premature infants. Swaddling is the practice of wrapping a child in a blanket in a way that restricts movement of his limbs. This imitates conditions in the womb. Swaddling makes a baby feel safer. Premature babies often have lower muscle tone and less control of their arms and legs. Swaddling will help them feel more secure.
Using such techniques can help your baby grow and flourish.
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