Preterm babies are important rules for caring for babies who hurried to be born

Until now, there is an opinion that premature babies will never become like everyone else, will be limited in physical and mental abilities. Because of these stereotypes, many babies born before the term turn out to be abandoned in the maternity hospital. Let's try to figure out how things stand in reality.

Which children are considered premature?

Nature contains the period of intrauterine development of the future baby, and it lasts 40 weeks. During this period, all internal organs and fetal systems develop in order to safely meet the world around them and function fully. A premature newborn baby is born from 22 to 37 weeks with a body weight of less than 2.5 kg and a body length of up to 45 cm. WHO, however, sets the following criteria for the viability of the fetus: gestational age 22 weeks, weight over 0.5 kg, body length from 25 cm, at least one recorded breath.

Why can a child be born before the term?

If the child was born prematurely, it is not always possible to know the reasons for this. According to the research, a number of probable provoking factors are distinguished, among which:

• elderly or too young age of mother, father;
• keeping mother unhealthy way of life;
• the influence of occupational hazards;
• prior abortion;
• conception after recent birth (less than 2 years);
• multiple fertility ;
• chronic pathologies in the mother;
• transferred infections;
• physical trauma;
• intrauterine deviations in the fetus.

Features of premature babies

There is no clear "line" that determines how old a child can survive, and a lot of discussion is held around the topic of the need for proper medical care for premature babies. In our country at the moment, the life of such babies, born with a weight of 500 g, is protected by the law, providing for their compulsory registration and nursing.

Malignant premature babies are born, not being prepared for the conditions of extrauterine existence. Their vital organs are not yet fully matured and are not ready for independent functioning. Such crumbs have many external features that distinguish them from babies born on time:

• impressively small height and weight;
• strong disproportion of parts of the body;
• soft cranial bones;
• underdeveloped reproductive organs;
• the presence of a cannon on the back and shoulders;
• dry and thin skin;
• absence of subcutaneous fat;
• tightly closed eyes;
• reduced motor activity, etc.

The listed signs in different prematurely born may be present partially or in a complex. In addition, premature infants are characterized by undeveloped reflection, immaturity of the vascular system, and lack of hunger. They have problems with straightening of the lungs, thermoregulation of the body , development of digestive enzymes. It should be remembered that over time, if efforts are made, the baby will look like a normal newborn baby, and all organs will get their work done.

Weight of premature baby

Depending on the weight of the premature baby when it comes into being, several degrees of preterm discharge are distinguished:

• I - from 2001 to 2500 g (light degree);
• II - from 1501 to 2000 g (moderate prematurity);
• III - from 1001 to 1500 g (deep prematurity);
• IV - less than 1000 g (extremely premature).

The degree of prematurity is associated not only with the mass index, but also with signs of the general maturity of the organism. For example, it happens that crumbs are born with a weight of 2.5 kg, but the maturity of organs and functions is inferior to those who scored at the time of birth 2 kg. When the baby's condition stabilizes, it will begin to gain weight. On average, the increase can be 90-120 g for seven days, and by the fourth-fifth month of life the body weight of the child triples.

Growth of premature baby

The baby, who was born before the term, often has a body length within 45-35 cm. This indicator depends on the period of prematurity. In the future, we should expect such an increase in growth: about 2.5-5.5 cm monthly during the first half of life, about 0.5-3 cm - during the second half of the year. So, after a lapse of a year, the body length increases by 26-38 cm per year.

Preterm infants - consequences

A high percentage of disability and complications is found in extremely premature babies, although there are cases when children with a critically low mass not only survived, but did not have any special health problems. There are many more optimistic chances for those who were born with a weight of a kilogram or more. When creating special conditions, such children after a few years do not differ from those born in the normal term.

Let's enumerate which pathologies of premature infants can be diagnosed:

• infantile cerebral palsy ;
• hydrocephalus;
• vegetovascular dystonia;
• speech defects;
• astigmatism;
• myopia;
• strabismus ;
• hearing impairment;
• mental retardation;
• increased susceptibility to infections, etc.

Development of a premature baby by months to a year

It has been established that the development of preterm infants for a year is determined not only by gestational age and body weight, but also by the general state of health, genetic factors. Often, with a favorable scenario, by the age of two, they are catching up with their peers in terms of anthropometric, speech and psychomotor performance, sometimes it takes 3-6 years.

Do not forget that much depends not only on the medical staff, but also on the parents' crumbs. It is worth the effort, and the result will not keep you waiting, and the kid will delight with new and new achievements. Premature babies, the development of which per month follows a special schedule, in many cases slightly lag behind the term, which can be traced from the table with averaged data.

Care for a premature baby

In order for the premature baby to develop normally, it needs to create special conditions similar to those in the mother's womb. Many vital functions of a small organism require artificial support and, the less premature babies weigh, the more equipment a medical institution needs, the more experienced the staff.

Exercising premature babies

When a premature baby is born, care of it is first carried out in the intensive care unit. The baby is placed in an incubator where the control of breathing, pulse and temperature is continuously monitored, artificial ventilation of the lungs, and feeding of food are carried out. With a moderate and mild degree of prematurity, the baby can be put in a heated bed. The period of postnatal adaptation is about one to two months, and in the presence of pathologies, it takes longer.

In some medical institutions, "kangaroo" nursing is considered acceptable. This means that a child who can breathe and eat independently, is in constant physical contact with the mother - on her chest or stomach. Thanks to this, the crumb adapts to the new environment rather, it develops better. After discharge from the hospital, prematurely born babies should be examined regularly by doctors, especially in the first year.

Feeding preterm infants

The feeding of premature babies is especially important. In the absence of a swallowing sucking reflex, a mixture for premature infants, in which hormones, amino acids, enzymes, glucose and other components are added, is delivered through the gastric tube. In the most severe cases, parenteral intravenous nutrition is organized. When the baby learns to suck, he is fed from a bottle with a pacifier, a little later - applied to the chest (with a weight of at least 1.8 kg).

Nutrition of premature babies from the second week of life can be based on mother's milk, which in this case is in priority before artificial mixtures. Primary feeding of premature babies begins no earlier than 7-8 months of age, i.е. 1-2 months later than in the usual babies, which is explained by the longer maturation of the digestive system.