What you need to know about premature births

When a baby is born before week 37 of pregnancy, the birth is referred to as a premature birth. Although all body parts of the baby may be present, functionally, they are not fully mature, in particular the lungs, skin, liver and kidneys. This predisposes the baby to severe risks and may cause infant death and undue suffering.

There are several causes of premature births

o Mechanical – these include cervical incompetence and premature rupture of baby water and uterine fibroids,
o Congenital – they include genetic and structural defects such as uterus with septum (A septum is a partition separating two cavities or spaces),
o Medical – entail severe hypertensive and diabetic diseases in pregnancy.
o Obstetrical – include twin pregnancies and obstetrical accidents such as bleeding in pregnancy,
o Fetal – include congenital malformations such as polyhydramios (increased fluid in the baby’s head)

When it is likely to happen
o Any of the above causes and many others predisposes a mother to premature births,
o It could be spontaneous as in many cases of spontaneous premature labour,
o It could be medically induced when the life of the mother and expected newborn is at risk,
o It could also be as a result of emergency C-section to save the baby or the mother or both.

How to counter it
0 The best way is to start ante natal clinics early especially if you have had such an experience before. This should be as soon as you miss your first period.
o Those who have high risk of premature births should also be identified and given special attention specific to the problem at hand.
o If one is confused about the real nature of the problem medical consultation should be undertaken immediately.

Dangers include high risks of

o Jaundice attack of the newborn
o Birth trauma and brain damage
o Death
o Malfunction of major organs
o Metabolic derangement
o Hypothermia, which involves a fall in the body temperature to subnormal levels.

Problems associated with premature babies

Prematurely born babies have issues which include:
o Difficulty to suckle and feed
o Inability to manufacture body heat and conserve it.
o Inability to respond to harsh environmental conditions: their immune system is relatively less developed,
o Slower growth and psychological development potential initially.
o Being physically and functionally compromised.

Incubator care
Incubator care is life saving for the babies. It stabilises the environment by monitoring heat and moisture. This prevents the baby’s skin from drying up and feeling cold with undue heat loss. The incubator also protects the baby from the external environment. There is thus less risk of cross infection and unnecessary interferences. Most important is that incubator environment is easy to maintain and control to best suit the newborn. It is also easy to supply oxygen or phototherapy through the incubator. Where needed, isolation is also easy to achieve.

END: PG19/32