A premature birth is when a baby takes birth more than three weeks before the estimated due date. In other words, it is one that occurs prior to the start of the 37th week of pregnancy.
The premature babies, especially those born very early, often have some or the other complicated medical problems. These medical complications may vary. But there are diagnoses and treatments for premature babies. Let us have a look at them.
Once you move your premature baby to the hospital, he or she may undergo many tests. Here are some possible tests and treatments for your premature baby depending on the level of complications he/she is facing:
1. Breathing and Heart Rate Monitor
Here doctors monitor your baby's breathing and heart rate on a continuous basis with the help of diagnostic tools. Doctors also take blood pressure readings frequently.
2. Fluid Input and Output
The hospital team tracks:
- How much fluid your child loses through solid or wet diapers
- How much fluid your child takes in through intravenous and feeding fluids
3. Blood Tests
Doctors collect blood samples by a heel stick or a needle. The doctor inserts it into a vein to monitor a number of critical substances like calcium, bilirubin, and glucose levels in your baby's blood. A blood sample is also useful to analyze the ratio of the red blood cells, check for anemia, or do assessments for an infection.
If your child doctor anticipates that they will need several blood samples, then the staff may insert a central umbilical intravenous (IV) line. This is to avoid having to stick your child with a needle every time a nurse requires blood for testing.
4. Echocardiogram
This test is an ultrasound check of the heart to check for problems with your baby's heart function. Just like a fetal ultrasound, an electrocardiogram utilizes sound waves for producing moving images on a display monitor.
5. Ultrasound Scan
Ultrasound scans are to check the brain for bleeding or fluid buildup. Doctors may carry out ultrasound scans to examine the abdominal organs for detecting problems in the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, or liver.
6. Eye Exam
An ophthalmologist (eye doctor) examines your baby's eyes and vision to check if there is any problem with the retina (retinopathy of prematurity). If they detect any complications in your baby's eyes, then they may suggest other specialized testing.
7. Supportive Care
Specialized supportive care for your baby includes being placed in an incubator. Your baby will need to stay in an enclosed plastic incubator that is warm enough to help your baby with maintaining normal body temperature. Later, the hospital staff will show you a particular way to hold your baby, usually known as "kangaroo" care.
8. Monitoring of Your Baby's Vital Signs
Doctors tap the sensors to your baby's body to monitor blood pressure, breathing, heart rate, and temperature. A ventilator is one of the useful diagnostic tools here to help your baby breathe if required.
9. Having a Feeding Tube
At first, your baby might receive fluids and nutrients through an intravenous (IV) tube. Your baby receives the breast milk later through a tube passed through his/her nose and into his/her stomach (nasogastric, or NG, tube). Whenever your baby is strong enough to suck, breast-feeding or else bottle-feeding can be an option.
10. Replenishing Fluids
Your baby requires a certain amount of fluids every day, depending upon his/her age and the complexity of medical conditions. The hospital team will closely monitor fluids, sodium, and potassium levels to ensure that your baby's fluid levels stay on point. If there is a need for fluids, then the staff will deliver those necessary medical supplies to them through an IV line.
11. Spending Time Under Bilirubin Lights
For treating your infant's jaundice, doctors place the baby under a set of lights known as bilirubin lights for a required period of time. The lights help your baby's system to break down excess bilirubin that builds up because the liver cannot process it all. While your baby is under the bilirubin lights, doctors make sure that it has a protective eye mask on his/her body to rest more comfortably.
12. Surgery
Sometimes there is a need for surgery to treat a number of conditions associated with prematurity. You should have a talk with your baby's health care team to understand thoroughly about it. You should ask them about the complications that require surgery. Also, learn about the type of surgery that is necessary to treat your baby.
13. Taking Your Baby Home
Below are the recovered situations when you can take your baby home:
- Is free of infection
- Can breathe without support
- Is gaining weight steadily
- Can maintain a stable body temperature
- Can breast- or bottle-feed
In some cases, doctors may allow a baby to go home before meeting one of these requirements. This only happens if the baby's medical team and the family create and agree on a plan to take essential care and monitoring at home.
Your baby's medical team will help you here to learn how you need to care for your baby at home and which medical supplies need to be given at which time in what quantity. Also, before dismissal from the hospital, your baby's nurse may ask you about:
- Primary pediatric care
- Living arrangements
- Adult relatives and friends who are going to assist you in caring for your baby
- Other children in the household
- Receiving a blood transfusion
Your premature baby might need a blood transfusion to raise blood volume. Especially if your baby had several blood samples drawn for various tests.
Conclusion
It can be tough to recover mentally and physically both after a premature delivery for you and the baby both. But to avoid this during the next delivery or help to avoid this with your loved ones, you can get help from a doctor who guides you properly with the help of a fetus model. This will help you to understand the process and physical structure of the baby better.
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