Physicians Health

When childbirth occurs before 37 weeks it’s considered premature and the children are called premature babies or preemies. One in eight children born in the US is a preemie, and the total number makes more than half a million annually.

Premature birth causes are usually related to the mother. They include improper nutrition, being underweight, drinking, addiction to drugs, excessive physical activity and certainly exposure to stress.

There are also many other reasons such as infections and chronic imbalance. Diseases such as diabetes are also a reason for premature birth.

If a future mother carries more than one fetus, premature birth is also likely to happen. Medics say that premature birth usually occurs among women aged over 35 and under 19.

Premature birth can cause a lot of problems. The child needs time to develop. Thus the shorter the pregnancy is–the higher the risks of the child’s death are. If the birth is too premature the child may not survive. The death is more likely when a preemie weighs just one pound.

Since preemies didn’t have enough time to develop, many of their organs do not function properly. They are likely to suffer from respiratory distress syndrome (difficulty breathing) and low blood pressure. Also their body is too weak to fight germs and they get infected easier than babies born at nine months.

Thus, preemies need special care. They are kept in intensive care nurseries (NICU) to develop and grow. In NICU they have all the necessary conditions to survive. These nurseries help to decrease the chances of infections, keep warm and so on. In NICU preemies are fed with milk through a tube. Milk is part of a high-calorie diet, which promotes the child’s development. Premature babies are also given medicines that stimulate their breathing and help their cardiovascular system to function.

Photo © sean dreilinger

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