Babies born before the 37th week of your pregnancy are termed as pre-term or premature babies. This kind of birth creates anxiety and stress in mothers. At such times, you should try and stay calm and trust the medical service provider including your hospital and doctors.
It is true that premature babies have increased health issues but with proper care, they can be treated well. Talk to the doctor and understand what your baby will go through the next few days and also understand the precautions that you need to take once back home.
You may not be able to touch your baby immediately after birth but remember it is for the best.
We are trying to give you a brief idea here about certain terms you may come across –
What is a NICU?
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where your baby will get care around the clock. Premature babies are not yet fully equipped to deal with the world. They may still have underdeveloped lungs, digestive & immune system and skin. The NICU gives them a protective environment and they are equipped with well-trained staff who would be at your baby’s service for 24 hours. The NICU may look overwhelming and confusing to you but this is the best care that your baby may get.
Monitoring Systems
Monitors record heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure on a continuous basis. Your baby may have many pads wires on the chest and other parts of the body. These are connected to the monitors to understand how well your baby’s body is working.
Breathing Assistance
If your baby is not able to breathe by himself, there are different types of respiratory assistance given to the baby which include:
Endotracheal tube – It is placed down the newborn’s windpipe to deliver warm and pure oxygen.
Ventilator – Ventilator is the breathing machine connected to the endotracheal tube that can monitor the amount of oxygen, air pressure and the number of breaths.
Incubators
If your baby is too small, incubators rather than cots may be the right option for them. It would keep the baby warm and help him better. In such cases, contact with the baby may be a difficult idea but you can talk to the nurse if and when is it possible.
Feeding
Depending on your baby’s needs, there are different ways to feed your baby while in NICU. You may not be allowed to directly breastfeed your baby Premature babies would need high nutrition and hence there are chances, proteins, vitamin and mineral supplements would be added to your breast milk.
Home Care
Once you are home with your baby, make sure you take extra efforts to keep any kind of infection away from your baby. Make sure all your visitors wash their hands and then touch your baby. Your baby may take some time to build his immune system, so relax. Do not compare him with another child. Every baby is different.
