Babu are born in hospitals

 Your Preemie Is In The NICU – What Can You Do? Your feelings are tied up in that tiny little preemie bundle, and you have a hard time comprehending this small, wrinkled resemblance of a baby that is attached to every conceivable contraption…could belong to you. But when your heart is broken in more places then you could ever dream possible, and waiting seems endless, you are harshly welcomed into the world of parenthood. When you consider that 1300 premature babies are born in the United States on a daily basis, this number is truly staggering. If you are reading this article, you are probably the parent of one of these preemies. With so many things in this new out-of-control world of living in the NICU, what can you control? Be There For Your Preemie For you, the first thing you can control is being there for your baby. It may seem like you are standing around (in the way) not being helpful, but you are doing an important job. Your preemie wants and needs your deep love—your voice, your touch, your prayers—as he or she tries to get stronger. Your baby can see you, hear you, and/or feel you. You are important and you are needed. It is just as important that you are there mentally. Everything is so out-of-body and surreal, but you can begin focusing on the essentials of your preemies care. Learn about your babys routine, his reactions, and health limitations. Keep yourself informed about everything and you can then notice the small things that are overlooked in you preemies care. You can then request that these things be taken care of from a knowledgeable perspective, not just as a panicky parent. Knowledge Is Power Knowledge Is Power is a common saying. An important one when you consider the fact that you are now your babys cheerleader and coach for the rest of his or her life. Begin learning all that you can about your preemie and her specific medical needs now and in the future. Books, articles (like this one), your babys doctor, reputable websites, and other experienced preemie parents are wonderful sources of inspiration, information, and education for you. It may seem difficult to find the time when you are so stretched, but go slowly when you can find that time and keep at it. Make small goals for yourself. Remember, if you set goals, you will get much farther than if you dont. You can do some of these things in the NICU at your babys side. Look To The Future Last, look to the future. It may seem silly to plan out what kind of parent you want to be for the next 18 years, but long-term goal setting is a very worthwhile occupation for any parent. Right now as time seems to drag on endlessly, it is difficult to see that time will soon pick up speed and the years will fly by. Practice little things now, like patience, and it will be easier when your preemie is older. How are you going to react to your preemie when he or she does something that makes you mad, upset, frustrated, angry, happy, or laugh? How will you discipline and praise your baby? What kind of people will you let your baby be around, and not? Do you want to establish any new family customs? What healthy habits do you want to instill in your preemie? If you keep your mind busy with all of the things you can do for your new preemie, then it is harder to fall into constant anxiety. Try not to worry (though it seems an impossible task) about will my baby make it, or what kind of problems will my baby have, or I cant do this anymore, or Is my baby in pain?, and whatever else is plaguing you. Stay focused on your goals, and keep your mind thinking positive thoughts even if you are tempted to do otherwise. Remember, you are the best parent your preemie could ever have, and your baby is depending on you. You can do it if you take one day at a time. At times you may even have to break it down by minutes taking one crisis at a time. You are not alone, and you can forge your way through this trial as many parents have done before you. Preemie” is the common term used when referring to a premature baby. The dictionary definition of a preemie is a prematurely born infant. A preemie is born before 37 weeks gestation while a full term baby is born at 37 weeks or after. Depending on the degree of prematurity, preemies require a very different starting point in life. Micro preemie and preemie are the two terms used to help define the degree of prematurity. To an NICU medical professional, a micro preemie is defined as a baby that is under 1 pounds (between 700-800 grams) and is generally born before 26 weeks gestation, but most people prefer to loosen this term up to include any baby under 3 pounds (1500 grams) or under 29 weeks gestation. Micro preemies require a lot of medical attention in order to survive, and many more micro preemies are surviving than ever before in history. The statistics for the survival of a micro preemie can range from 10-80%. A micro preemie born before 23 weeks gestation has no chance of survival to 10%. Every day inside the mother increases the chances of survival for a micro preemie, and every week is a major significance continuing to push that percentage higher. This also lowers the numbers of short and long term health risks. Some of the many difficulties that a micro preemie experiences are immature lungs, an underdeveloped digestive system, cerebral hemorrhaging, high risk of infection, incomplete feeding reflexes, severe anemia, neurological delays, physical handicaps, and long term health issues. Because of so many problems associated with being a micro preemie, medical intervention to keep micro preemies alive include bili blankets, blood pressure monitors, cardiac monitors, endotracheal tubes, isolettes, intravenous pumps & tubes, nasal CPAP's, nasal gastric tubes, nasal prongs, oxy hoods, oxygen saturation monitors, phototherapy lights, pulse oximeters, respiratory monitors, synthetic surfactant, temperature probes, UACs, ultrasounds, USC's, and ventilators. So much more information is being made available to parents of micro preemies than ever before, allowing parents the opportunity to educate themselves on their micro preemies needs. The technical term for preemie is defined as a baby that is under 5 pounds (2500 grams), though the general public chooses to call any baby under 7 pounds (3000 grams) a preemie. This is partially due to the fact that it is difficult to find clothing that fits these babies unless shopping at preemie stores for preemie sizes, so some parents refer to their little baby as a preemie. Another reason is that many people are uninformed about the definition of prematurity. Statistics for preemie survival is greater than 90%. The medical requirements for preemies tends to be a lot less demanding than those of their micro preemie counterparts. However, it can still be a precarious time and many preemies may still be on much of the medical equipment that micro preemies need. A preemie is weaned off of this equipment as soon as she strong enough or is capable of handling many bodily functions herself, yet, many times a preemie seems to go back and forth for a little while. As a preemie begins to steadily get stronger and medical needs lessen, it is soon time to go home. Many a preemie has been sent home with medical equipment that their parents have been trained to use in case of an emergency. This is a scary time and an exciting time for parents because they are now in control, not quite sure if they can handle emergencies but desperately wanting to get down to the normal part of life, raising their preemie. These resilient, warrior-parents do quite well continuing to fight for their baby and are very in-tune to even the smallest details. Many preemies continue to have health issues that they struggle with for the rest of their lives. However, as technology advances, some of these problems can be controlled with surgery, medication, and other interventions. This is a preemie!

 You worry about everything that could go wrong while you're pregnant.  Thankfully, most babies are born healthy.   There are, however, some serious birth disorders that you should be aware of, in the unlikely event that your baby is affected.

 Spina Bifida This is a condition where the backbone, which protects the spinal cord, does not close properly during prenatal development.   This condition can range from being a minor problem, if the opening is tiny, or can cause paralysis and other serious medical issues if the opening is large, or if the spinal cord itself is protruding.   The exact cause is not known, though heredity does seem to play a role.   So does nutrition, particularly when the mother does not have enough folic acid in her diet.   The prevalence of this disease has decreased as a result of the increased use of folic acid supplements by obstetricians for women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant.  During your pregnancy, you will probably be tested for spina bifida. Many times it can be diagnosed in utero using ultra sound.   Sometimes, surgery can even be performed on the baby in utero to correct the problem.

 Tay Sachs Disease This disease is caused by an enzyme deficiency.   Simply put, these babies do not break down fatty deposits in the brain and nerve cells.   Unfortunately, it is not usually diagnosed at birth.   When the child is several months old, this buildup of fatty deposits will clog cells, causing the babys nervous system to stop working.   The child will begin to regress developmentally, always resulting in death.   Tay Sachs is very rare, less than one hundred cases are reported in the US each year.   It is caused by genetics.   Both parents must have the gene for the disease to occur.   It is most common in Jewish families of Central and Eastern European descent.   If your ethnic background makes this disease a risk for your child, you and your partner can be tested for the gene before you become pregnant.   In addition, the disease can be diagnosed in utero via amniocentesis.

 Down Syndrome- Down Syndrome is the term given to a set of symptoms that indicate some degree of mental retardation.   The facial features, large tongue, and short neck of Down syndrome children are distinct.  Down Syndrome varies widely in the degree of mental retardation that it causes.   Some children are highly functional; others will require constant care.   In the United States, one in every 1300 babies has Down syndrome.  It is most often caused by an extra chromosome coming from the mother or father.   Down syndrome is more likely to occur when parents have already had a child with the birth disorder, and when the mother is over 35 years in age.   Down syndrome can be detected via amniocentesis, which is why this test is common protocol for most pregnant women over the age of 35.

SIDS – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome What You Need To Know

 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a frightening fear for most mothers.  SIDS is often referred to as crib death, and is the sudden death of an infant who stops breathing.  It is rare, affecting less than 2 in 1000 infants in the US, but the fear of it plagues all new mothers.

 Who needs to be worried?

 The fact that SIDS was once thought to happen at random and to healthy babies made it even more terrifying. But, in reality, there are some things that can indicate that a baby is at a higher risk for SIDS.  The first is any baby that has previously had an episode where he has turned blue or had to have breathing revived.  Premature or low birth weight babies are more susceptible.  In addition, mothers who have had poor prenatal care or smoked during pregnancy are more likely to have a child with SIDS.  Children with diagnosed heart or lung conditions are also at risk, and boys are more susceptible than girls.

 So, what do I do?

 Take care of yourself first and foremost during pregnancy, and quit smoking. Have regular prenatal doctors visits, and follow your doctors recommendations.  Secondly, put your newborn to sleep on his back, or his side.  There does seem to be a connection between SIDS and babies who sleep on their stomachs, particularly if they sleep on a soft mattress.  Dont put unnecessary items, even blankets in the crib with the baby, and dont let him get overheated.  Learn infant CPR so you are prepared in the event you need to resuscitate your child.

 What if my baby has had an episode?

 If your child has an episode stops breathing or turns blue, notify your doctor immediately, even though you were able to revive him.  Your doctor will want to run tests, and, if he fears that the baby is likely to have another episode (though 95% do not) he might suggest a monitor for the baby.  These monitors will alert you in the event the baby stops breathing, but are only used in high risk situations.  The monitors are quite cumbersome, and tend to have lots of false alarms, making Moms even crazier.

 When Can I Stop Worrying?

 The threat of SIDS is over once your child reaches his first birthday, and declines dramatically once he is six months old.  In fact, most SIDS deaths happen between the ages of two and four months.  Take some precautions, but unless your baby has an elevated risk, remember that SIDS is actually rare, and is not something to obsess over.