PREMATURE BIRTH

About five or six out of every 100 births in the USA are premature. Because these babies are born before they are physically ready to leave the womb, they often have problems. For this reason, premature babies are given extra medical attention and assistance immediately after delivery. Depending upon how early the baby is, your pediatrician may call in another pediatrician (called a neonatologist), who specializes in premature intensive care, to help determine what, if any, special treatment the infant needs.

Appearance of a Premature Baby

If your baby is born prematurely, she may neither look nor behave like a full-term infant. While the average full-term baby weighs about 7 pounds at birth, a premature newborn might weigh 5 pounds or even less. The earlier she arrives, the smaller she will be, the larger her head will seem in relation to the rest of her body, and the less fat she will have. With so little fat, her skin will seem thinner and more transparent, allowing you actually to see the blood vessels beneath it. Her features will appear sharper and less rounded than they would at term, and she probably won't have any of the white, cheesy vernix protecting her at birth, because it isn't produced until late in pregnancy.

Because she has no protective fat, your premature baby will get cold in normal room temperatures. For that reason she'll be placed immediately after birth in an enclosed bed in which the temperature can be adjusted to keep her warm. After a quick examination in the delivery room, she'll probably be moved to a special-care nursery.

Breathing Difficulty of a Premature Baby

You may notice that your premature baby will cry only softly, if at all, and may have trouble breathing. This is because her respiratory system is still immature. If she's more than two months early, her breathing difficulties can cause serious health problems, because the other organs in her body may not get enough oxygen. To make sure this doesn't happen, your doctors will keep her under close observation. If she needs help breathing, she may be given extra oxygen, or special equipment may be used temporarily to do some of her breathing for her.

As important as this special care is for your baby's survival, her move to the nursery will probably be wrenching for you. On top of all the worry about her health, you may miss the experience of holding, breastfeeding and bonding with her right after delivery. You won't be able to hold or touch her whenever you want, and you can't have her with you in your room.

Coping with a Premature Birth

Your best defense against the stress of a premature birth is to ask to see your baby as soon as possible after delivery, and become as active as you can in caring for her. Spend as much time with her in the nursery as your condition and hers permit. Even if you can't hold her, touch her through the portholes of the enclosed bed. Breastfeed her if possible, or ask the nurses to help you express milk to feed her; this will stimulate your own milk production so you can nurse her when she's able.

The more you participate in her process of recovery and the more contact you have with her during this time, the better you'll feel about the situation and the easier it will be for you to care for her when she leaves the nursery. If you have questions, be sure to ask them of the doctors and nurses. Also, don't forget that your own pediatrician will be participating in, or at least will be informed about, your infant's immediate care. Because of this, he or she will be able to answer most of your questions.