A premature baby is defined as a baby born at less than 37 weeks. Nationally about 11% of babies are born prematurely with those born closer to full term generally requiring less care than those that arrive earlier. If a pregnant mum is at risk of a premature birth she may be prescribed with steroids to take which will help to strengthen the baby and develop their lungs.
At a time in your life when everything else pales into insignificance, the treatment and care offered by the Special Care Baby Unit at the PEH is second to none, and you will soon come to regard the ward as your new, albeit temporary, home and the superb nurses will very quickly become good friends. Fortunately due to the relatively small number of premature babies born each year much of the fantastic nursing support is often provided on a one to one basis.
With the babies born weighing just a few pounds they will very often be in an incubator hooked up to feeding tubes, breathing apparatus and monitors, this in itself can be a frightening experience and far from how you imagined the first days of you babies life. Should the baby require long term ventilation it may be advised that further continued care must take place in the UK, usually Southampton.
Before being transferred from the incubator to an open cot the babies will often have to meet certain criteria such as how well they are able to breathe on their own and if they are able to maintain their body temperature outside of the incubator. The temperature in the incubators is slowly lowered, often daily, until such a time as the baby is able to keep their body temperature without assistance.
Another hurdle to overcome is feeding. As prematurely born infants may not have co-ordinated suck and swallow reflexes at birth, and for several weeks thereafter, they are frequently fed by tube in the hospital and therefore must have shown significant progress to breast or bottle feeding and be able to maintain their weight before being allowed home. Throughout the process, the nurses encourage mums to express their milk ready for when the time comes that they can feed their baby.
Once home, frequent visits from the midwives and health visitors continue to monitor the progress of the baby. It is important to keep your baby indoors, especially during the winter cold season, to prevent any un-necessary infections. Approximately one year after birth there will be a follow-up review with the Paediatrician and providing all is well you be will signed off into the care of your GP. In-depth sight and hearing tests may also take place.
Despite their tiny size it is surprising the strength that such a little one can possess and as each obstacle is overcome some parents find that recording the milestones in a diary helps them deal with the overwhelming range of emotions that can take effect each day. It means that you can chart the baby’s progress and focus on positive things during those darker moments.
Websites such as
www.bliss.org.uk together with the support from other parents can prove to be invaluable.
Contributed by Jo Priaulx, Co-Founder of The Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation ("PPBF")
PPBF was founded by Jo and Andy Priaulx (Guernsey's own Racing hero), after both of their children where born prematurely. They experienced great support at first hand from the specialist care at the hospital. Check out the link for more information. www.andypriaulx.com/ap/profile/charity.html