Premature babies need special care and observation because their bodies are not fully developed to handle the external environment. They are usually born before the 37th week and they are so tiny that they need continuous care.
It is very important to provide the right kind of care for a pre-term baby. Though the team of doctors and nurses would do a fantastic job of caring for the baby in the initial phase, it would be very handy for you if you also get to learn the basics of supportive care. This makes it easy for you to take care of your baby when you bring him home.
The NICU – Where Supportive Care starts
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is the first place where supportive care for your pre-term baby starts. This room is fully equipped with alarms, tracking systems, monitors, and other sophisticated paediatric equipments that help observe and keep a check on your baby and his vital organs, breathing rate,and other essentials.
This NICU is managed by a dedicated team of experienced doctors and nurses who take care of the feeding schedules, checking of fluid levels, blood pressure, body temperature, and other vital parameters of the baby. Gone are the days when women felt scared when they delivered a pre-term baby. Today, thanks to the advanced medical technologies, your pre-term baby recovers quite quickly and you can take him back home sooner than you ever imagined.
Respiratory Assistance
Providing your baby with a seamless way to breathe is the most important part of supportive care. Depending on the age and condition of the baby, he can be introduced to any one of the following forms of respiratory assistance:
- Endotracheal Tube – warm air is passed through a tube inserted in the baby’s windpipe
- Ventilator – baby breathes with the help of a machine and it is connected to the endotracheal tube
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure – helps naturally-breathing babies to get air more freely
- Oxygen hood – oxygen is pumped into the baby’s body with the help of an external box
Feeding Assistance
Different kinds of feeding assistance are provided by experienced medical experts, depending on the age and condition of the baby. Some of them are:
- Intravenous Lines – used for babies who cannot suck or swallow by themselves due to immature digestive system. These lines are used so that nutrition can reach the blood stream directly.
- Umbilical catheter – used in rare cases; a machine is surgically inserted in the umbilical cord of the baby
- Oral and nasal feeding- given to babies who can digest breast milk, but cannot suck or swallow on their own
- Central Line – babies are fed through intravenous lines inserted into their veins
Other important points of supportive care for pre-term babies
- They may get treated for jaundice under bright lights, also called bilirubin lights
- The assistant at the NICU trains you on kangaroo care, a trick that you must master, as it deals with the correct position of holding your baby
- Pre-term babies benefit a lot when you hold them properly. Excellent skin-to-skin contact can help them recover quickly as it helps them regulate their body temperature. When you hold your baby properly, you can breastfeed him well, thereby helping him to get enough nutrients for his steady growth.
