In very premature or sick infants, nutrition may be given through a vein until the baby is stable enough to receive all nutrition through the stomach. A premature baby may have a small, soft feeding tube placed through the nose or mouth into the stomach. Infants usually cannot coordinate sucking and swallowing before 34 weeks gestation. The infant needs special care in a nursery until the organs have developed enough to keep the baby alive without medical support. Monitoring machines track the baby's breathing, heart rate, and level of oxygen in the blood.Ī premature infant's organs are not fully developed. The infant is placed under a warmer or in a clear, heated box called an incubator, which controls the air temperature. The mother may be moved to a center that is set up to care for premature infants in a NICU.Īfter birth, the baby is admitted to the NICU. When premature labor develops and can't be stopped, the health care team will prepare for a high-risk birth. Continuous cardiorespiratory monitoring (monitoring of breathing and heart rate).Blood tests to check glucose, calcium, and bilirubin levels.Blood gas analysis to check oxygen levels in the blood.Thin, smooth, shiny skin that is often transparent (can see veins under skin)Ĭommon tests performed on a premature infant include:.Small scrotum that is smooth and has no ridges, and undescended testicles (in male infants).Problems feeding due to trouble sucking or coordinating swallowing and breathing.Lower muscle tone and less activity than full-term infants.Abnormal breathing patterns (shallow, irregular pauses in breathing called apnea).Severe intestinal inflammation ( necrotizing enterocolitis)Ī premature infant will have a lower birth weight than a full-term infant.Problems breathing due to immature lungs, pneumonia, or patent ductus arteriosus.Yellow skin and whites of the eyes ( newborn jaundice). Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, extra air in the tissue of the lungs (pulmonary interstitial emphysema), or bleeding in the lungs (pulmonary hemorrhage).Bleeding into the brain or damage to the brain's white matter.Use of tobacco, cocaine, or amphetaminesĪ premature infant may have signs of the following problems:.Age of the mother (mothers who are younger than 16 or older than 35).Other factors that increase the risk for preterm labor and a premature delivery include: Premature rupture of the membranes ( placenta previa).Preeclampsia: high blood pressure and protein in the urine that develop after the 20th week of pregnancy.Poor nutrition right before or during pregnancy.Infection (a urinary tract infection or infection of the amniotic membrane).
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