Premature Babies
Around ten percent of babies born in New Zealand are born
prematurely, which means they are born before they reach 37 weeks
gestation. In some cases, the cause is obvious, for example
toxaemia, diabetes and other medical conditions. Multiple births
also have a higher incidence of prematurity. But in the majority of
cases, the reason why a baby is born early remains a mystery.
With recent developments in medical technology, babies born as
early as 24 weeks can survive. Baby's chance of survival increases,
and the chance of baby being disabled decreases, with every day
spent in the uterus. A 24-week old baby has a survival rate of
around 40 percent, by 30 weeks; the chance of survival has leapt to
95 percent, with only a 20 percent risk of disability.
Premature babies born today have a much greater chance of
survival even than babies born five years ago, so rapid have been
the developments in technology and treatment.
When a mother shows signs of going into labour prematurely, there
are several things which doctors can do to increase the baby's
chance of survival. Steroid injections are given to the mother
which helps the baby's lungs to develop at a faster rate. Drugs can
also be given to stop the progression of labour, although these are
not always successful, and can only be used for a short period of
time.
When a baby is born prematurely, he or she will need special
care, usually in a neonatal unit. There are neonatal units attached
to National Women's and Middlemore hospitals in Auckland, and
Waikato, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin Hospitals. If you
live in an area where there is not a neonatal unit, you and your
baby may need to be transported to a neonatal unit by ambulance or
by air.
Premature babies usually have difficulty breathing as their lungs
are underdeveloped. There have been many new treatments introduced
over the past few years which assist breathing and enable the baby
to breathe on his or her own much earlier than previously
expected.
Babies born prematurely often lack the sucking reflex which
enables them to feed, so often premature babies are fed by tube in
the early days after they are born. Mothers of premature babies are
encouraged to express breast milk where possible, so that their
baby receives the extra nutrition and nourishment found in breast
milk. Another advantage of expressing milk is that it enables the
mother to maintain her milk supply so that the baby can eventually
be taught to latch and breastfeed.
Babies born prematurely often lack the sucking reflex which
enables them to feed, so often premature babies are fed by tube in
the early days after they are born. Mothers of premature babies are
encouraged to express breast milk where possible, so that their
baby receives the extra nutrition and nourishment found in breast
milk. Another advantage of expressing milk is that it enables the
mother to maintain her milk supply so that the baby can eventually
be taught to latch and breastfeed.
The premature birth of a baby can be a very emotional time for
the family concerned. Depending on how premature the baby is, his
or her parents may have to wait days, even weeks before they are
allowed to touch their baby. Simple things like bathing and feeding
that we take for granted become major milestones in a premature
baby's development.
The staff who work in the neonatal units are specially trained
to deal with not only the needs of the baby, but of the family as
well. Some units provide families with scrapbooks to record their
child's progress, as well as Polaroid photos, hand and foot prints
and measurements.
The length of time baby needs to stay in hospital depends on how
early he or she has been born, his or her birth weight and how he
or she progresses after birth. As a general guide, most babies will
leave hospital some time around their due date. Very premature
babies may need to stay longer, whilst those born closer to full
term may only need a few days in hospital.
A premature baby's milestones are not measured from the date of
their birth, but rather from the date he or she was due to be born.
This is known as "corrected age". Therefore, a baby who is 12 weeks
old, but was born at 34 weeks gestation, would have a corrected age
of six weeks.
***UPDATE*** North Shore Hospital now has a Special Care Baby
Unit (SCBU) where they can look after premature babies who do not
require ventilation