Premature Infant

A premature infant is a baby born before 37 weeks.
A premature infant has organs that are not fully grown. The infant needs special care in a nursery until the organ systems have developed enough to sustain life without medical support. This may take weeks to months.

A premature infant will have a low birth weight - less than 5.5 pounds (2500 grams). Common symptoms in a premature infant include:

* Respiratory problems such as hyaline membrane disease (also known as respiratory distress syndrome or RDS)
* Episodes of absent breathing (apnea)
* Poor feeding
* Thin, smooth, shiny, almost translucent skin
* Transparent skin (can see veins under skin)
* Wrinkled features
* Soft, flexible ear cartilage
* Body hair
* Weak cry
* Usually inactive -- however, may be unusually active immediately after birth
* Enlarged clitoris (female infant)
* Small scrotum, smooth without ridges (male infant)

The infant may have a low body temperature and show signs of breathing problems.

When premature labor develops and cannot be stopped medically, the health care team will prepare for a high-risk birth. The mother may be moved to a center that specifically cares for premature infants, for example, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In some cases, medicines called steroids may be given to the mother in help the baby's lungs grow. When born, the baby is moved to a high-risk nursery. The infant is placed under a warmer or in an machine called an isolette, which controls the air temperature.

Since infants are usually unable to coordinate sucking and swallowing before 34 weeks gestation, your baby may have a feeding tube placed into the stomach. In very premature infants, feedings may be done through a vein (intravenously).

If the infant has breathing problems, a tube may be placed into the windpipe (trachea). A machine called a respirator will help the baby breathe. Oxygen is given.

Nursery care is needed until the infant reaches a body weight of about 5 pounds and is able to feed by mouth and maintain body temperature. In very small infants, other problems may complicate treatment and a longer hospital stay may be needed.

Prematurity was formerly a major cause of infant deaths. Improved medical and nursing techniques have increased the survival of premature infants. A greater chance of survival is associated with increasing length of the pregnancy. Of babies born at 28 weeks, approximately 80% survive.

Prematurity is not without long-term effects. A large number of premature infants have medical problems that continue into childhood or permanently. As a rule, the more premature an infant and the smaller the birth weight, the greater the risk of complications. It must be stressed, however, that it is impossible to predict the long-term outcome for an individual baby just on the basis of gestational age or birth weight.

Prevention

One of the most important steps to preventing prematurity is to receive prenatal care as early as possible in the pregnancy, and to continue such care until the baby is born. Statistics clearly show that early and good prenatal care reduces your chance of premature birth and related deaths.

Premature labor can sometimes be treated or delayed by a medication that blocks uterine contractions. Many times, however, attempts to delay premature labor are not successful.