9 notes to properly care for premature babies

For some reason, the little angel had to be born earlier than expected. Therefore, you should know the right way to take care of your premature baby so that your baby has a chance to develop healthy and normal in the future.

A premature baby is a baby born before the 37th week of pregnancy and requires special care during the first 2 years. This is even more important if the baby's weight is less than 1.3kg at birth. Please join aFamilyToday Health to follow the below sharing for some more tips to properly care for premature babies.

1. Proper care of premature babies

Doctors often try to prevent preterm delivery by following some method of delaying delivery. If you cannot prevent early labor, you should have your baby be cared for in an incubator (NICU).

During the first week of life, babies will be focused on supporting the development of the most important organs such as the brain. Infants are kept in incubators, then have their temperature checked, heart rate monitored and blood oxygen levels monitored through state-of-the-art equipment. The time your baby is in incubators usually lasts from a few weeks to a few months.

Many premature babies cannot breastfeed because they don't know how to combine suckling and sucking. For this case, the baby will be provided with essential nutrients for the body by intravenous injection. When your baby is strong enough to suckle, he or she will be breastfed or bottle-fed like other babies.

In addition, premature babies must breathe oxygen if their lungs are not fully developed. Depending on the baby's condition, there will be different treatments such as:

Let your baby use a ventilator;

Adjust the air pressure to keep airways from clogging;

Have your baby use oxygen therapy with an oxygen supply device that is wrapped around the baby's head.

In general, premature babies can be discharged from the hospital when:

Already able to breastfeed;

Able to breathe on its own without assistive devices;

Can maintain his own temperature and body weight.

2. Taking care of premature babies while breastfeeding

Breast milk is the best food for babies and babies. If your baby is not feeding well, you need to consult your doctor about bottle-feeding and breastfeeding instead of feeding your baby directly. It  is very helpful to express breastmilk properly and store it because loved ones can breastfeed for you if you are busy or sick.

In the case of your baby drinking breastmilk replacement formula, you must choose the right milk for your premature baby. To properly care for your premature baby, you should know information about this milk through consultation with your doctor. In addition, your doctor may suggest that you give your baby milk containing vitamins and iron to help your baby develop healthy. Your baby may also need more iron because preterm babies don't have as much iron stored in their bodies as babies born at term. After about 4 months of taking the drug, your baby will have enough iron as required.

3. Track your baby's growth

A preterm baby cannot develop like a full term baby in the first 2 years. Babies are usually smaller in size. To track your baby's growth, your doctor will use growth charts specifically for preterm babies. The doctor will also track your baby's developmental milestones like activity level, sitting and crawling. These are the basics of babies that doctors always want to know, not just babies born prematurely.

4. Perseverance when breastfeeding

Most babies need 8 to 10 feedings per day. Each feed is spaced up to 4 hours apart. If it takes longer, the baby may become dehydrated. If your baby's diaper gets wet 6-8 times a day, this shows that he is getting enough milk. Newborn babies often vomit after feeding. This is normal if the baby is still gaining weight. To properly care for your premature baby, take your baby to see a doctor if he or she stops gaining weight or is showing signs of losing weight.

5. Prepare solid foods for your baby

Most doctors recommend giving your baby solid foods at 4 to 6 months. Preterm babies are not as developed as term babies. It may take longer for your baby to develop the ability to swallow. If your baby has health problems, the doctor may recommend a special diet.

6. Give premature babies more sleep

One of the caveats for the proper care of premature babies is with regard to sleep time. Although premature babies sleep more hours a day than full term babies, the amount of time they sleep is shorter. All newborn babies should sleep on their backs, not on their tummy, including premature babies. Put your baby on a hard mattress and without a pillow. Lying on your stomach and sleeping on a soft mattress can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome ( SIDS ). This syndrome causes sudden and unexplained death, occurring in babies younger than 1 year old (usually when the baby sleeps).

7. Check your baby's vision

Dizziness is common in premature babies. This problem usually goes away on its own as the baby gets older. If your baby has this problem, your doctor may refer you to an ophthalmologist. In addition, premature babies are also susceptible to retinopathy (ROP) . This condition causes the small blood vessels in the eye to develop abnormally, occurring in babies born at 32 weeks of pregnancy or earlier. If your baby has retinopathy, your doctor will recommend taking your baby for more frequent eye exams.

8. Hearing test for children

Premature babies are also more likely to experience hearing problems than term babies. If you find your baby can't seem to hear you, talk to your doctor. You can test your baby's hearing by making a noise behind or beside your baby. If your baby doesn't turn around or respond to noise, your baby's hearing is really problematic.

9. Preventive vaccination for premature babies

You cannot ignore the vaccination problem if you want to take care of your premature baby the right way. Premature babies should be vaccinated at the same age as full term babies. Your child needs a flu shot at 6 months of age due to a higher rate of flu infection.