Preemie baby Health Problems

Baby health problems

Here are some common preemie health problems that you might want to be aware of.

Babies that are born early can face lots of problems. Preemies babies stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the hospital until they are well enough to go home.

Apnea of Prematurity

Apnea is where the baby’s breathing can stop suddenly and without no reason. This can happen when babies are born before 34 weeks the babies lungs are not yet developed. The heart rate will slows down when this happens. The babie will needed help to start the breathing process again.

Jaundice in babies

Phenomenon Jaundice can occur in any child, but the chances are greater in children born premature. The yellowing comes from an excess of bilirubin, produced by red blood cells. The Premature bayies liver is not developed enough to filter out the bilirubin so the levels rise too high. This can even lead to brain damage.

Patent ductus arteriosis

In the mothers womb, the baby has a different circulatory pathway connecting with the placenta to get rid of waste products in the mother’s system. At birth this opening between the major vessels closes then normal circulation through the heart and lungs begins. sometimes in premature babies,this area remains opened, resulting in faulty circulation. Surgical procedures may be required to close the opening if it can’t close on its own.

Respiratory distress syndrome

The lungs are the last organ to mature before birth. Mature lungs develop a surfactant or protective substance over the lung surface so that they can inflate properly.Premature baby's do not have this surfactant so they have trouble inflating their lungs to their full capacity. Over time, the surfactant will develop as baby matures, sometimes artificial surfactant must be used to keep from compromising baby’s respirations.

Sepsis

Sepsis is a condition of bacteria in the bloodstream which can lead to severe illness. For preemies babies, there are a lot of IVs and other medications that are delivered into their bodies through the skin. Any opening in the skin can become a potential cause of infection. If septicemia is present, baby will have a fever and may develop a swollen Stomach.

GERD SYMPTOMS

Gastric reflux can be a problem for preemie babies. The baby can’t hold food down, the babie will vomit and lose weight. Medication can be administered to treat the GERD.

Retinopathy of prematurity

Babies can have problems with their eyes. It can result in retinal detachments that can be treated with cryotherapy.