I don’t think if there is any parent who don’t want his/her baby to be safe and healthy. What I have seen from my personal experience is that parents can go beyond limits to protect their children. It doesn’t matter whether their body permits them or not, but it is their will power to safeguard the health and wellbeing of their kids that make them do the unthinkable. But, there are certain things that are not in the hands of human beings. Things like giving birth to a premature baby. As we all know that after a woman conceive a baby, it takes nine months for the foetus to get fully developed. Once the development stage is up to the desired level, then the mother is taken to the hospital for delivery. The pregnancy term is around 37-42 weeks and when a baby is born before 37 weeks, then we say that he/she is a premature baby.
To be honest, I can’t say that premature babies are as fit and as healthy as those who are born normally, i.e., between 37 to 42 weeks. Premature babies have to face a number of challenges, which begin from the very first day. The first thing that parents are going to see is ‘underdeveloped body parts’. Then, they are going to see some discomfort in breathing, as premature babies have a flawed respiratory function. The lungs of the human beings if not the last, then surely one of the last organs that get fully developed during gestation.
But, parents who are blessed with babies who were born before time, they should not worry because the modern technology that has been used by the majority of the hospitals today offer a comprehensive care for premature babies. Where premature babies often die due to lack of medicines and proper care, the modern technology has given a new ray of hope to the parents by helping those little living beings survive and live a life like normal babies.
What leads to the scenario of premature babies?
- If a woman has delivered a premature baby before, then there is 40 percent more chance that the next baby she deliver is going to be a premature too.
- If a woman is expecting twins, then the delivery time can come early leading to two premature babies.
- A woman with a habit of high blood pressure is going to deliver a premature baby.
- A woman suffering from diabetes, malnutrition or stress, then there are more chances that she’ll give birth to a premature baby.
- There is a condition called ‘Pre-eclampsia’, which is caused when a woman suffers from high blood pressure. It also results in toxins build-up in her body that can affect her ability to hold a baby in her womb for 37-42 weeks.
I have also seen many premature babies staying in the hospitals for several weeks because they can’t survive in what we call as ‘normal environment’, as it is too harsh for them. In order to fully develop the lungs, premature babies are given different kinds of steroids. The magnitude of the problem can be determined from the fact that premature babies can’t breastfeed. But, there medicines available and a highly advanced technology available, so there is nothing to worry.
Premature babies can’t suck breasts, so what mothers do is, they pump for a couple of weeks in order to supply milk to the babies. There is a special grade pump that is available these days, so mothers can get these pumps for rent from the hospitals and feed their babies. Bottles can also be used to feed babies. The main thing is, making babies drink breasts milk because it contains a number of vital nutrients that can help improve the immune system of premature babies. If all the precautionary measures are taken in an appropriate way, then premature babies can live a normal life and enjoy all those things that are enjoyed by normal babies. So, parents must not feel depressed if their babies are born before normal time. Take the medical help in order to ensure the health and safety of premature babies.