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How to look after premature babies

How to Look after Premature Babies?

"A baby is an inestimable blessing and bother," said Mark Twain. Indeed a blessing but bothersome, well not really. Being a parent is possibly the most rewarding experience. A drool-worthy heart melting gurgling laughter fills your home with delight. While the cute little hands, adorable smiles, innocent cuddly gestures can fill you with ecstasy, the delicate body and shrill cries make you worried. The soft skin and the tiny body of the newly born are so fragile that handling the baby becomes quite an intimidating task for the new parent.

Premature Baby

Parenthood is a great responsibility. You are always on the “standby alert” mode. The baby is fussy, you are anxious and both are fairly new to each other. The already difficult situation becomes even more difficult when it is a premature (or preemie) baby you are dealing with.

What is a premature baby?

A preemie is an infant who is born earlier than usual i.e. before 37 weeks. The baby is more or less underdeveloped and has a weak immune system. The risk of infection in preemies is a constant threat to the parents. There are different levels of prematurity which are completely time dependant. The earlier the baby is born, lower is the maturity level and higher is the risk of infections. The highest being; for the babies which are born before week 26.

A premature baby is prone to cold, flu, diarrhoea and has various digestion related issues. Depending on the level of maturity, the problems vary. A baby born at 36 weeks will probably be a little slow to feed while a baby born before 33 weeks will have more serious problems like immature lungs.

Premature Baby Care

Preemie milestones

Achieving big developmental goals is what every parent looks at. From the first time baby starts to sit to the time it starts crawling, each milestone is a momentous achievement for the parents. Since preemies are still under their development cycle, they might take longer than usual to progress. Though we cannot change the milestones but we can help fasten the process for sure. While most fully grown babies sit up between 4 to 7 months, a preemie will do it between 6 and 9 months.

Considering the fact that premature babies face developmental challenges, it is suggested that they should be given regular baby massage oil massages to tone their muscles. Preemies do not have fully toned muscles. Muscle tone does not signify how strong the baby is rather it is the amount of resistance baby’s body shows to an outside force. Regular oil massages tone up the muscles and make them firm. Tight muscles ensure speedy growth of the baby and allow it to control its body movements.

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