Premature Infancy

Premature Infancy


     Premature babies, otherwise known as preterm babies, or preemies, are

babies that are born earlier than the full-term of thirty-eight to forty-two

weeks of pregnancy.  These babies are generally born between the twentieth and

thirty-eighth week.  Almost 250,000 babies, nearly seven percent of newborns,

are premature(Golant 4).  Prematurity, even with all the advances in technology,

is still a major cause of fetal and neonatal death. Actually, around seventy-

five percent of perinatal deaths are due to a number of problems associated

with prematurity(Freeman 232).  Premature babies are very weak and defenseless,

and need to be hospitalized.  One reason for this is that a baby may become

startled into shock by a loud sound or even bright light.  This occurs because

many babies have fully-developed senses and underdeveloped organs, which may

become a problem, since the brain may not be developed well enough to be able

to distinguish these different senses, which causes the baby to panic and lose

control of its actions.

     The main underdeveloped parts of a premature baby are its organs,

chiefly the lungs and the brain.  The lungs are developed in the last few weeks

of pregnancy, and if the child is born before the thirty sixth week, he/she may

require some special attention. Usually, the child is monitored closely for

the first few weeks of its life, in order to make sure there is no problems

with the breathing or any other function of its body.  The premature baby will

probably need supplemental oxygen to help it through the early stages, but

rarely will it need an actual respirator or other life-supporting device on a

full-time twenty four hour basis.  In fact, giving the baby too much oxygen may

complicate problems, such as damages to the eyes.  This is caused by a over-

abundance of oxygen in the blood stream, which in turn causes the blood vessels

of the eye to expand, damaging the eye. This problem is one of the main

concerns when bearing a pre-term baby versus a full-term baby.

     Another difference, probably the most noticeable one, is the size and

weight of the baby.  A preemie will look thin and helpless, and will also have

transparent skin.  Blood vessels, veins and bones are sometimes visible through

the skin of these babies.  This is because the skin of a premature baby is very

fragile and tender and can be bruised or broken very easily by a slight amount

of pressure.  For this reason, many preemies, especially early preemies, are

better off not wearing clothing or diapers.  Not wearing clothing helps make it

easier for the doctor to work with the baby and keep the skin's stress levels

to a minimum.  Even though the parents may want to hold and cuddle their baby,

it is best for the child and the parents if they keep to a minimum the handling

of a preemie.

     Doctors are trying to figure out ways to prevent premature labor from

occurring. Through a drug called Ritodrive, doctors have been quite successful

in prolonging the pregnancy until the thirty-sixth week(Griesemer 15).

Although successful in many cases, doctors are still very skeptical on whether

or not women should take any form of drugs while they are pregnant.  In the

past, there was a belief that the placenta protects the unborn baby from all

drugs, bur just recently studies have shown that many drugs can be passed from

the mother to the child.  Another reason which drugs are not regularly

administered to upcoming mothers is that it is very difficult to determine how

drugs will actually act on the fetus, since test results can vary so

differently from person to person, and also because these results are very

unpredictable.  For this reason, women are rarely prescribed drugs while

pregnant, unless when needed or under the care and supervision of their doctor.


     Caring for a premature baby can be very tough for parents at time
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