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The special needs of premature infants

A premature infant is one who is born before the full-term of thirty-eight to forty-two weeks. These infants, sometimes called "preemies," because they were born premature. Problems for premature babies involve a variety of special needs.The special needs of premature infants have to do with the problems associated with premature birth.

To begin with the special needs of premature infants start with their low birth rate. Premature babies can weigh as little as one pound, and because of their low birth weight they lack the necessary resources to keep themselves warm. They are usually put in an incubator where a constant, warm temperature is maintained at all times.

Another of the problems for premature babies is the fact that their digestive systems are not yet fully developed making feeding them problematic. The best source of food for a premature baby is breast milk. However, these babies are too small to either nurse or drink from a bottle. Frequently, the mother will pump her breast milk and it is given to the infant through a tube. In addition, vitamins and certain minerals may be added to the breast milk, or formula, to address the special nutritional needs of premature babies.

Other problems that premature infants may experience because their internal organs are not yet fully developed include jaundice and apnea. Jaundice is caused by too much bilirubin in the blood, and if not corrected quickly and cause brain damage. Fortunately, simply placing the premature baby under bright lights reduces the amount of bilirubin in their blood.

Apnea is when the baby stops breathing. This is usually caused by the fact that the area of the brain which controls breathing is not yet fully developed in premature infants. Usually, simply stimulating the baby will restart their breathing. However, if the apnea episodes are too frequent medication may be given to correct the problem.

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