TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Premature baby A baby born before 37 weeks of gestation. These babies need extra care and attention to help their development outside the womb.
Sreenath Manikanti, senior consultant neonatologist in India, said one of the things to watch out for in premature babies is abnormal neurodevelopment. This can happen if the initial nutrition after birth is insufficient.
“Providing good nutrition is vital. Inadequate nutrition has been shown to cause short stature, growth failure, neural deficits and poor behavioral and cognitive outcomes in these vulnerable infants. Indian Express, Wednesday, November 17, 2021. Premature babies lose the rich nutrition of their mother’s placenta.
According to Manikanti, premature babies born before 32 weeks cannot breastfeed directly from their mothers. They often have medical conditions that increase their metabolic energy requirements, such as respiratory distress, hemodynamic instability, acidosis, sepsis etc. Most require special nutrition in the form of Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) in which proteins, lipids, glucose, microelements and vitamins are provided through a central route.
“Early initiation of oral feeding with the mother’s first breast milk (colostrum) within 1 hour after birth plays an important role in helping babies-baby this is to advance to full feeding early and avoid infections associated with long-term parenteral nutrition. Until these babies have sucking and swallowing reflexes, they are fed breast milk through a feeding tube in the NICU,” explained the doctor.
Until then, baby premature requires kangaroo method care and oral stimulation by learning to suck. Until the baby can suck, the mother is encouraged to pump her breast every few hours to maintain the milk supply. If not available, it is recommended to find a breast milk donor. If it is not enough, expressed breast milk can be enriched with calories, protein, minerals and vitamins. After premature babies reach 32 weeks, they are judged to be able to suck and swallow.
During their growth and development, premature babies require special attention. Some of the things that become the focus include preventing osteopenia prematurity, which is metabolic bone disease in premature infants due to lack of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D. This can be prevented by early vitamin D supplementation, and optimizing calcium and phosphorus.
Premature infants are prone to anemia due to low iron stores, erythropoietin and frequent blood sampling to monitor parameters. This can be corrected with iron and erythropoietin supplementation and red blood cell transfusions, if needed.
Premature babies also need zinc and vitamin supplementation when they reach their full intake.
Also read: Audi Marissa Recalls the Moment of Caring for the First Child Born Premature
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