New born babies are referred to as premature when they are born before week 36 of pregnancy. The experience can be very difficult, demanding and full of worry for parents. Premature babies not only look so small and fragile, but are also very susceptible to infections and may require intensive care.The early birth will often cause your baby to be born with under developed internal organs, as the newborn would have needed more time in the womb to fully develop and cope well with life outside the mum’s belly.
The earlier a baby is born, the more it needs help with:
• breathing,
• feeding,
• keeping herself/himself warm,
• digesting food,
• support with the brains development and function,
• skin care,
• emotional closeness
• and sometimes more
Intensive care units and special care units in the hospitals are well equipped and the staff is well trained to give a premature baby the best care possible and the continuous research that is done also improves the caring techniques even more.
It is more and more common that parents are invited and encouraged to take active care for their premature baby, while it spends the early weeks of its life in hospital’s NICU (newborn intensive care unit) or SCBU (special care baby unit) wards.
Caring for a premature baby
Mothers, who decide to breastfeed their baby will start pumping milk as soon as the baby is born, it will give a premature baby the best nutritional form of food,
The rich colostrum is ideal for the baby, as it has exactly the amount of nutrition the baby needs according to his age and it carries antibodies for the baby’s immune system.
Colostrum, and later on milk, adjusts to the age related needs of the baby and therefore does not over - or under nourish their child, which can happen with artificial formula milk. Breast milk is also easy to digest and does not cause tiny bleedings inside the intestines, which could cause a weaker immune system.
Closeness and bonding
Gently talking or singing to the baby or playing familiar music supports the bonding process and helps to activate the baby’s brain activity. Remember that a premature baby tires easily, so keep an eye on stress signs is necessary to avoid over stimulating your baby.
The well-researched “Kangaroo-Method” is a wonderful way to help a premature baby and the parents through possible challenging times. Both mother and father are able to hold their baby skin to skin for an amount of time during each day. This is possible even if the new born baby is connected to cables or an oxygen machine.
Smell, heartbeat, skin contact and touch create a sense of wellbeing in the baby, which also stimulates maturity of organs. He also receives a constant body temperature to keep his own steady and it stabilises the breathing. Bonding gets supported between the baby and the parents and the baby’s immune system gets a boost. It also gives the parents a feeling of being useful to their child, even if it takes time to get used to comfortably holding such a vulnerable little being so close.
Later on, when the baby gets stronger, slowly introducing a gentle massage can also be stimulating for the baby’s development and again, brings joy to the baby and parents simultaneously.
The importance of touch
It is important to remember, that most of the handling and touch a premature baby receives during his stay in the unit, is stressful and even painful – tubes need to be placed into the baby’s lungs and stomach, blood samples need to be taken regularly, catheters may need to be used and much more.
So, a loving and caring presence and touch from the parents can make all the difference for the baby, helping to cope with those early days in a good way or if it causes suffering.
Even if there is little intimacy in the unit or a lot of machinery around, actively working with the new born baby will help parents to gather the confidence needed to care for their child at home, when they are able to leave the hospital.
Touching and holding the baby close can also help the parents to overcome grief over the loss of a mature baby, the struggles with special demands and needs and worries about their child’s wellbeing. Counselling and gentle guidance for families is very important in those early days and many hospitals or communities offer this service.
Taking your premature baby home
The parents will be well trained by the time the baby can go home. They have been with their premature baby most of the time and will have received training by the unit staff as well. Still, a premature baby can be very sensitive, so reducing bright light, loud and sudden noises or strong smells as well as over touching will be important for a while.
Hopefully, by the time you bring your premature baby home he will have made a start in breast feeding and the mother can stop pumping her milk. Yet, they both may need extra help and support to establish a healthy feeding technique and rhythm.
Night sleep could be broken more than usual, should a premature baby’s lung function still need extra care and if the breathing has yet to develop a safe pattern. Let your baby sleep on his back and in the same room with you, preferable with a lower room temperature, around 18 degrees.
Siblings may need help to integrate the new baby and the specific needs. Bringing a premature baby home means you could get very busy for a while and may want to ask for extra support.
Alternative help for premature babies
Working together with modern technology, alternative healing methods can help the development of a premature baby and ease possible trauma in the baby and the parents. These have proven to work well with premature babies and their families.
Useful alternative healing methods:
• Bach Flower Remedies
• Homeopathy
• Reiki
• Sacra-cranial Therapy
• Aromatherapy
• And more…
Employing a doula can make a real difference, as she can professionally support the family in their day and night tasks and needs.
For more support and information you can visit Premature Baby and the charity Irish Premature Babies.
Article by Armella Karas Doyle
Doula in Co. Clare
Sources:
Carina Santrucek, paediatric nurse; intensive care unit and
special care unit for premature and sick children
Child Birth International Student Materials
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