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Caring for a Premature Baby: What Parents Need to Know

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Ages & Stages

Ages & Stages

• Premature birth occurs in about 11 to 13 percent of pregnancies in the US.

• Almost 60 percent of twins, triplets, and other multiple deliveries result in preterm births.
  

It is important to recognize that preterm deliveries, even if late preterm, should never be done for the convenience of the mother or obstetrician. Research has shown that late preterm babies have significantly greater risk for negative outcomes, and all efforts should be made to have babies reach full term. See Let Baby Set the Delivery Date: Wait until 39 Weeks if You Can.

Characteristics of Babies Born Premature

While the average full-term baby weighs about 7 pounds (3.17 kg) at birth, a premature newborn might weigh 5 pounds (2.26 kg) or even considerably less. But thanks to medical advances, children born after twenty-eight weeks of pregnancy, and weighing more than 2 pounds 3 ounces (1 kg), have almost a full chance of survival; eight out of ten of those born after the thirtieth week have minimal long-term health or developmental problems, while those preterm babies born before twenty-eight weeks have more complications, and require intensive treatment and support in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

How Your Premature Baby Looks

• The earlier your baby arrives, the smaller she will be, the larger her head will seem in relation to the rest of her body, and the less fat she will have.

• With so little fat, her skin will seem thinner and more transparent, allowing you actually to see the blood vessels beneath it. She also may have fine hair, called lanugo, on her back and shoulders.

• Her features will appear sharper and less rounded than they would at term, and she probably won't have any of the white, cheesy vernix protecting her at birth, because it isn't produced until late in pregnancy. Don't worry, however; in time she'll begin to look like a typical newborn.

• Because she has no protective fat, your premature baby will get cold in normal room temperatures. For that reason, she'll be placed immediately after birth in an incubator (often called an isolette) or under a special heating device called a radiant warmer. Here the temperature can be adjusted to keep her warm.

• After a quick examination in the delivery room, she'll probably be moved to the NICU.

How Your Premature Baby Acts

• You also may notice that your premature baby will cry only softly, if at all, and may have trouble breathing. This is because her respiratory system is still immature.

• If she's more than two months early, her breathing difficulties can cause serious health problems, because the other immature organs in her body may not get enough oxygen. To make sure this doesn't happen, doctors will keep her under close observation, watching her breathing and heart rate with equipment called a cardio-respiratory monitor.

• If she needs help breathing, she may be given extra oxygen, or special equipment such as a ventilator; or another breathing assistance technique called CPAP (continued positive airway pressure) may be used temporarily to support her breathing.

Additional Information:

• Preemie Milestones
  

• Health Issues of Premature Babies
  

• Challenges Faced by Parents of Children with Congenital Heart Disease
  

• Depression During & After Pregnancy: You Are Not Alone
  

The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

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8 month baby development | Mamovedia

At eight months, the child begins to explore the world, and this can be very stressful for parents, as he will not only begin to move around all the corners of the house, but may also try to pull furniture or wallpaper onto himself, risking something at any moment drop and get hurt.

It is the job of every mother and every father to ensure that the baby's first attempts at independence, essential to its growth, take place in maximum safety. nine0005

So, put away all fragile objects that a child can break : ashtrays, vases and all kinds of glass, stone and clay objects that a child can grab from a table or low furniture, tip over and injure themselves.

Also keep all drawers locked especially if they contain hazardous items or substances harmful to health such as drugs, solvents or detergents. Insert plugs into sockets and remove chairs and benches from under balconies and windows so that the child cannot rise and fall. nine0003

Baby's achievements at 8 months

At eight months old, babies can pick up small objects with their thumb and forefinger: they use this "tweezer" to pick up a small piece of food from a plate and put it in their mouth. An 8-month-old baby will notice all small objects and may be tempted to put them in his mouth: therefore it is preferable to put all the little things out of the child's reach .

He can also hold an object firmly in his fist and release it by opening his hand: don't be surprised if he repeats these movements many times with a toy or a spoon! nine0003

How does an eight month old baby express his emotions?

You will be amazed when your baby suddenly starts blowing kisses or opening and closing a small hand in greeting: at 8 months, the baby develops every minute, and can clearly and clearly express many emotions .

Then he will smile and be happy about a new toy or worry and worry while waiting for a doctor's appointment. The baby may refuse food, showing disgust and even shake his head negatively when you need to do something that you don’t want to. The challenge for the parent is to decipher the child's various moods and intervene in case of overreactions. nine0003

For example, it may happen that a child at 8 months is very upset if he is left with a nanny and his mother goes away on business: this may be another symptom of separation anxiety

Newborn body development , who has learned to move a little, begins to stand well on all fours, tries to crawl.

Calculator of body mass index of the child according to WHO standards

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The child begins to stand upright if supported by a support, like an adult, or if supported by an adult.

Thanks to the fact that the baby has acquired an increased ability to move, he now tries to reach even distant objects. In other words, it increases his desire as well as his ability to move through space. nine0003

An 8-month-old baby: nutrition

An 8-month-old baby's feeding will be quite varied: unlike the previous two months, he can now taste meat, eggs, dairy products, as well as fruits, vegetables and cereals . However, there are some foods that are still preferable to exclude from a child's diet to avoid poisoning or allergies:

• Mushrooms, strawberries, exotic fruits, shellfish and crustaceans (potential allergens). nine0066
• Salt, sugar and other additives such as broth (children's kidneys are not yet ready to assimilate these substances, so it is better not to use them).
• Fish such as tuna or swordfish (may contain mercury).
• All unhealthy foods such as fast food, sweets, chocolate bars (in addition to sugar, these foods are loaded with fats that can damage a child's liver and predispose to obesity).
• Cow's milk, cream and butter (at least up to 12 months). nine0066
• Finally, all foods containing gluten if the child has symptoms of celiac disease.

As a rule, if the baby is growing well and weight is normal, feeding an eight-month-old baby can consist of 3 meals based on solid foods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) plus one / two meals based on milk ( breast or artificial) . However, try to adjust with the portions: it is useless to give a whole bowl of soup if the child only eats half, or prepare a 500 ml bottle if he only drinks two-thirds! nine0003

Finally, consider what foods your child may not like or intolerant of. Avoid forcing the child to cook them again after a while, but in the meantime, replace with another food that you think he likes more.

Diet for an 8-month-old baby

Fish can be introduced into the diet of babies at the ninth month. Along with animal meat, fish is a source of complete protein with a well-balanced composition of amino acids, fat, vitamins B2, B12 and minerals. Compared to meat, fish contains 5 times less connective tissue, due to which it is quickly boiled soft, has a delicate texture after heat treatment and is easier to digest. Fish oil is characterized by a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including the ω-3 class. These substances are necessary for the child to mature the brain, retina, strengthen the cardiovascular and immune systems. Sea fish contains such important trace elements for the child's body as iodine and fluorine. The child should be given 1-2 times a week instead of meat, be sure to monitor how the child tolerates fish in general and its individual varieties. Preference should be given to oceanic fish, preferably white (cod, hake, pollock), red salmon can be recommended, river pike perch, carp. nine0003

Self-cooked fish is given to a child with boiled and mashed vegetables. You can also offer your baby fish and vegetable canned food, but they contain only 10 - 20% of fish.

At this age, when all the main food groups have already been introduced, special attention should be paid to the diversity of the composition of dishes. New, possibly combined products are introduced, for example, not only purees from various fruits and berries, but also their combinations with cottage cheese, cream, cereals, etc.

From the age of 8 months, the child's diet can be expanded to include fermented milk products (baby kefir, biokefir, bifidokefir, yogurt, bioyogurt, biolact). Fermented milk products are prepared using a special starter culture that breaks down milk protein, so that the baby can get an indispensable set of amino acids in a well-available form. Fermented milk products improve the composition of the intestinal microflora of the child, are rich in B vitamins and calcium. Their regular use favorably affects the functioning of the intestines, stimulates appetite, and increases the absorption of micronutrients. Children's dairy products are introduced into the baby's diet gradually, starting with 1 tsp. and with good tolerance increase their volume to 150-200 ml per day. nine0003

Sample menu for a healthy baby 8 months old