Life With A Preemie Born at 34 Weeks
Pre-Term Babies
Any baby born before 37 weeks gestation is considered pre-mature. The younger they are born, the more likely they are to have complications and health problems at birth and throughout life. Babies before 32 weeks gestation may not survive because one of the last organs to develop is their lungs. Although modern medicine and technology has made it possible for babies born as early as 19-20 weeks to possibly survive outside the womb with respirator assistance. The idea scenario is to keep a baby within the womb at least to 37 weeks, which at that point is considered full term.34 Weeks
This particular case was a baby born at 34 weeks after the mother's water broke at 32 weeks and 6 days gestation. Miraculously, that first night, the baby was breech, but overnight, turned and engaged head down. Thus, eliminating the need for a c-section. The doctor and hospital admitted the mother, and introduced the 48 hours of steroids for the baby's lung development, the 72 hours of antibiotics for pre-cautions and a week of IV introduced fluids to replace those lost when the water broke.The original plan after the mother was admitted, was to hold off delivery of the pre-term infant until at least 35 weeks gestation. However at 33 weeks and 5 days gestation, the baby began showing signs of discomfort. She began moving more frequently and the mother began losing fluids rapidly.The next day, it was determined that the best course of option to avoid any possible future infections, was to take the baby at 34 weeks by labor induction. So the day before delivery, lab work was performed, an ultrasound was done to check the baby's position, heart and lung functions and a Neonatologist was consulted. The mother was informed and prepared to give birth to a baby that might weigh under 5 pounds, have trouble breathing on her own, might have trouble maintaining a normal core body temperature and might not be able to suck or eat on her own yet. These are the crucial skills that develop during those last few weeks of gestation. The mother was prepared to have her new baby spend a week in the NICU. Most preemies do not get to go home with Mom when Mom is released from the hospital.Delivery Day
It was not a normal delivery. This was an induced labor, meaning that the mother never goes into labor on her own, but the body is put into delivery mode and contractions are started by inducing a hormone called pitocin into the blood stream by IV.Yet the delivery went smoothly with little complications and a little baby girl was delivered on August 16, 2011, at 6:52PM, 6 weeks early, weighing in at exactly 5 pounds and had a length of 19.75" Joyfully, to everyone's surprise and amazement, she was breathing on her own and rooting for food.At birth, a special test, called APGAR, is performed on all babies to evaluate their responsiveness. A perfect score is a 10. This little girl had an APGAR of 8 at 1 minute after birth and a 9 at 5 minutes after birth. She was tiny. She was 6 weeks early, but she was almost perfect in every way. Mother and baby got to go home together 3 days later. Truly a little miracle.Life With A Preemie
Life with a preemie baby is a little different than bringing a full term, fully developed baby home. In this case, this child still had 3-6 weeks of development, so special precautions must be taken to protect the baby's immune system. The baby is fragile, needs to nurse and feed every 2-3 hrs and must be kept warm. Also, because she is so little, she doesn't fit well in a regular car seat baby bouncer, crib or baby swing. Currently, this little one is co-sleeping with her parents in the middle of a king size bed, swaddled in a blanket and almost constantly being watched and observed by her parents for signs of distress.It's important to remember a preemie is one that was born early and will need to be cared for as though she was still in the womb: constant warmth, constant nutrition, constantly meeting her needs. This may be necessary for several months until the child begins to catch up in development with other babies of the same age.Special Consideration for the Mom
Giving birth to a preemie can be a traumatic experience. Even if the story has a happy ending, the mother after delivery, especially if it was a quick, surprise or emergency delivery, may have a hard time adjusting to the fact that she has delivered earlier than expected and is no longer pregnant.Post-Partum depression may hit hard. Be considerate of any mother who has just given birth. Let her rest as much as possible to physically and mentally recover. Provide the mother with lots of fluids, protein and good nutrition. This will aide in her recovery and will help establish a good milk supply for the baby if she chooses to nurse. Do not expect a mother of a preemie to bounce back after delivery as quickly as a mother of a full term baby. Both mother and baby need a little extra time to rest, recover and get used to life after delivery.SOURCE: Kidshealth.org,
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