Babies born prematurely 7 months difficult to feed?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi My Linh - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
When your baby wants to come out early at only 7 months of pregnancy, it makes you worry about your baby's health as well as how to take care of your baby when he is born so prematurely. The immune system of babies as well as the resistance of premature babies will be weaker than those of babies born at full term.

1. What is premature birth?

Babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy are called premature babies.
Premature babies have a higher risk of diseases such as cerebral palsy, developmental disabilities, hearing and vision problems. The earlier a baby is born prematurely, the higher the risk of these diseases. Babies born prematurely are more likely to have health problems than babies born at full term. Preterm birth is the most common cause of infant death worldwide.

According to WHO, preterm birth is classified as follows:
Babies born before 28 weeks are called extremely preterm Babies born between 28 weeks and 32 weeks of pregnancy are called very preterm Babies born in the period between 32 weeks and 33 weeks 6 days of pregnancy is called moderate preterm Babies born between 34 weeks and 38 weeks 6 days are called late preterm births.

2. Are babies born 7 months prematurely difficult to take care of?

Taking care of a 7 month premature baby is really not easy. In addition to the care of parents, the baby needs regular support from a specialist. The younger a baby is born, the more health risks they face and the higher the mortality rate.
Babies born less than 34 weeks premature often face a number of risks such as apnea lasting 20 seconds or longer, breathing problems . Infants born less than 30 weeks prematurely, are often at high risk for intracerebral hemorrhage, which usually occurs within the first few days of life. In addition, necrotizing enterocolitis usually occurs in the 2-3 weeks postpartum, mainly in infants who are not breastfed. Retinal diseases in premature babies need to be detected and treated promptly otherwise they can cause blindness, usually occurring in premature babies under 30 weeks. In addition, premature babies may also face other risks such as infections, jaundice, and anemia. Babies born 7 months prematurely, their digestive system is still not fully developed, so in the beginning, digestion and absorption are quite difficult. In addition, premature babies are more susceptible to enteritis, making digestion and absorption more difficult. Babies born prematurely 7 months often will be cared for in special care in an incubator, so mothers should express milk regularly to send it to the baby, usually every 3 hours, even if the baby can't eat, the mother should also squeeze it out to maintain it. maintain breast milk. Breast milk is the most valuable medicine for babies to help children have less intestinal inflammation and better absorption.
With the development of medicine today, most babies born 7 months premature can live and leave the hospital after a period of intensive care. Parents need to learn how to take care of the child under the guidance of the medical staff when seeing the baby. Children need to have regular health check-ups to monitor the child's development.
The survival rate of premature babies does not depend entirely on gestational age, it also depends on other factors and one of the most important factors is timely and appropriate care.
The care of babies born prematurely 7 months will also be different between children because it depends on the health status of each baby as well as the care process of the babies.

3. Common treatments for babies born 7 months premature

Babies born 7 months prematurely cannot breathe, feed or keep warm on their own, so special care is needed to help them grow healthy and avoid dangerous complications.
Children are monitored blood pressure, heart rate, breathing 24/24 to detect early signs of abnormalities if any. Babies are put in an incubator for the best care. Helps children maintain a stable body temperature.

Babies born 7 months premature when eating will be given by doctors through a small tube directly into the stomach or can supplement nutrition for the baby by intravenous injection. Babies born 7 months premature will need a breathing machine to keep them alive. Besides, the treatment for babies born 7 months premature depends on many factors, especially the health status of each baby, so the way of care will also be different.
Vinmec Times City International General Hospital has successfully performed many life-saving cases for premature babies. Especially, there were premature births with high mortality rate, but after being treated at Vinmec, the babies were discharged without any risk of long-term complications.
Vinmec Times City International General Hospital is the only hospital in the North that can save 24 weeks premature babies. With modern equipment such as regular ventilators, high-frequency ventilators, CPAP ventilators, incubators, good infection control ability, ensuring a safe environment for children.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.