Premature Birth Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Premature birth is a birth event that occurs in pregnancy before the age of 37 weeks or three weeks prematurely. Premature labor generally occurs unplanned. For example in the event of premature rupture of membranes (the membranes rupture before it is time to give birth) or in the event of infection in the uterus during pregnancy. Preterm labor can also be planned, for example in the case of preeclampsia.
The last weeks of pregnancy are a very important period in the process of fetal growth, especially in the brain and lungs. That is why babies born prematurely require longer treatment in the hospital.
Babies born prematurely will look smaller than babies born normally. In addition, they also lack reflexes for sucking and swallowing, which makes it difficult for them to eat. At birth, the body temperature of babies born prematurely is generally low.
Symptoms
Premature birth causes the baby not to have enough time to grow and develop in the womb as it should. This causes babies born prematurely to have lower size and development than they should.
The characteristics of babies born prematurely include:
- Low birth weight
- Small body size, with a disproportionately large head
- Lots of fine hair that covers the body
- Low body temperature
- Hard to breathe
- Having difficulty sucking and swallowing breast milk
Premature birth can cause many complications, both in the short and long term. Apart from breathing problems and low body temperature, other short-term complications are heart problems ( patent ductus arteriosus ), brain hemorrhage, and anemia. Meanwhile, long-term complications can include brain damage ( cerebral palsy ), impaired vision, deafness, and psychiatric disorders such as ADHD ( attention deficit hyperactive disorder ).
Reason
The cause of premature birth is not known for certain. But there are some things that increase the risk of preterm labor. Among others are:
- History of previous preterm birth
- Pregnant twins
- There is an abnormality in the uterus or placenta
- The distance between the current pregnancy and the previous pregnancy is less than 6 months
- Pregnant women are often exposed to cigarette smoke
- Mother’s weight is lower than it should be
- Pregnant women have hypertension or diabetes
- History of recurrent miscarriage
- There was an injury during pregnancy
Diagnosis
There are several checks that must be done on premature babies, including:
- Examination of breathing and heart rate, done because premature babies often experience heart rate and breathing irregularities. This examination is generally carried out by installing a monitor in the NICU ( neonatal intensive care unit ).
- Blood tests, especially to check the levels of hemoglobin (red blood cells), calcium, blood sugar, and bilirubin.
- Echocardiogram, which is an examination performed to assess the presence of heart valve leaks and the pumping function of the baby’s heart.
- Eye examination is necessary because premature babies’ eyes, especially the retina, very often have a disorder known as retinopathy of prematurity.
Treatment
Handling of babies who experience premature birth aims to protect babies from dangerous complications. To prevent the baby from catching a cold, the baby is kept in an incubator at the hospital.
In addition to the incubator, you can also use the kangaroo method of care. This method is done by placing the baby on the mother’s/father’s chest with direct skin contact without clothes for a full 24 hours until the baby’s weight increases and his condition is more stable.
If the baby is not able to suck and swallow properly, the doctor will install an infusion and feeding tube to be able to provide fluids and breast milk so that the baby gets adequate nutrition and does not become dehydrated. The feeding tube is a small tube that is inserted through the nose or mouth to the stomach.
If the baby looks jaundiced and the bilirubin level is too high, premature babies need to undergo phototherapy. This action is performed by irradiating the baby’s body with blue light for several hours to lower bilirubin levels. Bilirubin levels that are too high can be dangerous for the brain.
If an infection is suspected, the baby is also given antibiotics which are given by injection or infusion.
Generally, premature babies can be taken home and cared for at home if the conditions are as follows:
- His breathing is regular and able to breathe without assistance
- His body temperature is stable
- Can already breastfeed (from mother’s breast or from a bottle)
- His weight continued to increase
- No fever
Prevention
Having an ideal body weight and good nutritional intake before pregnancy is the best way to reduce the risk of preterm labor.
In addition, in pregnant women with a high risk of having preterm labor, doctors will generally make efforts to prevent preterm birth from occurring. Some things that can be done are:
- Administration of the hormone progesterone
- Cervical cerclage _
- Providing calcium supplements
- Administration of low-dose aspirin
These four things are not done in all pregnant women. The doctor will assess the condition of the pregnant woman and determine which things need to be done.