There are several risks that come whenever your baby is born too early. However good management and intervention given to the mother can lessen these risks and give your baby a chance to have a normal life. These risks include:
- Severe disability –This includes disorders that make the baby highly dependent e.g. cerebral palsy preventing a child from walking, profound hearing problems and blindness.
- Moderate disability – These are children who have reached a reasonable level of independence, e.g. cerebral palsy (child still able to walk), lower than average IQ, hearing loss correctable by a hearing aid, impaired vision without blindness.
- Mild disability – includes those with mild learning problems or other impairments such as squints or stutters which do not interfere significantly with everyday life.
Management of preterm baby after delivery
Once there are signs of premature labour, your doctor will try and prevent the labour from progressing. However, there are some cases where the baby has to be delivered either due to the baby’s health (signs of fetal distress) or due to the mother’s health. The earlier the baby is born, the less chance there is of it surviving and being healthy.
- 25 weeks and over – The baby will be actively cared for to support breathing and kept warm. The baby is then transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit for ongoing care.
- 24 weeks – Resuscitation and intensive support are usually offered unless parents and doctors agree that there is little hope of survival or the baby’s level of suffering would outweigh the baby’s interest in continuing to live.
- 23 weeks – At this stage of pregnancy, there is the greatest uncertainty about the outcome for an individual baby. Intensive support will be offered if parents specifically request it and the senior neonatologist present feels it to be appropriate. Otherwise, comfort care only will be given to your baby with no active intervention to support life.
