20 years
What are the risks of a baby being born at 8 months?
Aug 20, 2014
if the baby is born of eight months there's a probability that it lungs have properly developed yet, inclusive of some vital organs. therefore it may grow up with many diseases.
he also stand a higher risk of premature death, called SIDS, which stands for sudden infant death syndrome. of course, it will have to spend some time in the incubator.
However in general ,he premature baby faces a number of problems :
>Hypothermia is a great risk, especially if there is little subcutaneous fat. A premature baby is less able to shiver and to maintain homeostasis.
>Hypoglycaemia is also a risk, especially if SGA. There may also be hypocalcaemia. Both can cause convulsions that may produce long-term brain damage.
>The premature baby is more susceptible to neonatal jaundice and to kernicterus at a lower level of bilirubin than a more mature baby.
>They are susceptible to infection and to necrotising enteritis.
They are susceptible to intraventricular brain haemorrhage with serious long-term effects.
But REMEMBER THAT :
All these are problems are faced by the neonatologist in the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) but, when the baby is eventually discharged from hospital and goes home with the family, that is not the end of problems.
The baby who is just slightly premature like if born at the end of 8 month or whose weight is slighly good will probably have few or no long-term problems but those who are very premature and who have a stormy start to life often suffer many and serious problems.
So ,hence many factors can affect the risks of the 8 month born baby according to the pregnancy itself and its healthiness ,the cause of the baby borned premature and its effects ,the weight of the born baby ,illness of the mother,state when delivered ,examination of the baby after birth .
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Premature or preterm birth is defined as birth occurring before the 37th week of gestation. It is classified as late preterm (born between 34 &37 weeks), very preterm (born at less than 32 weeks of pregnancy), and extremely preterm (born at less than 25 weeks of pregnancy). The time of birth, and most importantly, the birth weight, are key determinants of the future health of the baby and how well she or he will fight any complications associated with premature birth.
Externally, some organs may not be under-developed, like the ear cartilage, the creases on the soles of the feet, the nipples on the chest, but these usually do not cause complications and only require time and good nutrition to become fully developed.
The internal organs, on the other hand, may be immature, with potential life-threatening complications:
1- Sepsis: which is a diffuse infection in the entire body; babies are born with an almost nonfunctional immune system and they are vulnerable to any infection; if they do catch an infection, it's usually very severe and requires prolonged treatment with strong antibiotics.
2- Central Nervous System:
Infants born at 32 weeks are at a high risk to sustain intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), or bleeding inside the ventricles (pouches) of the brain. The upper part of the brain consists of a right and a left cerebral hemispheres; within each is a ventricle where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced and circulates. Due to the stress produced by immaturity itself or by lung disease associated with immaturity, blood vessels on in the brain may break, resulting in blood leakage that may remain on the outside of the brain or may go into those ventricles.By approximately 34 weeks thereafter, bleeding becomes much less likely.
Luckily, babies' brains are very resilient, so in most cases their future development is not affected; in some cases however, significant damage occurs with possible future developmental delay, depending on which area of the brain was damaged.
3- Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) or Hyaline membrane disease (HMD - old name): babies born prematurely are short of a substance found in the lungs called surfactant; it is an oily substance that serves to make the lungs expand and shrink easily as the baby starts to breathe through his or her lungs once they are born. The lack or absence of this substance makes the lungs stiff, so breathing becomes difficult and ineffective in performing gas exchange (taking in oxygen and throwing out carbon dioxide). These babies may end up with chronic lung changes and diseases, like IVH, disease in their intestines (necrotizing enterocolitis "NEC" -- will be discussed below), among others. The good news is that surfactant can be replaced via the breathing tube, and the baby is kept on the breathing machine until he or she can start making their own surfactant with maturation of their lungs, thus they can breathe on their own.
4- The intestines:
The intestine are also premature which makes them prone to get attacked by bacterial overgrowth, inflammation, and they could also not be receiving enough blood to allow them to function normally. As a result, even the smallest amounts of milk (especially formula milk) may trigger what we call Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which forces the doctors to stop feeding , give antibiotics, and give nutrition in the IV.
4- The heart: patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), where the opening the connects the blood circulation in the heart to the blood circulation in the lungs, and which should close within a maximum of 24 hours after birth, remains open. This leads to increased blood pressure in the lung blood vessels, thereby increasing the risk for (IVH) and NEC.
5- Eyes: retinopathy of prematurity, which is a disease of the retina in the preterm infants, and is mostly expected in babies weighing less than 1500 grams. It is due to the under-development of the blood vessels to the retina. As a result, Retinopathy of Prematurity (when the vessels stop growing or grow abnormally causing bleeding in the eye) can occur in most premature infants. Severe cases can result in vision loss, but in some cases can be treated with surgery, laser therapy or may resolve naturally over time.
6- Apnea and bradycardia of prematurity: as a result of the immaturity of the brain center responsible for regulating heart beat and breathing, babies hearts sometimes slow down (and this is treated by medication), and their lungs at times stop the process of breathing (this is solved by medication and giving oxygen).
7- Anemia is also expected; when the baby gains enough weight, this is treated with iron supplements.
Externally, some organs may not be under-developed, like the ear cartilage, the creases on the soles of the feet, the nipples on the chest, but these usually do not cause complications and only require time and good nutrition to become fully developed.
The internal organs, on the other hand, may be immature, with potential life-threatening complications:
1- Sepsis: which is a diffuse infection in the entire body; babies are born with an almost nonfunctional immune system and they are vulnerable to any infection; if they do catch an infection, it's usually very severe and requires prolonged treatment with strong antibiotics.
2- Central Nervous System:
Infants born at 32 weeks are at a high risk to sustain intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), or bleeding inside the ventricles (pouches) of the brain. The upper part of the brain consists of a right and a left cerebral hemispheres; within each is a ventricle where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced and circulates. Due to the stress produced by immaturity itself or by lung disease associated with immaturity, blood vessels on in the brain may break, resulting in blood leakage that may remain on the outside of the brain or may go into those ventricles.By approximately 34 weeks thereafter, bleeding becomes much less likely.
Luckily, babies' brains are very resilient, so in most cases their future development is not affected; in some cases however, significant damage occurs with possible future developmental delay, depending on which area of the brain was damaged.
3- Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) or Hyaline membrane disease (HMD - old name): babies born prematurely are short of a substance found in the lungs called surfactant; it is an oily substance that serves to make the lungs expand and shrink easily as the baby starts to breathe through his or her lungs once they are born. The lack or absence of this substance makes the lungs stiff, so breathing becomes difficult and ineffective in performing gas exchange (taking in oxygen and throwing out carbon dioxide). These babies may end up with chronic lung changes and diseases, like IVH, disease in their intestines (necrotizing enterocolitis "NEC" -- will be discussed below), among others. The good news is that surfactant can be replaced via the breathing tube, and the baby is kept on the breathing machine until he or she can start making their own surfactant with maturation of their lungs, thus they can breathe on their own.
4- The intestines:
The intestine are also premature which makes them prone to get attacked by bacterial overgrowth, inflammation, and they could also not be receiving enough blood to allow them to function normally. As a result, even the smallest amounts of milk (especially formula milk) may trigger what we call Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which forces the doctors to stop feeding , give antibiotics, and give nutrition in the IV.
4- The heart: patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), where the opening the connects the blood circulation in the heart to the blood circulation in the lungs, and which should close within a maximum of 24 hours after birth, remains open. This leads to increased blood pressure in the lung blood vessels, thereby increasing the risk for (IVH) and NEC.
5- Eyes: retinopathy of prematurity, which is a disease of the retina in the preterm infants, and is mostly expected in babies weighing less than 1500 grams. It is due to the under-development of the blood vessels to the retina. As a result, Retinopathy of Prematurity (when the vessels stop growing or grow abnormally causing bleeding in the eye) can occur in most premature infants. Severe cases can result in vision loss, but in some cases can be treated with surgery, laser therapy or may resolve naturally over time.
6- Apnea and bradycardia of prematurity: as a result of the immaturity of the brain center responsible for regulating heart beat and breathing, babies hearts sometimes slow down (and this is treated by medication), and their lungs at times stop the process of breathing (this is solved by medication and giving oxygen).
7- Anemia is also expected; when the baby gains enough weight, this is treated with iron supplements.
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