SAR HP 252 Lecture 2: HP252 - Preterm Babies and NICU Notes
2 May 2018
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PRETERM BABIES & NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE (NICU)
Expectations v. Reality
• What Parents Expect (visually)
o Fat bracelets, chubby cheeks, breathing on own, normal coloration
• What Can Happen
o Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) – babies who are unable to function normally
after birth
▪ Usually in an enclosed isolate to help maintain body temperature, feed,
grow (and ultimately begin the development process on its own)
▪ Possible Issues: born too small, born too soon (pre-term), cannot breathe
on its own (ex: apnea), jaundice (gives the baby a yellow complexion)
Types of Support
• Helps develop respiratory, neurological, circulatory, cardiological systems
o Umbilical Cord – clamped
o Two Heart Monitors – monitoring respiratory system and heart
o IV – to deliver nutrients and medication
o Splint (usually placed on the foot) – to prevent the baby from unwittingly pulling
out cords
o Supplemental Oxygen – to help with breathing
o Eye Mask – to protect from ultraviolet lights in the isolate (used to cure jaundice)
o Hat – keeps heat in to preserve body temperature
o Pacifier – to encourage sucking and self-soothing
o Nasal Gastric Tube – nutrients and food are fed to the baby through this tube from
the mother
Preterm Infants
• Defined by a birth weight of less than 2500 grams (5.5 pounds) or a birth before 37
weeks of gestation
• 400,000 births per year are preterm
o Why?
▪ Women delay childhood which increase issues that can result in preterm
birth (either accidentally or induced)
• ex: if the mother has a specific condition that results in the baby
needing to be removed earlier
▪ IVF – can result in multiple births, some of which could be early
Preterm & Low Birth Weight (LBW) Infants
• LBW Infants – characterized by less than 5.5 pounds at birth
o Two categories:
▪ Preterm Infants – characterized when born three weeks or more before full
term
▪ Small-For-Date Infants – characterized when birth weight is below normal
for gestation
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Rates of Preterm Births Have Increased
• Factors:
o Number of Births (for mothers 35+ years)
o Rates of Multiple Births
o Management of Maternal/Fetal Conditions
o Substance Abuse
o Stress
LBW Causes
• Environmental
o Poor Health/Nutrition
o Use of Drugs/Cigarettes
o Multiple Births/IVF (reproductive technology)
o Improved Technology/Prenatal Care
• Maternal Medical Issues
o Age (older v. younger)
o Pre-Clampsia (pregnancy induced hypertension)
▪ When the mother’s blood pressure spikes resulting bedrest or in the worst
cases (ex: if blood pressure continues to rise), an impromptu delivery
o Placenta Previa
▪ Issue of placenta placement
▪ When the placenta is too close or far
o Cervical “incompetence”
▪ When the cervix is unable to hold itself tight/close
▪ If it opens, it can cause early contraction
o Premature Labor
• Treatment = Bedrest
Intrauterine Development
• 16 weeks – still room to grow
• 18-19 weeks – less room to grow
o The optimal location for babies to grow and develop on schedule
o The last couple of months are about feeding and developing neurological systems
• 30 weeks – body parts are completely developed and muscle development begins
o A baby born at this time will be half the size of a normal born baby
Complete Intrauterine Development
• The baby will have normal skin tone, fully developed limbs, the ability to suckle
Premature Extrauterine Development
• Extrauterine – development is needed in the NICU
• Babies need to be wrapped in blankets in order to prevent displacement in the hips and to
give isometric tension
Potential Medical Risks
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
