Caring for Your Premature Baby in the Hospital
By Rochelle Caviness
When babies are born prematurely, they often require medical and technical assistance to survive. Thanks to medical advances, the number of premature infants that do survive is increasing. Nonetheless, having a premature infant can be a stressful and heart wrenching experience.
Although a large portion of your baby's care is vested in the medical staff and in support equipment, there are still a number of things you can do to contribute to the care of your baby.
- By participating in the care of your baby, you help yourself feel a part of your baby's life.
- It helps you bond with your baby.
- Don't forget to take care of yourself. While you main concern may be centered upon your baby, remember that you, as a parent, have needs to.
- Seek out the aid of a support group that will help you deal with your baby's medical problems and any personal problems you are having dealing with the stress and guilt of the situation.
Length of Stay
Most preemies usually only stay in the hospital until their due date arrives.
- Due to the vast array of complications which can arise, due to premature birth, some babies may face extremely long hospital stays.
Facing the Medical Decisions
One of the harder aspects of having a premature infant is the array of medical decisions that you must make.
- Parents often find themselves dealing with a situation for which they are totally unprepared.
- Talk to everyone that you can. Learn all you can about premature infants.
- Write down a list of question you want answered and ask your doctor to answer them. This will help you understand your baby's condition and any potential complications that the baby is at risk for.
- If your baby is terminal – seek support. Whether your baby passes naturally or if you are faced with the traumatic decision of removing life support, you will need to surround yourself with a supportive and understanding group of people to help you deal with this tragic situation.
Visiting and feeding your baby:
Talk with the neonatal staff to determine how much time you will be able to spend with your baby. Most hospitals have very liberal visitation policies for preemies, and most will encourage you to be with your baby as much as possible.
- Remember, you are also a member of your baby's care team.
- Be proactive; ask to be included in any decision making processes and to be assigned care tasks.
Touch
Babies are very tactile creatures and rely upon personal contact for comfort and to feel secure. Hold your baby as much as you can, and if that is not allowed, stroke your baby's body so that it has some human contact.
Talk
Talk to your baby. It will help you express your feelings and will allow your baby to get use to your voice.
Breast Milk
One of the most important things that you can give to your premature baby is your own breast milk.
- Preemies often cannot be breastfed immediately, however your breast milk can be expressed and frozen for later use.
- Breast milk boosts the baby's immune system.
- For the first few days of breastfeeding, you are providing your baby with colostrum. Colostrum provides the baby with some of the mother's antibodies and helps the baby ward off infections.
Dealing with the medical staff
Most of the doctors and nurses that work in a neonatal care unit are caring and supportive, but they do have a job to do and this may cause them to be gruff or appear inconsiderate at times.
- If you need to talk to the staff about a non-critical issue, try to find a time when they are not overly busy to ask your questions.
- If you have a dispute with a staff member, try to remain calm. If you find that you cannot talk intelligently with the staff member, speak with one of the co-workers and ask them to mediate.
Let the staff know that you are willing and able to take over as much of your baby's care as possible. If it will not harm the baby, they will often be more than willing to allow you to do as much as possible.
The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only.
Always consult your doctor for medical advice.
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