Nobody, ever, plans a premature birth. Parents are often caught by utter astonishment when they’re informed that their little one might arrive sooner than expected.
According to WHO, ‘Preterm babies are those that are born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed.’ Preterm babies do not entirely complete their course of fetal development. These tiny ones sure love to surprise their mum and dad.
This can occur due to a range of conditions, such as infections, multiple pregnancies, diabetes, high blood pressure, poor maternal health, etc. We cannot point to a single reason, in an attempt to counter it. As you would imagine, it can be a very complicated situation to prevent.
Given the relatively underdeveloped state of preemies, they might keep their parents on their toes with regular doctor’s appointments and seeking certain specific treatments, as and when required.
Should this scare expecting parents and those already having premature babies? Not at all. There are several ways to combat this issue and to have healthy, active babies even if they were born ‘premature’. Thus, what has to be done is to provide absolute and intense care to the baby when and if this situation arises. But before discussing any of that, let’s first look into some stats.
Every year about 15 million babies are born before the completion of those 37 weeks. This just means, slightly more than 1 in every 10 babies are preemies or premature babies. WHO suggests that cost-effective, timely interventions have successfully saved and restored the health of many premature babies worldwide. In India, stats reveal that this is a common occurrence. This should help parents dealing with this situation. They should know that they aren’t alone in this, and there are several success stories out there.
Recently, I got the opportunity to speak to one such strong mother who raised her preemie just fine. She revealed that her experience at the time of pregnancy wasn’t positively memorable. She didn’t appreciate the way she was treated by her doctor, nor were the facilities in the hospital adequate. When she was informed about an urgent c-section, she was baffled but went ahead with it, without any second opinion. This happens when parents start panicking and stress gets the best of them. The mother suggested that a second opinion from a trustworthy practitioner is very important if time permits. But her real struggle began when she brought the baby home, from the neo-natal care, which was after a month. She had to visit the pediatrician every week. She was bombarded with excessive pieces of advice from every person she ever met and had to be extremely careful with what she eventually employed. It was with love and support that was received from both sides of the family and intense parental and professional care, that the baby could recover and grow normally. Now he’s an active little boy!
This got me thinking, there is a lot of emotional conflicts that parents and especially mothers have to go through when a situation like this arises. I could feel a strong sense of resentment in her tone as she spoke about the health care apparatus, that should’ve ideally been her ultimate support system.
This is of course not to say that it’s the fault of the health care professionals every time. As I’ve discussed, there are several reasons behind a preterm birth, and it is not a unidimensional issue. However, if this story resonates with your situation today, then you should know there’s light at the end of the tunnel. With proper care, love, professional help, and thorough research, these little ones can be restored to good health and can lead very active lives.
The key here is to, firstly, seek a second opinion from a trustworthy healthcare professional, and secondly, after birth, provide the appropriate attention and intense care, that is needed.
A good pediatrician can help you through this journey, in ways, unimaginable. The pediatricians deal with such cases on a daily, however, your baby shouldn’t be just another ‘number’ for him/her. So finding the right one who cares, can be, at times, challenging. But don’t lose hope, there are many, many good doctors out there who treat their patients just right! Locating one such pediatrician will require a bit of research on your part, or your close friends and family could help you with this.
Stress is normal, and it shouldn’t get in the way of you taking the right decision for your little miracle. As days pass, you’ll get more used to the situation and will learn relevant facts and will then be able to make the correct choices. This is, again, a process. After all, babies are little, emotional beings. Preterm babies or preemies might require a little extra physical and emotional support.
On this journey, every day, there is something to learn. This is true, for both, parents with premature babies, and those with normal term babies. So, every day you’ll get to watch your baby grow and learn new things about her. Soon enough, with the coordinated help of the pediatrician, this situation will become your very own success story.
Thus, don’t let worry and stress get the best of you! Keep pressing forward, and keep seeking the necessary help, as required. The baby you’re blessed with, needs, and deserves every bit of your protection and care. You got this!
Nobody, ever, plans a premature birth. Parents are often caught by utter astonishment when they’re informed that their little one might arrive sooner than expected.
According to WHO, ‘Preterm babies are those that are born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed.’ It goes without saying that preterm babies do not entirely complete their course of fetal development. These tiny ones sure love to surprise their mum and dad.
This can occur due to a range of conditions, such as infections, multiple pregnancies, diabetes, high blood pressure, poor maternal health etc. Clearly, we cannot point to a single reason, in an attempt to counter it. As you would imagine, it can be a very complicated situation to prevent.
Given the relatively underdeveloped state of preemies, they might keep their parents on their toes with regular doctor’s appointments and seeking certain specific treatments, as and when required.
Should this scare expecting parents and those already having premature babies? Absolutely not. There are several ways to combat this issue and to have healthy, active babies even if they were born ‘premature’. Thus, what has to be done is to provide absolute and intense care to the baby when and if this situation arises. But before discussing any of that, let’s first look into some stats.
Every year about 15 million babies are born before the completion of those 37 weeks. This just means, slightly more than 1 in every 10 babies are preemies or premature babies. WHO suggests that cost-effective, timely interventions have successfully saved and restored the health of many premature babies worldwide. In India, stats reveal that this is a common occurrence. This should definitely help parents dealing with this situation. They should know that they aren’t alone in this, and there are several success stories out there.
Recently, I got the opportunity to speak to one such strong mother who raised her preemie just fine. She revealed that her experience at the time of pregnancy wasn’t positively memorable. She didn’t appreciate the way she was treated by her doctor, nor were the facilities in the hospital adequate. When she was informed about an urgent c-section, she was baffled but went ahead with it, without any second opinion. This happens when parents start panicking and stress gets the best of them. The mother suggested that a second opinion from a trustworthy practitioner is very important if time permits. But her real struggle began when she brought the baby home, from the neo-natal care, which was after a month. She had to visit the pediatrician every week. She was bombarded with excessive pieces of advice from every person she ever met and had to be extremely careful with what she eventually employed. It was with love and support that was received from both sides of the family and intense parental and professional care, that the baby could recover and grow normally. Now he’s an active little boy!
This got me thinking, there is a lot of emotional conflicts that parents and especially mothers have to go through when a situation like this arises. I could feel a strong sense of resentment in her tone as she spoke about the health care apparatus, that should’ve ideally been her ultimate support system.
This is of course not to say that it’s the fault of the health care professionals everytime. As I’ve discussed, there are several reasons behind a preterm birth, and it is not a unidimensional issue. However, if this story resonates with your situation today, then you should know there’s light at the end of the tunnel. With proper care, love, professional help, and thorough research, these little ones can be restored to good health and can lead very active lives.
The key here is to, firstly, seek a second opinion from a trustworthy healthcare professional, and secondly, after birth, provide the appropriate attention and intense care, that is needed.
A good pediatrician can help you through this journey, in ways, unimaginable. The pediatricians deal with such cases on a daily, however, your baby shouldn’t be just another ‘number’ for him/her. So finding the right one who really cares, can be, at times, challenging. But don’t lose hope, there are many, many good doctors out there who treat their patients just right! Locating one such pediatrician will require a bit of research on your part, or your close friends and family could help you with this.
Stress is absolutely normal, and it shouldn’t get in the way of you taking the right decision for your little miracle. As days pass, you’ll get more used to the situation and will learn relevant facts and will then be able to make the correct choices. This is, again, a process. After all, babies are little, emotional beings. Preterm babies or preemies might require a little extra physical and emotional support.
In this journey, everyday, there is something to learn. This is true, for both, parents with premature babies, and those with normal term babies. So, everyday you’ll get to watch your baby grow and learn new things about her. Soon enough, with the coordinated help of the pediatrician, this situation will become your very own success story.
Thus, don’t let worry and stress get the best of you! Keep pressing forward, and keep seeking the necessary help, as required. The baby you’re blessed with, needs, and deserves every bit of your protection and care. You got this!
