HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury
Caring for a premature baby
Te manaaki i te tamaiti kokoti tau
Premature pēpi (babies) can have a range of problems that often need special care in a neonatal unit. How long they need to stay in the unit depends on how premature they are and what problems they have.
Early problems
Feeding
Premature pēpi usually take a while to feed well enough on their own. This depends on how early they were born. They may need extra feeding, with your breast milk, pasteurised donor breast milk or formula. They get this extra feeding through a tube that goes from their nose to their stomach (a nasogastric tube).
Breast milk is the best food for pēpi, especially premature ones. But sometimes it can take a while for your milk supply to start if your pēpi is premature. Your pēpi may be able to receive donated human milk during this time.
Breathing
Because their lungs are immature, younger pēpi can have problems breathing. They may need to be placed on a ventilator to help them breathe until they can breathe normally on their own.
Keeping warm
Because premature pēpi have very little fat on them, they can get cold very quickly and struggle to stay a constant temperature. This is why they need to be in an incubator or in skin-to-skin contact with mum or dad. Then they do not have to use their energy for keeping warm instead of growing. Skin-to-skin contact has many benefits.
Low blood sugar
They also struggle to control their blood sugar levels. If their blood sugar gets low, it can cause seizures. They need frequent testing (usually done with a heel prick) to check their blood sugar level.
Infections
A premature baby's immune system is also still developing so they may be more likely to get infections than a term pēpi. Feeding a premature pēpi breast milk is the best way of boosting their immunity and protecting them from infections.
Medical complications
A problem can happen because their digestive system is not fully developed. A condition called necrotising enterocolitis (nek-ro-ti-zing en-tear-o-kol-i-tis) can badly damage the lining of their intestines. The best way to protect premature pēpi from this is to feed them breast milk.
Premature pēpi have very thin-walled blood vessels, which can cause bleeding in their brain. This is called an intraventricular (in-tra-ven-trik-u-lar) brain haemorrhage. Sometimes this is minor and does not cause any long-term damage. But sometimes it can cause serious brain damage.
Premature pēpi are also more likely than term babies to get jaundice.
Long-term problems
The more premature a pēpi is, the more likely they are to have long-term problems. Some who are born close to term have no long-term problems at all, while others can have several problems.
Every pēpi is different, but the long-term problems that can affect premature pēpi include:
- cerebral palsy
- long-term lung problems
- sight and hearing problems
- behavioural issues such as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
- learning difficulties.
Getting help with a premature baby
Having a premature pēpi can be an emotional roller coaster. Your new pēpi is in the neonatal unit, in an incubator, attached to machinery. This is probably not what you imagined your first days together would be like. You may even find it harder to bond because your pēpi is not in your arms.
The neonatal unit staff are there to help you through this time. They can keep you informed about how your pēpi is being cared for and provide emotional support for you and your whānau (family).
Your midwife or LMC will also provide postnatal care and support for 4 to 6 weeks after your pēpi is born.
You can get support from the Little Miracles Trust, a charity that operates throughout New Zealand. It offers support while your pēpi is still in NICU, support at home, playgroups for pēpi and more.
The Canterbury Neonatal Unit Trust Fund is a locally operated trust. It supports staff and whānau of all pēpi that go through the Christchurch Women’s Neonatal Unit.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Patient.info – Premature babies
More information about premature pēpi.
- UNICEF – You and your baby: Supporting love and nurture on the neonatal unit
The link downloads a 16-page PDF with detailed information about caring for a premature pēpi.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed November 2024.
SourcesReview key: HIPRE-439454
