At first glance of your tiny frame,
We hardly saw a baby at all.
Tubes and wires covered your features,
A sight that was heartbreaking at first.
You are the smallest person we have ever seen,
Yet you have defied the odds and continued to breathe.
We have witnessed your body go limp from the struggle,
And watched your tiny soul be revived by the miracle hands in NICU.
We have cried many tears,
We have so many fears,
Yet when our hearts connect in a kangaroo hold,
Our fears are released into a state of peace.
Your strength has taught us the meaning of patience,
And to not rush things that need time to grow.
As we breathe in the delicate NICU air,
We are forever changed by your early arrival.
Author | Julia Toivonen
Prematurity
In Australia, approximately 8% of babies are born early every year with 20% of these babes requiring extra medical support at birth. Tragically, around 1,200 of these little ones die as a result of being born too soon.
Of the babies that survive extreme prematurity, many can be faced with a bewildering array of health problems.
What is a premature birth?
A premature (or preterm) baby is an infant born earlier than usual, before the mother reaches 37 weeks of pregnancy. The degree of prematurity of babies can be grouped into different categories. The earlier the baby is born, the more health problems that it will generally face.
These three categories are:
- Extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks)
- Very preterm (28 to 32 weeks)
- Moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks).
Why do premature births happen?
In many cases, we do not know exactly why women go into labour too soon. Experts are aware of factors that may increase the risk including genetic problems, infection or problems with the placenta. However, it is an area which needs more research.
The effects of prematurity
Babies born just a few weeks early usually face an extremely positive future, but do need extra care in the short term. Extremely preterm babies however face a much more turbulent journey.
The early weeks and months of life for the extremely premature baby take place in the neonatal intensive care unit. This places a huge strain on the parents, siblings and other family members. The baby may need ventilating (help to breath), lines inserted and to be fed through a tube into their tummy or into a vein.
The very premature may also face life-threatening infections, or bowel problems, such as necrotising enterocolitis, that may need surgery.
Eye problems, such as retinopathy of the newborn, and hearing problems are also very common. Many parents of very newborn babies describe their child's first few weeks as an emotional rollercoaster.
However, thankfully, improvements in neonatal intensive care are being made all the time, and more and more children are surviving with a good quality of life and a positive future.
Long-term impact of prematurity
Many children that survive premature births are without any adverse consequence at all. However, some may face longer term health problems including cerebral palsy, visual problems and learning disabilities.
Chronic lung disease, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, of prematurity often improves over time, but may leave the child with asthma in later life.
Some children may have some other more subtle behavioural problems as well which can be helped with early diagnosis and specific therapies.
The message here is that if a baby is born prematurely, the whole family needs support, not just the baby.
