Archive for the 'Premature Babies' Category

Babies born at 34 to 36 weeks’ gestation are three times more likely to be diagnosed with cerebral palsy than those born full term at 37 weeks or later, researchers report.

In addition, these “late preterm” babies, born just a few weeks early, are “modestly” but significantly more likely to be diagnosed with developmental delays or mental retardation, according to the study of 141,321 children born at 30 weeks’ gestation or later.

“We’re surprised to see the late preterm babies had a higher risk of cerebral palsy,” says lead author Joan Petrini, director of the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center in White Plains, N.Y. They also had a 25% higher risk of developmental delay or mental retardation than full-term babies.

Most of the children in the study had not yet entered school, when learning disabilities are more likely to be seen, the authors note, so their results may underestimate the proportion of late preterm children with brain development problems.

Because babies born at 34 to 36 weeks are sometimes bigger than full-term infants, they appear to be healthy, says co-author Gabriel Escobar, a senior research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland. And that’s part of the problem, he says.

A study has found that the risks of a premature birth quadruple if flaxseed oil is consumed in the last two trimesters of pregnancy.

In Canada, 50 percent of pregnant women take prescription medication. Yet many of them prefer to use natural health products during the pregnancy.

“We believe these products to be safe because they are natural. But in reality, they are chemical products and we don’t know many of the risks and benefits of these products contrarily to medication,” says Bérard, who is one of the researchers.

Bérard and Moussally set out to conduct one of the largest studies ever undertaken on by analyzing data from 3354 Quebec women.

The first part of the research established that close to 10 percent of women between 1998 and 2003 used natural health products during their pregnancy.

Before and after pregnancy they were respectively 15 and 14 percent to use these products. The increase means that about a third of women consuming natural health products stopped during the pregnancy.

The most consumed natural health products by pregnant women are chamomile (19 percent), green tea (17 percent), peppered mint (12 percent), and flaxseed oil (12 percent).

Undiagnosed infections may be causing a significant number of premature births, researchers reported on Monday after finding bacteria or fungi in 15 percent of the amniotic fluid samples taken from women in pre-term labor.

The heavier the infection, the more likely the women were to deliver younger, sicker infants, the team at Stanford University in California found.

“If we could prevent these infections in the first place, or detect them sooner, we might one day be able to prevent some of these premature births,” Dr. Dan DiGiulio, who worked on the study, said in a statement.

More and more children are being born prematurely in the United States, with 12 percent of births coming before the 37th week of gestation. Premature babies are vulnerable to breathing problems, underdeveloped organs, infections and cerebral palsy.

DiGiulio’s team looked for the DNA of germs in amniotic fluid samples collected from 166 women in pre-term labor at the Detroit Medical Center between October 1998 and December 2002.

They used this method and standard laboratory cultures to determine that 25 of the 166 samples were infected with either bacteria or fungi. They also found at least one unknown organism that could be a new species.

Low birth weight and preterm delivery increase the likelihood that a child will be autistic, with girls being at particular risk, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

“Pediatricians are probably sensitive to the fact that low birth weight children or children born too soon have special developmental needs,” researcher Dr. Diana Schendel of the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, told Reuters Health.

“This study simply supports that they should not overlook the behavioral aspects of development.”

She noted that while boys far outnumber girls in the general population of children with autism, physicians “may need to be aware that they will see more equal numbers of boys and girls” with autism among low birth weight and preterm children, based on the current findings.

The researchers found that among low-birth-weight and preterm children, autism was less common than other developmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy and hearing or vision loss.

However, children born weighing less than 2,500 grams — or roughly 5.5 pounds — had about twice the risk of autism as those with a normal birth weight. Similarly, children born before the 33rd week of pregnancy were twice as likely to develop the disorder as those born at full-term.

Premature babies undergoing medical procedures may be in pain even if there is no obvious physical hint of it, brain scans reveal.

University College London researchers found changes in brain oxygen levels - a response to pain - did not match other signs.

The findings suggest commonly used scales to rate pain in babies may produce misleadingly low scores.

The ability of premature babies to feel pain, and the level of painkiller needed to prevent this, has been the subject of debate in medicine.

Some babies do not cry out in response even to procedures such as the “heel prick” test, carried out regularly in neonatal units to obtain a blood sample.

Doctors and nurses frequently have to rely not only on facial changes, and disturbed sleep patterns, but also subtle changes in heart rate and blood oxygen saturation to predict whether an infant is in pain.

The UCL research recorded these responses to the heel prick test in 12 babies while also measuring brain changes in an area of the brain called the somatosensory cortex.

These changes in oxygen levels in certain areas of the brain are believed to be a byproduct of nerve activity in reaction to pain.

Placenta previa is a complication of pregnancy in which the placenta grows in the lowest part of your womb and it covers all or part of your cervix.

Placenta is the organ that helps in nourishing the developing fetus.

During early pregnancy placenta previa is not a problem, but if the condition occurs in the later pregnancy, it can cause bleeding, which leads to early delivery and also leads to other complications.

If you have placenta previa at the time of delivering your baby then you will need to undergo cesarean section.

If the cervix is covered by placenta completely then it is called as total or complete previa. If the placenta just covers the border of the cervix then it is called as marginal previa.

If the placenta edge just covers the cervix edge about 2cm but not at the border then it is called as low-lying placenta. Usually placenta location will be observed during your mid pregnancy ultrasound.

What happens after diagnosing with placenta previa?

Usually this depends on your pregnancy period. Don’t be panic! If placenta previa is recognized during the 2nd trimester then it migrates farther from your cervix and it will no longer be a problem.

Giving birth to a premature baby is an upsetting event. A premature baby is also known as preemie.

The premature birth usually occurs before the completion of 37 weeks of gestation.

However, the full-term pregnancy lasts for 38-42 weeks after the last menstrual period (LMP).

It is found that, in the United States, about 8-10% of all pregnancies lead to premature births.

As the premature baby will born too early, the weight of these babies will be much less than full-term babies. The preemies also have health problems due to underdeveloped organs.

So, a premature baby needs special care for the first two years after birth.

A regular check up with the doctor is must in order to identify the growth of the baby. Talk to your doctor about the special care for your baby, particularly about feeding your premature baby because it helps the baby to grow and remain healthy. [Health Complications of Premature Baby]

The doctor may suggest vitamins, iron and a special formula if your baby is getting bottle-feed. [Selecting safest Baby Bottle]

It is always recommended to feed (breast-feed or bottle-feed) your baby for a minimum of eight to ten times a day.

Is it true that your child born early? Giving birth to a premature baby is a depressing and frightening experience.

Premature babies are also known as preemie. The birth of these babies occurs prior to the completion of 37th week of gestation, which is so early than a full-term pregnancy.

The birth of full-term babies will happen thirty eight to forty two weeks after the mother’s last menstrual period (LMP).

In other words, the average length of pregnancy is between thirty eight to forty two weeks. It is found that, in the United States, eight to ten percent of all pregnancies lead to the birth of premature babies.

Premature babies will not develop completely and come across several challenges when compared to full-term babies. In general, the earlier the birth of the baby, the less the developed organs are.

The underdeveloped organs of these premature babies may lead to specific health problems. So, remember that the chances of developing complications increase as gestational age of the baby decreases.

The common health problems of premature babies are:

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is the most common lung disorder in premature babies. The babies with this condition feel difficulty in breathing.