Premature Birth
What Is A Premature Birth?
A premature birth is one that occurs before the 37th week of the pregnancy.
What Causes A Premature Birth?
There are many causes for a premature birth, although sometimes the cause is not identified, some causes might be:
- multiple pregnancy
- infection in your womb
- heavy smoking
- fetal abnormality
What Happens If I Have A Premature Birth?
Having your baby prematurely can be stressful for the whole family. Babies that are born prematurely will normally spend the early weeks in neonatal care.
There are many different sections of neonatal care including:
- intensive care
- special care unit
- high dependency unit
Your baby may be kept in an incubator to monitor breathing as well as to keep the baby warm.
How Will I Feed My Baby?
Depending on your situation your baby might be fed through a naso-gastric tube which is inserted into your baby nose and fed down into their stomach. If you baby can suck you maybe able to breastfeed.
How Much Time Can I Spend With My Baby?
You can visit your baby on a daily basis in the hospital and the staff will encourage you to focus on building a bond with your baby while they look after the technical and medical aspects.
When Can My Baby Come Home?
Your baby can come home when they are stable enough not to need specialist help and once they have passed their original due date.
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