How premature babies grow: development by month. Premature baby - definition, maturation, nursing conditions

Birthday

There is still an opinion that premature babies will never become like everyone else and will be limited in physical and mental abilities. Because of such stereotypes, many babies born prematurely end up abandoned at birth. maternity hospital. Let's try to figure out how things really are.

Which babies are considered premature?

Nature has laid down the period intrauterine development the unborn baby, and it lasts 40 weeks. During this period, all internal organs and systems of the fetus develop in order to safely meet the outside world and function fully. Premature newborn the child is born from 22 to 37 weeks with a body weight of less than 2.5 kg and a body length of up to 45 cm. At the same time, WHO establishes the following criteria for fetal viability: gestational age 22 weeks, weight more than 0.5 kg, body length from 25 cm , at least one recorded breath.

Why can a baby be born prematurely?

If a child was born premature, it is not always possible to find out the reasons for this. According to research, there are a number of possible provoking factors, including:

  • old or too young age of mother, father;
  • mother's unhealthy lifestyle;
  • influence of occupational hazards;
  • previous abortions;
  • conception after recent childbirth (less than 2 years);
  • chronic pathologies in the mother;
  • past infections;
  • physical injuries;
  • intrauterine abnormalities in the fetus.

Features of premature babies

There is no clear “bar” that determines at what age a baby can survive, and there is a lot of debate around the topic of the need for proper medical care for premature babies. In our country on this moment The life of such babies, born with a weight of 500 g or more, is protected by a law that provides for their mandatory registration and nursing.

Low birth weight premature babies are born without being prepared for the conditions of extrauterine existence. Their vital organs are not yet fully mature and are not ready to function independently. Such crumbs have many external features, distinguishing them from infants born at term:

  • impressively short height and weight;
  • severe disproportion of body parts;
  • softness of the cranial bones;
  • underdeveloped genitals;
  • the presence of a fluff on the back and shoulders;
  • dry and thin skin;
  • lack of subcutaneous fat;
  • tightly closed eyes;
  • reduced physical activity etc.

The listed signs may be present partially or in combination in different premature babies. In addition, premature babies are characterized by undeveloped reflexivity, immaturity vascular system, lack of hunger. They have problems with straightening their lungs and producing digestive enzymes. It should be remembered that over time, if efforts are made, the baby will look like an ordinary newborn, and all organs will improve their functioning.

Premature baby weight

Depending on the weight of the premature baby at birth, several degrees of prematurity are distinguished:

  • I – from 2001 to 2500 g (mild);
  • II – from 1501 to 2000 g (moderate prematurity);
  • III – from 1001 to 1500 g (severe prematurity);
  • IV – less than 1000 g (extremely premature).

The degree of prematurity is associated not only with the weight indicator, but also with signs of the general maturity of the body. For example, it happens that babies are born weighing 2.5 kg, but in terms of maturity of organs and functions they are inferior to those who gained 2 kg at the time of birth. When the baby's condition stabilizes, he will begin to gain weight. On average, the increase can be 90-120 g in seven days, and by the fourth or fifth month of life, the child’s body weight triples.

Growth of a premature baby

A baby who was born prematurely often has a body length in the range of 45-35 cm. This indicator depends on the period of prematurity. In the future, one should expect the following increase in height: about 2.5-5.5 cm per month during the first half of life, about 0.5-3 cm during the second half of the year. So, after a year, body length increases by 26-38 cm per year.

Premature babies - consequences

Extremely premature infants have a high percentage of disability and complications, although there are cases where babies with critically low weight not only survived, but also did not have special problems with health. Those born weighing a kilogram or more have much more optimistic chances. When special conditions are created, such children after a few years are no different from those born at a normal time.

We list what pathologies of premature babies can be diagnosed:

  • hydrocephalus;
  • vegetative-vascular dystonia;
  • speech defects;
  • astigmatism;
  • myopia;
  • hearing impairment;
  • mental retardation;
  • increased susceptibility to infections, etc.

Development of a premature baby by month to year

It has been established that the development of premature infants under one year of age is determined not only by gestational age and body weight, but also general condition health, genetic factors. Often, in a favorable scenario, by the age of two they catch up with their peers in anthropometric, speech and psychomotor indicators, sometimes this happens by the age of 3-6.

Do not forget that a lot depends not only on the medical staff, but also on the parents of the baby. It’s worth making an effort, and the result will not be long in coming, and the baby will delight with more and more achievements. Premature babies whose development progresses according to months special schedule, in many cases they are not significantly behind the full-term ones, which can be tracked in the table with averaged data.

Skill type

Children weighing up to 1500 g, months.

Children weighing up to 2000 g, months.

Children weighing up to 2500 g, months.

Full-term babies, months

Concentration on visual and auditory objects

3 2,5 1,5 0,5

Keeping your head on your stomach

5 4 3,5 2,5

Rollovers from back to tummy

7-8 6-7 5-6 5-6

Crawl

11-12 10-11 8-9 7-8

Independent sitting

10-11 9-10 8-9 6-7

Standing on legs without support

12-14 11-12 10-11 9-11

First steps

14-16 12-15 12-13 11-12

Caring for a premature baby

In order for a premature baby to develop normally, he needs to create special conditions, similar to those in the mother's womb. Many vital functions small organism require artificial support and the less premature babies weigh, the more equipment the medical institution needs, the more experienced the staff.

Nursing premature babies

When a premature baby is born, care is initially provided in the intensive care unit. The baby is placed in an incubator, where respiration, pulse and temperature are continuously monitored, artificial ventilation is provided, and nutrition is supplied. With moderate and mild prematurity, the baby can be placed in a heated crib. The period of postpartum adaptation is about one to two months, and in the presence of pathologies - longer.

In some medical institutions, kangaroo care is considered acceptable. This means that a child who can breathe and eat on his own is in constant physical contact with his mother - on her chest or stomach. Thanks to this, the baby quickly adapts to the new environment and develops better. After discharge from the maternity hospital, prematurely born babies should be regularly examined by doctors, especially in the first year.

Feeding premature babies

Feeding premature babies is special. In the absence of a swallowing-sucking reflex, a formula for premature babies, to which hormones, amino acids, enzymes, glucose and other components are added, is supplied through a gastric tube. In the most severe cases, parenteral intravenous nutrition is provided. When the baby learns to suck, he is fed from a bottle with a nipple, and a little later he is applied to the breast (with a weight of at least 1.8 kg).

The nutrition of premature babies from about the second week of life can be based on mother's milk, which in this case takes priority over artificial mixtures. Complementary feeding for premature babies begins no earlier than 7-8 months of age, i.e. 1-2 months later than in ordinary infants, which is explained by longer maturation digestive system.

Everything that can happen to the nervous system of a premature baby can be divided into 2 large and unequal groups. Firstly, even if nothing bad happened to the nerve cells and cerebral blood flow, all the same, the cells of the nervous system turn out to be very immature and sometimes not “capable” of carrying out the correct regulation of all organs and systems. These relationships take time to develop. So, in the first days the baby does not know how to suck independently, because the nerve impulse is not transmitted correctly to the muscles that are involved in sucking. The child is fed through a tube for a long time until the sucking reflex is formed. Very often, such children, having already learned to suck, swallow poorly. The child holds food in his mouth for a long time in a small volume and only then swallows it. Feeding takes a lot of time; usually parents adapt to feeding the baby from a pipette in small portions. In addition, such a child has to be fed liquid food for a long time, sometimes up to 2-3 years, due to the fact that the chewing muscles develop poorly. Due to the immaturity of the nervous system of the stomach and intestines, such children usually regurgitate profusely, intestinal colic sometimes continue until 5-6 months of age. Constipation often occurs because the nervous regulation of the intestines is very imperfect.

Children whom doctors were forced to feed through a tube for a long time, and who were on artificial ventilation, they usually start speaking late and pronounce sounds incorrectly, because the reflexes that regulate the tone of the muscles involved in the pronunciation of sounds take a very long time to form. Therefore, almost all very premature babies require the help of a speech therapist. Moreover speech therapy sessions are necessary even before the child begins to speak in order to normalize the tone of the tongue muscles and form the correct development of speech muscles.

Due to deep immaturity, premature babies are delayed in motor development; they begin to hold their head up, pick up a toy, and roll over late. After six months, immaturity is no longer as pronounced and the child develops faster. Often premature baby motor skills are “confused”: the child begins to first stand up, then sit down, he may learn to crawl late, he may walk on tiptoe for a long time. There are two cures for immaturity: time and your patience.

If your baby is less fortunate, then in addition to deep immaturity, the cells of the nervous system may suffer from the lack of oxygen that a premature baby experiences during severe pregnancy and childbirth. If oxygen starvation brain was not too severe and long-lasting, then the changes that occurred in the cells will be reversible and will not lead to further severe consequences. In the first months, such children may be more excitable and have sleep disturbances. Subsequently, they develop well and by the age of 1.5-2 years do not differ in level of development from their full-term peers. But if cell damage could not be avoided, this may result in “ruptures” of brain vessels and hemorrhages in the ventricles of the brain. At 1-2 months of life, the condition of such children is usually severe, and they need medical care and long-term nursing.

With mild hemorrhages, the walls of small vessels “burst,” which can lead to increased intracranial pressure. Intracranial pressure increases due to excess fluid formation in the ventricles of the brain, which puts pressure on surrounding tissues. With minor hemorrhages, the condition in most cases is quickly compensated, the outflow of fluid from the ventricles is normalized, and the hemorrhages resolve without a trace. In other words, hemorrhages of the 1st and 2nd degrees can pass without a trace for the child, however, this does not mean that he does not need to be observed and treated at 1-2 years of age.

Severe hemorrhages, when large vessels “rupture” and blood fills all the cerebral ventricles, cause much more serious consequences, leading to seizures, developmental delays, and motor disorders. Such children need constant help from a neonatologist, neurologist and other specialists, in particular monitoring of neurosensory organs (hearing and vision), since these areas of the brain can be damaged. If the baby is severely delayed in his development, you need to carefully observe whether he has seizures. The attacks are very different and sometimes do not resemble convulsions at all. The child may look away and freeze for a few seconds, stick out his tongue, or make unusual, elaborate movements with his arms and legs. You should be especially wary if the child bends or straightens too much, several times in a row. If there is any suspicion of convulsive seizures, the baby needs to consult a neurologist and conduct an electroencephalogram. If possible, make a video recording so that the neurologist can see the attacks that alert you.

In premature babies who have suffered severe oxygen deprivation, irreversible death of nerve cells directly in the brain tissue can occur. This is the most severe type of lesion, and it is called periventricular leukomalacia. With periventricular leukomalacia, cells of the white and sometimes gray matter of the brain are destroyed, and in their place are formed. This brain damage is diagnosed using ultrasound examination brain Over time, these cysts “close”, and after 6-8 months of age they are no longer visible on ultrasound. The outcome in such children can be different: from minimal motor impairment with motor clumsiness and normal development psyche, until the formation of paresis, paralysis with delayed psychomotor development.

The diagnosis of intracranial hemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia is very serious, but is not a final verdict. No one knows what the outcome will be in this case in the first months of life. The brain cells of a premature baby continue to develop extrauterinely, the tissue is very plastic and it can partially take over the function damaged cells. Again and again we want to say: do not lose hope, treat the child, try to help him, develop him, follow the doctor’s orders. And you can get a fairly good result even in a very serious situation. Moreover, science moves forward, and new knowledge and methods of providing assistance appear every day.

Digestive problems in a premature baby

The main concern of parents of a premature baby is the problem of weight gain and, indeed, this is of paramount importance as the main indicator of the baby’s physical well-being. It should be taken into account that the rate of growth of physical indicators (body weight, length, head and chest circumference) in a premature baby will differ significantly from those of his full-term peers. At least until 6-9 months, your baby will be smaller, and mandatory weight control becomes of primary importance at this time: in the first weeks and months of life, daily (it is necessary to take into account the correctness of daily weighing of the child, which must be carried out at one and the same time). the same time, preferably before the first morning feeding or in the evening, before bathing), and then monthly. What should alarm you first of all is a drop in body weight or lack of weight gain (the baby is “standing” in weight). The reasons can be either quite serious or due to feeding errors, insufficient breast milk at the mother's. Naturally, in any case, you need to consult a pediatrician to clarify the causes and eliminate them.

The main problems with the digestive system in a premature baby, which almost all parents face, are intestinal colic. The word comes from the Greek kolikos, meaning pain in the colon. Colic is paroxysmal pain in the abdomen, accompanied by severe anxiety in the child. The attack, as a rule, begins suddenly, the child screams loudly and more or less continuously, redness of the face or pallor of the nasolabial triangle may be noted. The abdomen is swollen and tense, the legs are pulled towards the stomach (can instantly straighten), the feet are often cold to the touch, the arms are pressed to the body. The attack sometimes ends only after the child is completely exhausted. Often noticeable relief occurs after the passage of stool and gases.

Premature babies are especially prone to colic, with some infants experiencing frequent and intense attacks that can be compared in severity to labor pain, and certainly require medical intervention. Apparently, the main reason for this baby’s suffering may be the immaturity of the neuromuscular system and the intestinal enzymatic system. And because of this, the tendency to increased gas formation, resulting in increased pressure on the intestinal wall and muscle spasm.

The cause of discomfort and bloating can also be irrational feeding. Some foods, especially those high in carbohydrates, can promote excessive fermentation in the intestines. Intestinal allergies also cause the baby to cry due to a feeling of discomfort in the abdomen. But the causes of colic are not limited to these conditions. It is important to promptly diagnose diseases that require surgical intervention. Therefore, if there is no effect from the usual measures aimed at eliminating colic (special carminative herbal teas, simethicone preparations, cleansing enema, use of a gas tube, abdominal massage, dry heat on the abdominal area), the child should be carefully examined in a medical institution.

Dyspepsia (diarrhea, constipation) in a premature baby is a frequent and worrying phenomenon for parents and pediatricians. At breastfeeding The baby may have stools after each feeding along with gases (foamy) and quite liquid. In children receiving formula, stools are rarer - 3-4 times a day. The absence of stool in a baby for more than 1 day can be considered constipation. The cause of dyspepsia is the immaturity of the neuromuscular apparatus of the intestine, a violation of the formation of intestinal biocenosis, transferred bacterial infections, long-term antibacterial therapy, treatment with iron supplements, anticonvulsants (what was prescribed to your child for health reasons) can lead to disruption of the innervation of the intestine, as a result of inflammation of its mucous membrane, changes in the trophism of the colon mucosa occur.

Digestive disorders caused by increased fat content breast milk or milk substitutes; immaturity of enzymatic function. In all these cases, there are special corrective formulas - therapeutic breast milk substitutes, preventive drugs that can help your child, but it is very important to coordinate their use with your pediatrician.

Spitting syndrome can also be a concern for parents of a premature baby. The most common cause of this is immaturity and temporary (passing) smooth muscles of the stomach - the so-called “duodeno-gastric reflux”. Most often it occurs in premature babies who have been fed long time through a probe. Also, a possible cause of regurgitation may be aerophagia (when the baby greedily swallows air along with food). Masses during regurgitation look abundant due to their binding with air and usually do not change the baby’s well-being in any way. In this case, you need to be patient and wait until the baby’s stomach “ripens”, while following the recommendations for proper feeding and holding the baby upright for 10-15 minutes after feeding. Improvement occurs quite quickly with the introduction of thickener mixtures (Frisov, Nutrilon-antireflux) into the diet. It is better to give medications to the child before feeding. However, there are situations in which urgent consultation with a specialist is necessary. If there are streaks of blood in the regurgitated masses, if they are so abundant that the child does not gain weight well, if the baby’s well-being is disturbed during regurgitation - do not hesitate, consult a doctor!


Condition of the skeletal system and joints

The phenomena of morpho- functional immaturity in a premature baby they often spread to the musculoskeletal system. Imperfect neuromuscular regulation, weak ligaments, and excessive joint mobility can lead to changes in the correct position of the child’s limbs, head and spine.

Often the baby holds his head in a fixed position to one side. The reason for this may be congenital shortening of the neck muscle on one side, traumatic damage to the spine or cervical muscles when the head is removed during childbirth, or just the “habitual” position of the head, that is, the child “lay” in this position most of the time in the uterus. The correct diagnosis is always made by a doctor, and the sooner this happens, the more effective the treatment will be.

Prematurity, especially in combination with abnormal intrauterine position of the fetus, is usually accompanied by underdevelopment of the hip joints or “dysplasia”. The most severe variant of this pathology is dislocation of the hip joint. The diagnosis is made soon after the birth of the child and requires early start treatment based on leg abduction hip joint. Currently effective method in identifying abnormalities in the development of joints is ultrasound scanning, which is mandatory for all children at 1 and 3 months of life or more often if a disease is detected.

Considering that the described problems are especially common in premature babies, every baby should be examined by an orthopedist several times in the first year of life. As a rule, children receive their first consultation at 1 month of life, then at 3 and 12 months. If pathology is detected, there may be more consultations. Timely identification of abnormalities will help to quickly begin treatment and raise a healthy child.

We tried to talk in an accessible way about the most common problems of the 1st year of life of a premature baby. They all require attention, observation and timely treatment. We strongly recommend that you contact specialists who specifically deal with the health and development of such children - this will help you avoid mistakes and unnecessary worries.

We wish you and your kids happiness and health!

Skripets Petr Petrovich,
pediatric ophthalmic surgeon, candidate medical sciences

Comment on the article "A premature baby is not a death sentence for a family! Part 2"

The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation will expand the risk group during vaccination. It will be supplemented by premature and low birth weight children, who will also need to receive vaccination against hemophilus influenzae infection. Thus, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation will change the National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations. The draft order provides for an increase in the number of children who are at risk - namely, with anomalies of intestinal development, cancer, premature and low birth weight children. For now...

Amazing story happened to the pregnant Alena Avdeeva in the Miass maternity hospital. During a caesarean section, Miass doctors discovered that instead of multiple pregnancy cyst, which surprised both parties. During the operation, the doctors removed the cyst, says a REGNUM correspondent. This sad event destroyed the hope of the failed mother and she turned to the police. I wanted to figure out whether there were really no children or whether something had happened to them. Alena was observed in...

Discussion

Elena, hello! How did it all work out for you? I am now 38 weeks and we were given the same diagnoses..

09/25/2016 17:03:45, Jennis

Hang in there. You know, medicine is developing. Previously, a heart defect was a death sentence, but now it is operated on and the child leads a normal life. Our job is to hope, to believe in good things.

A premature baby is not a death sentence for a family! Part 2. If oxygen starvation of the brain was not too severe and prolonged, then the changes that occurred in the cells will be Intracranial pressure increases...

Currently the best way management of labor in infected women has not been fully determined. To make a decision, the doctor needs to know the results of a comprehensive virological study. Natural childbirth includes a whole range of measures aimed at adequate pain relief and prevention of fetal hypoxia and early rupture amniotic fluid reducing trauma to the birth canal in the mother and skin baby. Only if all preventive measures are followed does...

Discussion

I completely agree. Unfortunately, at the moment there is no consensus on the safest management of childbirth with hepatitis C. According to statistics, the likelihood of a child becoming infected with hepatitis is somewhat lower during a planned caesarean section than during a natural birth. However, none of these methods can guarantee the safety of a child from hepatitis infection. Therefore, the choice of method of obstetric care is based more on obstetric history than on knowledge of the presence of this infection.

The unborn baby said: “I am afraid to come into this world. There are so many inhospitable, evil, prickly eyes, crooked smiles... I'll freeze, I'll get lost there, I'll get wet in the heavy rain. Well, who will I quietly snuggle up to? Who will I stay with if I’m left alone?” The Lord answered him quietly: “Don’t be sad, baby, don’t be sad, a good angel, he will be with you, While you mature and grow. He will rock you undead, bend over and sing lullabies, hold you tightly to his chest, and gently warm you with his wings. First tooth...

Name of examination Expiration date 1. Blood group, Rh factor 2. General analysis blood 14 days 3. General urine test 14 days 4. Glycosylated hemoglobin (only for patients with type I and II diabetes) 3 months 5. Biochemical analysis blood: total protein –. Urea, creatinine. K, Na–Blood sugar – Bilirubin (by fractions) 14 days 6. Blood clotting time: (Duke, or Sukharev) or coagulogram 14 days 7. HIV, RW, HbS, HCV (have your PASSPORT with you) 3 months 8. ECG 1 month 9...

Not only diarrhea can cause concern in mothers, but also fatty baby stool as a symptom of serious disorders in the body. U healthy baby feces, as a rule, have a uniform consistency, yellowish color, soft and without any admixtures of blood or other liquid. The emptying process should be painless. Constipation and diarrhea are not good, but isolated cases do not indicate any abnormalities in the baby’s body. But fatty stools can signal serious disturbances in the functioning of the pancreas...

What to do in the first 10 minutes after a fall: * Don’t think that the child will forever remain disabled * Don’t think that this is “nonsense”, that “all children fall” * Really assess the child’s condition: is there soft tissue swelling? Is the child behaving unusually? * Call a doctor. It is better to rule out a serious injury (after x-ray or tomography) than to miss it. Sounding the alarm * Pale skin and changes in the baby's reactions. The child becomes lethargic and sleepy or excessively...

We went to Turkey with our children three times. Once we got sick with rotavirus. We called an ambulance for our youngest. We went on vacation in vain. Then I was taught prevention. A doctor of the highest category, an auntie came to the house for a fee. A few days before departure and on the day of departure, Arbidol and Viferon suppositories. I have a negative attitude towards immunomodulators and stimulants, but it works here. Before returning, the same is desirable. But I give up. Now the children are 8 and 13 years old with their grandmother in Bulgaria, the third week is ending. There are 2...

Discussion

Didn't he happen to be drunk when he wrote this???
1 - generally normal child. Where is he premature? For 1 week or what?
2. Since when was 3050 considered extremely low birth weight????????????????????
hydronephrosis - see a urologist. But it's not scary. In severe cases, it may not be an incredibly complicated operation, but most likely you will have to live with it.

healthy children!!

04/03/2013 14:21:36, mother squirrel I

Extremely low birth weight - less than 1000 g, which means the second one was a little larger. And in 3-4 weeks before 3300 it is impossible to gain weight.
Typical diagnoses, hydronephrosis (unilateral? bilateral?) need to be looked at in dynamics, determine the cause, maybe. Both conservative treatment and surgical treatment are required; the prognosis is also determined by a combination of factors.

The other day, a post was published on the pages of livejournal magazine: “Is supernanny bad?” In her search for a nanny, Nastya found exactly the one that seemed to make any mother happy. ‘’ The nanny helped overcome all the problems that frighten young mothers so much - how to potty train, wean from a pacifier, teach to fall asleep on their own. And it was clear from the child that the nanny was a treasure. But there was a climax in the nanny-family relationship, and the child demanded the presence of a nanny. The question arises: to be good...

Nastya was born at 33-34 weeks. Prematurity, triple entanglement of the umbilical cord and difficult labor (induction, pressure on the abdomen, anhydrous period about 14 hours) led to serious consequences: 2 weeks in intensive care (of which 10 days on mechanical ventilation), a month in the neonatal pathology department and, as a result, at one and a half months, the child and mother finally went home with diagnoses: subacute intracerebral hematoma of the left parietal region and a subdural hematoma in the posteromedial surface of the left hemisphere...

A premature baby is not a death sentence for a family! Part 2. Answer who is raising very premature babies born weighing less than 600 grams.

Discussion

Absolutely, the interval may be different - my twins were fed after 2.5 hours. But some children frequent feeding Mine spit up too :(

Naturally, a weak child does not get enough to eat, not every full-term baby can withstand 3 hours, and in general a premature baby probably needs to be fed every hour. My daughter quickly got tired of sucking, she will suck for about 10 minutes, sleep for 10-15 minutes and finish sucking for another 10 minutes. Then I went without food for 2 hours. I counted all this as one feeding, although the doctor said that this was not correct. Is it right for her to scream for an hour afterwards? Or should we just go out for a walk and eat what we asked for?

Discussion

Here it is good example. Natalya, we just went to visit, Anyutka’s second cousin, she follows him with her tail, looks into his mouth, obeys in everything, almost prays))) A 9-year-old boy is in good health, in winter he runs with his father from the bathhouse into the snow, generally running half naked. It’s just a classic - he’s standing there, grimy, all bitten by mosquitoes, scratched, his knees are knocked down, “Well, maaaam...” he whines about being excused from garden work and a couple of friends are hesitating at the gate, while finishing the second grade according to Zinkov, (not according to Paterson lung, they would and it’s not necessary, but the simpler school is too far away and inconvenient) there are B grades, but in general he is considered an excellent student. Not a boy, but a dream. And my mother’s comments: “Oh, you know, just this year I sighed and relaxed a little.” And he was born with your parameters, very premature, 1300, intensive care, “let’s pray that he lives to see the 3rd day,” “let’s pray that he lives for a week,” the chances will be greater. At 3 years old “when will he start talking”, at 5 years old “oh my God, yesterday I understood everything, today I’m laying out the manuals to repeat, and again, as if for the first time, he sees that others from 1 time, mine remembers from 20-50, it’s just a memory bad." But there's MOM non-working MOM, an iron man-tank heading towards the goal. I envy her terribly, God did not give me such freedom. Goal, plan, regime, schedule, absolute faith in your son, self-discipline and not a day of doubt or “give up.” I couldn't do that. But she was also lucky, there were no specific strong pathologies or diagnoses, she was just overall premature, “immature.” I recovered 200%. And there are bad examples, so you can’t predict how things will go for your twins.

At 24 months old, my goddaughter didn’t say anything except mom, she walked, but at the same time she couldn’t climb onto the 40 cm high sofa. It’s difficult for me to say at all that she understood, because... out of 10 times she was approached, she reacted in about 4-5 cases, ate very little and very selectively. Now she is 2 years old and 10 months old, she runs, talks and talks very funny. although she still has little contact with strangers, she can switch off (in terms of reaction) at any moment. No one measured her head, but a 6-month-old baby’s hats fit on her without any problems (if you’re interested, I can try them on). At the age of 2 years, the neuropathologist prescribed hopantenate. Parents are not worried at all. And another case with a neighbor's child. The girl did not speak at all until she was 3.5 years old. She understood everything, then she began to speak very slowly. By the age of 4, the vocabulary of used words was approximately 30 to 40. Now he is finishing school and entering the polytechnic. Still not very talkative. So maybe you just need to take your time. After all, the children are still small.

05/17/2010 18:26:22, Lena PPP

A premature baby is not a death sentence for a family! Part 2. Answer who is raising very premature babies born weighing less than 600 grams.

Discussion

My son was born almost seven months old with a weight of 1.400, within a year he gained normal weight, just one year old, is developing normally, a very smart boy, but psychologically it is very difficult - a child with a pessimistic view of everything, comes to the point of thinking “it’s better for me not to live”, does not know how to empathize with others, and sometimes becomes aggressive.
In the first years of life, this could be attributed to the whims, characteristics of the child, then they did an MRI of the brain - it turned out to be organic lesions of the brain (some lesions do not work), as a consequence of prematurity, underdevelopment of the brain, although in terms of health in the first years there was A lot has been done: we were constantly treated by a neurologist, had massages 4 times a year, etc. Sometimes it is very difficult to communicate with your son, although he is already an adult boy, he understands how to behave, but nothing can be done. With two such children it will be difficult, to say the least.

05.12.2008 13:23:19, la marie

A friend of mine gave birth to a girl before 7 months.
She has problems with her eyes and neurology; at 2 years old she cannot sit or walk... a very difficult child.
She says: they saved, but was it worth it?...

I think that those who are born less than 1,500 have more health problems, and that worse than that It’s not known at all how everything will be in a year or two. Alas =(

03.12.2008 23:33:03, I want to become a mother

A premature baby is not a death sentence for a family! Part 2. 7ya.ru - information project on family issues: pregnancy and childbirth, raising children, education and career, home economics, recreation, beauty and health, family relationships.

My child and I visited Dr. Sevastyanov (speech rehabilitation center) in Yoshkar-Ola. There was a girl about five years old, her mother said that she had a lot of cysts in her brain at birth, the doctors said “50% lack of brain as such,” they said that she was absolutely hopeless, etc., they were even checked in Germany. I didn’t walk for a long time, I couldn’t hold my head up, I think I had epi... We went to Sevastyanov twice a year for treatment courses. When I saw her, she was already in her fifth year (they give a lot of injections with Italian drugs) - the girl was actively chatting, running and was a leader in playing with her peers. Her mother, when she talked about this center, simply began to cry, “he just pulled us out of a vegetable state.” Unfortunately, it didn’t help my child (we have autism), but organics (especially cysts) are treated wonderfully. There were also children who were going blind (I don’t remember the diagnosis), he also restored their vision, i.e. everything that concerns organics goes there. And in early age In general, very good forecasts. Unfortunately, I lost the coordinates, but they can absolutely be found with a search engine if you enter, for example: speech rehabilitation center, Yoshkar-Ola, Dr. Sevastyanov

A premature baby is not a death sentence for a family! Part 2. If oxygen starvation of the brain was not too severe and prolonged, then the changes that occurred in the cells will be Intracranial pressure increases...

Prematurity is considered to be the birth of a child before the end of the gestational period, that is, between 22 and 37 weeks, with a body weight of less than 2500 g and a length of less than 45 cm.

Premature babies have disorders of thermoregulation, breathing with a tendency to apnea (cessation of respiratory movements), weak immunity and obvious anthropometric and clinical signs.

Degrees

The classification of premature babies by degree is related to the child’s body weight (gestational age is conditional):

1st degree - body weight 2001-2500g. (the period corresponds to 35-37 weeks);

2nd degree - body weight 1501-2000g. (the period corresponds to 32-34 weeks);

3rd degree - 110-1500g. (gestational age 29-31 weeks);

Grade 4 - the baby’s weight is less than 1000g, which corresponds to a gestational age of less than 29 weeks (extremely premature).

Reasons for the birth of premature babies

Causes premature birth numerous and presented on three sides:

Maternal factors:

  • chronic diseases of women (pathology of the cardiovascular system, endocrine diseases, kidney pathology):
  • acute infections during pregnancy;
  • gynecological diseases;
  • complicated obstetric history (abortion, cesarean section);
  • intrauterine device;
  • injuries;
  • age (under 17 and over 30);
  • Rhesus conflict pregnancy;
  • bad habits;
  • pathology of the placenta (previa, abruption);
  • harmful working conditions;
  • complications of pregnancy (preeclampsia).

Paternal factors:

  • age (over 50 years);
  • chronic diseases.

Fruit factors:

  • intrauterine malformations;
  • multiple pregnancy;
  • erythroblastosis (hemolytic disease);
  • intrauterine infection.

Signs

Premature babies have a pronounced clinical picture. There is a disproportion of body parts, the cerebral skull predominates over the facial one. The bones of the skull are soft; in addition to the fontanelles, non-fusion of the cranial sutures is observed. Soft ears are also characteristic.

In premature babies, the subcutaneous fat layer is poorly developed; they cannot “hold” their temperature (instability of thermoregulation). Underdevelopment of the lungs during prematurity is due to the lack of surfactant, which ensures the opening of the pulmonary alveoli during inspiration, which is manifested by respiratory failure and periodic apneas (stopping breathing).

The skin is wrinkled, has a bright red color on the first day, and there is weak muscle tone or its complete absence.

Physiological reflexes (sucking, searching and others) are weakly expressed.

In premature boys, the testicles are not descended into the scrotum, and in girls, the labia majora are underdeveloped. Hypertensive and hydrocephalic syndromes are typical for premature babies.

Due to underdevelopment of the eyelids, bulging eyes (exophthalmos) are pronounced.

There is insufficient liver function, which is manifested by kernicterus. Due to underdeveloped immune system Premature babies are at high risk of infection. Premature babies are prone to spitting up. In addition, in such children, the nail plates are underdeveloped and can only reach the middle of the fingertips.

Therapy for premature babies

A neonatologist is involved in the management and treatment of premature babies.

Children born prematurely require certain living conditions. The ambient temperature should be 25°C and the humidity at least 55-60%. For this purpose, premature babies are kept in incubators (special incubators).

The incubators contain babies weighing less than 2000g. Healthy premature babies are discharged on days 8-10, provided their body weight reaches 2 kg.

If a premature baby does not reach a weight of 2000 grams within 14 days, he is transferred to the second stage of nursing (carried out in the intensive care unit of the children's department/hospital). Such children are placed in incubators where oxygen is supplied.

Premature babies begin to be bathed at 2 weeks of age (subject to the healing of the umbilical cord). They walk with children when they are 3-4 weeks old and weigh 1700-1800g.

Healthy premature babies are discharged when they reach a weight of 1700g.

Feeding

Feeding the baby with expressed breast milk begins 2-6 hours after birth, provided there are no contraindications and long term pregnancy (34-37 weeks).

Children who are in serious condition or very premature are prescribed parenteral nutrition by tube (through the mouth or nose) during the first 24-48 hours of life.

They begin to put a baby weighing 1800-2000g to the breast. in the presence of active sucking. On day 1, the volume of one feeding is 5-10 ml, on day 2 10-15 ml, and on day 3 - 15-20 ml.

In addition, premature babies are advised to administer vitamins:

  • vikasol (vitamin K) to prevent intracranial hemorrhages;
  • ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamins B1, B2;
  • vitamin E (tocopherol);
  • prevention of rickets (vitamin D);
  • vitamins B6 and B5, lipoic acid for extreme prematurity;

Consequences of prematurity and developmental prognosis

The prognosis for life in premature babies depends on many factors. Primarily on gestational age and birth weight. If a baby is born at 22-23 weeks, the prognosis depends on the intensity and quality of therapy. The risk of death increases in the following cases:

  • antepartum hemorrhage;
  • breech birth;
  • multiple pregnancy;
  • asphyxia during childbirth;
  • low temperature of the child;
  • respiratory distress syndrome.

Long-term consequences of prematurity (the likelihood of these complications again depends on many factors; under other favorable conditions, these complications are quite rare):

  • mental retardation and physical development;
  • cerebral palsy;
  • convulsive and hydrocephalic syndromes;
  • myopia, astigmatism, glaucoma, retinal detachment;
  • tendency to frequent infections;
  • hearing impairment;
  • menstrual irregularities, genital infantilism and problems with conception in girls.

According to modern definition According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a premature baby is considered to be a child born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy and having all the signs of immaturity, which we will discuss below. The height and weight of premature babies, naturally, as a rule, less height and the weight of children born at term, however, today body weight and height are classified as conditional criteria for prematurity, since many full-term children, for a number of reasons, can have a body weight of less than 2500 g and a height of less than 45 cm. There are two extremes in relation to prematurity child: some are inclined to consider him a smaller copy of a child born at term, others completely deny him the right to be called a person and consider him almost an embryo, who, by the will of fate, found himself outside the mother’s womb. Both are wrong. Premature babies are, of course, children, but they are special ones, requiring special treatment and special care. For example, a 24-week premature baby would normally spend another 16 weeks in the womb, where the placenta provides it with nutrition and oxygen, eliminating the need to eat and breathe on its own; temperature is constant; it is protected from all injuries and damage; gravity is not felt at all; his nervous system no need to react to strong stimuli (visual, auditory, tactile). Having been deprived of this familiar and comfortable environment ahead of schedule, the baby is forced to adapt to the best of his ability to a new, generally hostile, environment. It is clear that in most cases this is impossible without the help of doctors.

Andrey Stepanov
Neonatologist, Ph.D.

Chances of Survival

Since 1979, Russian healthcare has been based on world standards adopted by WHO, according to which potentially Children born with a body weight of more than 500 g and a gestational age of at least 22 weeks are considered viable. Note that a prognosis is a prognosis, not a guarantee or a sentence: some premature babies die suddenly, despite favorable prognoses, others survive despite gloomy estimates. Japanese scientists even described a case of successful nursing of a child born weighing 396 g, and after some time he was not inferior to his peers in either mental or physical development! One thing is certain: the chances of a premature baby to survive increase with each passing day.

What does a premature baby look like and behave like?

The appearance and behavior of a newborn premature baby, of course, depend on its gestational age (the number of completed weeks of pregnancy at the time of birth). The physique of a premature baby is very peculiar. The head is relatively large, the cranial sutures are often open, the small and lateral fontanels have big sizes. The skull bones themselves are malleable. Subcutaneous fat tissue is poorly developed. Often the skin of a premature baby is covered with vellus hair, and the nails may be underdeveloped. The ears are soft, the umbilical ring is low. In boys, the testicles may not descend into the scrotum, and in girls, the labia are underdeveloped.

Reflexes in premature babies are weak and fade very quickly, and in very premature babies, vital reflexes are often absent - swallowing and sucking. Muscle tone, as a rule, reduced. Due to the immaturity of the thermoregulation center, premature infants cannot maintain body temperature, so they are easily cooled and do not respond by raising their temperature to infectious diseases. Their respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular, nervous and other systems are underdeveloped (compared to full-term infants) and have a number of features that determine the course of diseases in this group of children. The visual system matures approximately between 22 and 34 gestational ages. Therefore, at first, premature babies spend very little time with their eyes open and do not focus their gaze. By 30 weeks of gestational age, they already respond to bright light by blinking or closing their eyes, and in soft lighting they open their eyes, look at surrounding objects and focus their gaze on them, although focusing their gaze takes longer than in full-term children and adults.

What awaits a premature baby immediately after birth?

Not all children born before the “official” due date necessarily end up in departments specializing in nursing premature babies. When deciding whether to place a prematurely born baby in the neonatal intensive care unit or intensive care unit, doctors take into account not only his gestational age, but also his weight/height ratio, the presence of breathing problems, congenital anomalies or developmental defects, diseases, especially infectious ones, and many other factors. If, in the opinion of doctors, the condition of the newborn does not pose a threat to his life and health, the child is discharged home, providing the mother with all the necessary recommendations for caring for him.

The first stage of nursing - pediatric intensive care. In the case of significant immaturity of the vital systems of the newborn (for example, if a premature baby is not able to breathe on his own), he is admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit immediately after birth. Here the babies lie in special incubators, covered with transparent caps with four holes - two on each side (for therapeutic manipulations). All incubators are equipped with artificial lung ventilation devices. Children who have no or weakly expressed sucking reflex receive food for the first few weeks (optimally - warmed mother's milk, sometimes with specially selected additives) through a nasogastric tube. A constant temperature is maintained in the incubator (after all, the danger is not only hypothermia, but also overheating) and air humidity (about 60%) so that the baby’s mucous membranes do not dry out. Sometimes incubators are equipped with water mattresses, which bring the conditions closer to being in amniotic fluid. Through numerous tubes and wires, the child is connected to monitors, IVs and other machines that monitor his pulse, temperature and breathing, conduct regular blood tests, administer necessary medications and perform many other functions. important functions. If the indicators recorded by these devices deviate dangerously from the norm, an alarm sounds. Resuscitation procedures are not limited to artificial ventilation and feeding through a feeding tube. Babies born prematurely are at risk of developing a variety of complications, most of which are modern development neonatal resuscitation can be prevented or treated. Let's give just one example. In the lungs, as is known, the most important process for human life occurs - gas exchange: oxygen from the air passes into the blood, and carbon dioxide from the blood into the air. Tiny bubbles braided by a network of capillaries - alveoli - are responsible for this. So, a substance that counteracts the collapse of the alveoli in the lungs during exhalation, the so-called surfactant, is formed only at 22-24 weeks of pregnancy, and very premature babies need the introduction of artificially synthesized surfactant. There are many such examples, but a detailed description of all the procedures carried out with premature babies in the intensive care unit will take up too much space and is unlikely to be understandable and interesting to people who are far from medicine.

The second stage of nursing is intensive care for newborns. When the baby is able to breathe independently and there is no need for artificial ventilation, the second stage of nursing begins, which is usually carried out in the neonatal intensive care unit. Here, premature babies are also placed in incubators. Unlike intensive care units, intensive care units are not equipped with ventilators. However, it provides an additional supply of humidified and heated oxygen to the incubators, as well as optimal humidity and temperature conditions. The child is kept in the incubator until he can independently maintain body temperature and manage without additional oxygen supply. Today it is considered proven that during a hospital stay a premature baby needs communication with its mother. The baby must hear the mother's voice, feel her warmth, which is achieved with the help of the so-called kangaroo method. This method of caring for premature babies was first used in those poor and underdeveloped countries where, for purely economic reasons, there was no means to provide all premature babies with incubators equipped with all the equipment necessary to maintain a constant temperature. The essence of the method is that the child is nursed while in direct contact with the mother's skin - on her chest and stomach. The mother puts on loose clothing that opens in the front, and the baby is wearing a diaper (and maybe a hat). The baby is placed between the breasts, the clothes are fastened to prevent heat loss. The child's temperature is monitored by a nurse or monitors. Studies have shown that maternal warmth perfectly warms the child and his body temperature is maintained at the proper level. Breathing also becomes more regular and stable, as does the heartbeat and oxygen saturation of the blood. Moreover, the baby’s skin is populated with the mother’s microflora, which promotes healing processes. You can switch to this method of nursing when, in a relatively satisfactory condition, the child still needs artificial thermoregulation and monitoring of the heartbeat and breathing.

The third stage of nursing is follow-up observation. Relative normalization of the basic vital functions of the body does not always, unfortunately, mean that the premature baby has finally caught up with his peers in psycho-physical development. Nowadays, follow-up observation rooms for children born with extremely low body weight are being opened in many Russian cities. Catamnesis in medicine is information about a patient collected after the end of the initial observation (in this case, after discharge from the intensive care unit or nursing premature babies). Of course, in the follow-up rooms, not only children are monitored, but also systematic correction of the deviations identified in them is carried out. Methods for such correction are a topic for a separate discussion. 1 .

Child at home

Of course, when discharging the child home, the doctor will give the mother all the necessary recommendations for further care for him. Within the framework of this article, we will limit ourselves to only the most general considerations.

  • You will have to maintain a certain temperature at home - the child’s room should be about 22-23 ° C. Although by the time of discharge the child’s thermoregulation is usually already working, he still has to spend a lot own energy to warm your body, so you must create for it comfortable conditions, otherwise all the calories extracted from hard-earned food will be spent on maintaining body temperature, and not on weight gain. But don’t forget - a child can also be overheated, which is no less dangerous.
  • Sterilize the bottles and nipples you use to feed your baby. Try to ensure that, at least at first, the child does not have contact with all the relatives and friends who are eager to visit you - his resistance to infection is weak, and he has no reason to get sick at all.
  • Feed your baby often, don't worry if he stays at the breast for a long time - premature babies suckle less actively, and they need to be given time to get enough. If you see that the baby is tired, stop feeding, give him a little rest, and supplement with expressed milk. Be sure to consult with your doctor whether your baby needs to receive additional breast milk. special mixture, containing all the substances and multivitamins he needs. There are supplements that dissolve in breast milk and reduce the risk of vitamin deficiency in a premature baby.
  • Complementary feeding can only be started with the permission of a doctor. Typically, complementary feeding is introduced when the child weighs 6-7 kg and eats about 1000 ml of breast milk or formula per day, but if necessary, complementary feeding is prescribed earlier.
  • Do not be alarmed if your child does not begin to rapidly gain weight from the very first days. The child usually even loses weight in the first two weeks, but, as a rule, begins to gain weight from the third or fourth week. On average, the weight gain per week of a premature baby is initially 100-200 g. In the third or fourth month, it will double its weight (a full-term baby doubles its weight in the fifth month), and triples it in the sixth (a full-term baby only at the end of the first year).
  • You should not torment yourself with a feeling of guilt due to the fact that the child was born prematurely and, therefore, be excessively careful and spoil the baby too much. A premature baby is truly an unusual creature and requires special treatment. It is best to consult with a good child psychologist, a methodologist who has the skills of a variety of educational games and techniques. They will allow you to create the most favorable environment for harmonious development child and compensate for all the difficulties that your tiny son or daughter had to face as soon as she came into this world. Medical practice shows that with proper care and a properly selected course of rehabilitation, even very premature children catch up with their peers in basic psycho-physical parameters by 1.5-3 years.

November 17 is the International Day of the Premature Baby, which was established in 2009 at the initiative of the European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Patients.

Pregnancy is behind us - a time of joyful and, at the same time, anxious anticipation. Finally long-awaited baby was born, but, alas, earlier than expected. Of course, you are worried and ask a lot of questions.

After all, you will have to face many problems, since the baby will be in a hurry to be born, and his body is not ready for independent life. Therefore, the baby demands increased attention and careful care.

Premature baby: basic concepts

Immediately after birth, it is determined how premature the baby is, since further treatment tactics and the creation of conditions for nursing depend on this.

In this case, two main criteria are taken into account: birth weight and gestational age or age (number of completed weeks of pregnancy at the time of birth).

Degrees of prematurity

First degree of prematurity- birth at 34-36 weeks and six days. Birth weight is from 2001 to 2500 grams. The prognosis is favorable, as a rule, without creating special conditions for nursing. Except in cases where there are other conditions or diseases - for example, infection, birth injury, long-term anhydrous period.

Second or average degree prematurityearly birth at 31-33 weeks and 6 days. Birth weight is from 1501 to 2000 grams. The prognosis is favorable if timely medical care is provided, as well as under conditions of optimal feeding and care.

Third or severe degree of prematurity- very early birth at 28-30 weeks. Body weight at birth is from 1001 to 1500 grams. The prognosis is not entirely favorable, although many of these children survive. However, subsequently they spend a long time in nursing and receive treatment for various diseases.

Fourth degree or deep prematurity- extremely early birth at up to 28 weeks. Birth weight - up to 1000 grams (extremely low weight). According to statistics, every fifth baby is born alive during this period.

However, the prognosis is unfavorable. Babies who were born alive before 26 weeks, unfortunately, in 80-90% of cases die by the age of one month, and of those born at 27-28 weeks - about 60-70%.

In addition, due to the immaturity of all organs and systems, a very premature baby may develop numerous pathological conditions and diseases. Therefore, it is recommended to decide the future fate of the baby together with an obstetrician-gynecologist, neonatologist and the child’s mother. At the same time, parents are explained all the consequences and the need for long-term care.

"Post-conceptual age" or "post-conceptual period"

In medicine, these concepts are used when the age of the child or the period after birth is indicated according to the duration of pregnancy, if it were still ongoing.

Therefore, characterizing a premature baby ( appearance, developmental features and other signs), weeks are usually given in accordance with gestational age.

Born prematurely: what does a premature baby look like?

Of course, a premature baby is different in appearance from a full-term baby, but much depends on the gestational age.

The main external distinctive signs of premature babies

Moderate prematurity: I-II degree

* Muscle tone is somewhat reduced, but the baby is generally active.
* Leather Pink colour, and the subcutaneous fat layer is moderately thinned.
* Vellus hair (lanugo) is absent from the skin on the face from 32-33 weeks, and starting from 35-37 weeks - usually on the entire surface of the skin.
* The nipples and peripapillary areas (the skin around the nipples) are clearly visible and pigmented (colored).
* The first bends in the ears appear at 35-37 weeks.
* Usually the physique is proportional: the size of the head and the length of the limbs (arms, legs) relative to the body are of normal size.
* The navel is located closer to the center of the abdomen, but still slightly lower than in full-term babies.
* Nails typically extend to the edges of the toes (nail bed).
* The external genitalia are well developed. In girls, the genital slit is almost closed. In boys, the testicles are located at the entrance to the scrotum (in the upper third), but sometimes there is unilateral cryptorchidism (one testicle does not descend into the scrotum).

Deep prematurity: III-IV degree

* Because of decreased tone muscles, the child lies with outstretched arms and legs.
* The skin is dark red, thin and wrinkled (like an old man’s), often swollen, and abundantly covered with vellus hair.
* The subcutaneous fat layer is thinned.
* The baby has a somewhat disproportionate physique: the size of the head is large in relation to the length of the body, and the limbs are short compared to the body.
* The navel is located in the lower third of the abdomen.
* The nipples and parapapillary areas are poorly pigmented and difficult to see.
* The ears are soft, have no convolutions and are shapeless, pressed to the head and located low.
* Baby's nails are underdeveloped and usually do not reach the fingertips.
* The cranial sutures are open, the small, large and lateral fontanelles are large, and the bones of the skull are soft.
* External genitalia are underdeveloped. In girls, the labia majora do not cover the labia minora, so the genital slit is gaping (open). In boys, the testicles usually have not yet descended into the scrotum.

However, it should be remembered that the same baby does not always show all the signs of prematurity equally clearly and clearly in accordance with the gestational age. It often happens that some of them are more pronounced and others less.

Life against all odds...

Regarding premature babies, there is The general trend: The incidence of morbidity, mortality and disability increases as gestational age decreases.

However, the forecast remains just a forecast and is not guarantee or sentence. Because some premature babies, despite all the gloomy assessments, fight, survive and grow up as healthy children. While other babies have a hard time being nursed, and sometimes even die, although, it would seem, they initially have more favorable characteristics.

Why is this happening? The question is better addressed to Mother Nature. Alas, we most likely will not get an answer to it. However, perhaps this phenomenon can be explained by the desire of some children to cling to life by any means.

Hence the conclusion: with each passing day, the baby’s chances of survival increase significantly.

Therefore, in the next material we will talk about the physiological features of a premature baby depending on the gestational age at the time of birth. Successful nursing, adaptation to life outside the womb and the health of the premature baby are directly related to them.

resident doctor of the children's department