Babies born before 37th week of pregnancy are medically termed premature babies. On average, 1 in 10 babies born in Mumbai tends to be born prematurely due to a variety of reasons. Premature babies tend to have health problems growing up and a few can even have long-term challenges.
Pregnancy is a challenging journey and a woman planning for pregnancy must beware of all the challenges ahead. At our gynaecology clinic in Mumbai, we help hundreds of pregnant woman get set and prepare for a healthy pregnancy – and premature infants are one of the topics gynaecologists Dr. Neelima Mantri we focuses on thoroughly.
If you are planning for pregnancy too, it is important to be aware of the premature infant situation – its causes, complications and preventions to improve your chances of having a healthy baby. And this blog here we try to give a brief intro into this topic read on:
Premature Baby – Causes:
Premature birth in most cases can happen due to premature rupture of the foetal membrane that initiates early labour resulting in a premature baby. There is no one single cause for premature birth, the causes can include:
- > Abruption of placenta
- > Incompetent cervix which opens before it is tipped to.
- > Infections – untreated vaginal infections, bacterial vaginosis
- > Hormonal changes
Other risk factors can increase the risk of premature birth – a history of prior premature birth, pregnancy with multiple babies, anaemia, weight gain, extreme stress and usage of intoxications.
Premature Baby – Complications:
Symptoms that show-up in a premature baby can vary from baby to baby, some of the common ones include – low weight, troubled breathing, extremely low body fat, lower activity, coordination problems, feeding problems, pale or yellowish skin. The intensity of the symptoms is inversely proportional to the age of the baby – the earlier the baby is born, the more his risk of having medical problems.
In a few cases, the baby can also suffer from the long term which can include – brain or pulmonary haemorrhage, anaemia, pneumonia, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, patent ductus arteriosus and more.
Treatment for Premature Birth:
In case the premature birth cannot be stooped, there are also premature treatment options available where the baby is immediately treated after birth. The doctors prepare for high-risk birth i.e. the pregnant mother is taken into the neonatal intensive care unit where the babies are treated to support vital organ development up to the stage where they can adequately breastfeed, breath without the support and maintain their body weight, temperature.
However, the risk of premature birth can be significantly decreased by following the premature birth prevention tips below.
How to Prevent Premature Birth – Tips:
Maintaining a healthy weight, completely avoiding smoke, drink, and drugs for an extended period of time before you conceive, reducing stress, getting treatment for current health conditions and more importantly, seeking help from an experienced gynaecologist as you plan your pregnancy can help decrease the risk of premature birth.
So, if you are a woman planning to get pregnant you must consult an expert gynaecologist as soon as possible to get the right support for a healthy pregnancy. If you are in Mumbai are looking for the best lady gynaecologist in Mumbai, you can contact Dr Neelima Mantri call: +917045115577