The cousin's son was born prematurely, living in an incubator for more than a month as soon as he was born, and the cousin and sister were confined at home, milking and sending them to the hospital every day to drink for the baby.
And because the baby was born prematurely, after birth also got pneumonia, for this cousin a family for the baby is really worried about day and night, fortunately, after living for more than a month the baby finally discharged safely, the cousin family has been hanging the heart has finally been put down.
5 months after the birth of the child, I also met my cousin's baby, small, not at all like a 5-month baby, and then I asked: "How many months is the baby now?" Is it calculated by date of birth or by due date? ”
My cousin was suddenly confused by my question, scratched his head, and said: "I don't know, we usually calculate according to the date of birth, so we all say that he is four months old, and everyone knows that he was born prematurely, a little younger than the average baby!" ”
Premature babies are born at a time based on the date of birth, right? What are the criteria by which dates are calculated for premature babies? After checking the relevant information, I finally knew how to calculate the age of the premature baby!
01 The special exclusive age of premature babies should be counted as such
A baby born at full term (37 weeks) has only one age, that is, the baby's date of birth is his age, but the premature baby is different, he has two ages, one is his actual age, that is, from the day the baby is born, and the other is called corrective age.
Because the growth and development of premature babies is definitely different from that of full-term babies, doctors generally correct the age to calculate the baby's age in order to correctly assess the baby's growth and development.
The corrective age is calculated as follows: the number of preterm birth weeks = 40 weeks - gestational age at birth. Corrected age = actual age - number of preterm birth weeks / 4,
For example, my cousin's baby was born early at 28 weeks, he is now 5 months old, and his corrected age is:
Number of preterm birth weeks = 40 weeks to 28 weeks = 12 weeks
Corrected age = 5-12/4 = 2 months
That is, the real corrective age of my cousin's 5 months of birth is actually only 2 months, when the baby goes to the hospital for physical examination, the doctor will evaluate him according to all aspects of the growth and development of the baby at 2 months, not according to 5 months, for premature babies, if you evaluate him according to the growth and development of 5 months, the baby is difficult to meet the standard, and it is not scientific!
Premature babies use corrected age to assess his growth and development, is an objective and scientific assessment of him, but also gives the baby time to catch up with growth and development, as a parent of premature babies, the anxiety in the heart can also be effectively alleviated, can put more thoughts on how to better take care of the baby.
In fact, many premature babies can catch up with normal babies within a year, and babies with slower growth and development can also complete the catch-up in two to three years, so the parents of premature babies do not have to worry at all, we just start a little slower than others, as long as we take care of and try to catch up, we will soon be able to catch up with everyone's footsteps.
So when will premature babies be able to not use corrected age? For babies born prematurely before 28 weeks, the correction age is up to 3 years old, and for babies after 28 weeks, the correction age is only 2 years old!
02 The care of premature babies should be more attentive and thoughtful
Premature babies are not the same as full-term babies, because his body organs have not yet fully matured and have been born, the physique will be relatively poor, and the growth and development will be relatively slow, so the need for parents and family members to take care of premature babies should be more careful and thoughtful!
First, breastfeeding is promoted, plus breast milk fortifications
The premature baby is sent to the incubator as soon as he is born, he has not been able to have close skin contact with his mother, and the only connection he has with his mother is breast milk.
And the development of the body organs of the premature baby is not perfect enough, the digestive capacity is relatively poor, easy to vomit, diarrhea, etc., the demand for protein is relatively high, and the digestion of fat is relatively poor, premature breast milk, especially colostrum contains higher protein and trace elements that are more conducive to the growth and development of premature babies, so breast milk is the best food for premature babies.
If it is exclusive breastfeeding, the protein content of the second month of the premature baby will be insufficient, and more protein will be needed at this time, but the protein in breast milk is seriously insufficient compared to the baby's demand. Therefore, when exclusive breastfeeding, breast milk fortification should be added and put into breast milk in the form of powder, so as to ensure the comprehensive nutrition of the premature baby.
Explain: Breast milk fortifiers are preparations that contain protein, energy, macrominerals, trace elements, and multivitamins that require a special purchase in a hospital!
Second, artificially fed premature babies should choose preterm formula
Not every premature baby can be exclusively breastfed, and for artificial or mixed feeding babies, special preterm formula should be selected.
And premature formula is when the baby is still in the hospital incubator to let the baby drink, wait until the baby meets the discharge conditions after discharge, you can use the premature baby transition formula, to maximize the premature baby to catch up with the growth and development of the speed, but also for the future conversion to ordinary formula to lay the foundation.
Third, the best way to care for premature babies is: kangaroo care
Premature babies can have their mothers try kangaroo care as long as their vital signs are stable.
When the kangaroo care is first carried out under the guidance of the doctor, the mother should wear loose cotton clothes, lie on her back and hold the baby, the baby wears diapers, wears a hat, wears socks, does not have to wear clothes, the whole lie on the mother's body, the head is placed in the middle of the mother's chest, the mother and the baby should have full skin contact, and each kangaroo care time should be carried out for at least one hour.
The World Health Organization believes that kangaroo care can effectively reduce the mortality rate of premature babies, but also promote the growth and development of premature babies, increase the time of intimate contact with mothers, and thus enhance the baby's sense of security.
In short, every child is the hope and future of a family, although the premature baby has experienced more hardships at birth, as long as our parents are attentive enough, he can grow up healthy and happy
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