Psychology

A pre-term and low weight baby might be unable to breathe, feed orally, keep warm on its own, and have under-developed lungs (Dimes, 2008), causing low blood-pressure, low blood-sugar, anemia, respiratory distress syndrome (a breathing problem), chronic lung disease, necrotizing enerocolitis (causing abdominal swelling, feeding difficulties, etc.), patent ductus, ateriosus (causing heart failure), retinopathy of pre-maturity (leading to vision loss), intra-ventricular hemorrhage (Golonka, 2007), mental retardation (Dimes, 2008) caused by bleeding severely in the brain (most are mild, though, and resolve themselves with few or no lasting problems), inguinal hernia, etc. and even death (Golonka, 2007).

Pre-term, low-weight babies should get special care in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). In the units, they are watched closely and checked for infections and heart-rate and breathing changes, kept in isolettes (warm beds) until they are able to maintain own body heat (Golonka, 2007). They are normally fed through tubes or veins. Babies with breathing problems need ventilators, some medicine, and some surgery. Temperature probes are used to check body temperature, cardiorespiratory monitors for checking heart-rates and breathing, pulse oximeters for checking blood oxygen (Dimes, 2008).

 Affected parents should stay close to friends, visit spiritual advisors, counselors, NICU social workers try out NICU parents support groups, visit mental-health professionals in case of postpartum depression and severe stress. A pre-term, low-weight infant s energy for recovery and growth is limited, so parents should not wake their baby from sleep. The baby is also neurologically unprepared to interact and therefore parents need to look out for signs of over-stimulation of the infant by gazes, touch or voice, or by light or sound. Parents should cuddle, massage and play calming music to the infant (Dimes, 2008).