The care a newborn receives in the NICU will help ensure the best quality of life as possible for your baby. First, practicing kangaroo care, or holding baby directly skin to skin has been shown to reduce rates of mortality, infection, illness, and the length of hospital stay. It can also help parents and babies bond. Second, receiving human breast milk in the NICU has been found to improve survival rates and dramatically reduce rates of a severe gastrointestinal infection called necrotizing entercolitis compared to babies who receive formula.
Moms who give birth to a preterm baby should start pumping breast milk as soon as possible after birth, and pump 8 to 12 times per day. Donor milk from a milk bank is also an option. Though there are no magical spells to ensure full-term pregnancies, there are a few things you can do on your own to lower your risk of early labor and birth. Get healthy! Are you at a healthy weight? Are you taking prenatal vitamins? Exercise regularly and try to eliminate any unnecessary sources of stress from your life.
If you have any chronic health conditions, get treated and remain consistent with treatments. Follow the rules. Eat healthy and get the proper amount of sleep. Exercise regularly be sure to check with your healthcare provider before beginning any new exercise routine during pregnancy. Go to every scheduled prenatal appointment, give an honest and thorough health history to your healthcare provider, and follow their advice.
Protect yourself from potential infections and sickness. Things to think about the signs of labour pain relief in labour , including things you can do yourself what happens at the hospital or birth centre and when to contact your antenatal team tips for your birth partner to support you during labour and birth what happens if your baby is breech , when a baby is born bottom first, which is more complicated than a head-first birth a caesarean , when you have surgery to deliver your baby the newborn blood spot heel prick test that will be offered to your baby The Start4Life site has more about you and your baby at 37 weeks pregnant.
Video: What positions are best for giving birth? In this video, a midwife talks through some of the best positions to give birth. Media last reviewed: 20 March Media review due: 20 March We're glad you're here!
Together we can support moms and babies, especially those most in need. We're glad you're here. March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every family can have the best possible start. Building on a successful year legacy, we support every pregnant person and every family. March of Dimes, a not-for-profit, section c 3.
Privacy, Terms, and Notices , Cookie Settings. Register Sign In. Hi Your dashboard sign out. Need help? Frequently asked questions Contact us. Baby Caring for your baby Feeding your baby. Ambassadors Ambassadors Celebrity Advocate Council. Your doctor told you, after all, that at 37 weeks, you're close enough to your due date that it's safe to have your baby.
That's what countless women were told during the 80s, 90s and s when the induction craze was at its peak. As it turns out, those last few weeks are just as important as any other phase of pregnancy, and "close enough" doesn't always cut it. Experts now believe that you should do everything in your power to make it to your due date, unless there's a medical reason to deliver your child sooner. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has redefined the meaning of "term pregnancy. Most physicians believed that major organ development was complete at this time and that babies simply packed on pounds during the last stretch of pregnancy.
If mom went past that, those last three weeks or longer were almost seen as a write-off. Now, however, after a couple of decades that have seen too many C-sections and record numbers of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit NICU , those last few weeks of pregnancy are being taken seriously. Baxter, M. Doctors and hospitals have learned so much from the mistakes made back in the day when inductions and C-sections were as easy to schedule as a haircut, and were often done with mothers who were only 37 - 38 weeks pregnant.
Many of these procedures were done not out of medical necessity, but for convenience sake — for example, to make sure grandma could be at the birth, or so mom could be sure her own doctor would be on-call during her labor. But because due dates are often miscalculated, especially by ultrasound, doctors were frequently delivering premature babies who wound up spending time in the NICU.
One study, for example, found that babies born by C-section before 39 weeks have more breathing difficulties than babies delivered by C-section after 39 weeks. Furthermore, babies delivered electively at 37 weeks are four times more likely to end up in the neonatal intensive care unit or have serious respiratory troubles than babies born at 39 weeks or later; babies who arrive at 38 weeks are twice as likely to have complications.
Additionally, many of the inductions were unsuccessful because mom's body was not ready to go into labor. These women wound up with C-sections they most likely wouldn't have needed if they'd waited for labor to start on its own.
0コメント