About.com Preemies

Readers' Stories Wanted

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:11:28 +0000

As many of my readers know, having a premature baby can feel like a very isolating experience. However, you are not alone! About Preemies is a community of people who have known and loved many, many premature babies.

To help new parents learn more about their babies, and to see that they are not journeying through prematurity alone, I'd like to invite my readers to share their stories and pictures. Please email your stories to preemies.guide@about.com, or post them to the forum. I look forward to meeting your children!

Readers' Stories Wanted originally appeared on About.com Preemies on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 16:11:28.

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Prematurity Awareness Month 2009

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:56:34 +0000

I work hard to make sure that About Preemies is a wonderful source of information about premature birth and preemies. But there's a lot more information about prematurity on About! Here, I've compiled a list of links to other About.com sites for expectant moms and parents of premature babies.

Prematurity Awareness Month 2009 originally appeared on About.com Preemies on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 00:56:34.

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Preterm Birth Top Cause of US Infant Mortality

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:28:06 +0000

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control sent a strong message to healthcare providers and healthcare reformists - preterm birth (birth before 37 weeks gestation) is the leading cause of infant mortality in the US. As many as 1 in 8 infants in the US are born early, a statistic that's higher than most other developed countries. Some possible reasons for the high rates of prematurity in the US� include lack of healthcare coverage to poor pregnant women, higher rates of multiple births due to assisted reproduction (think Octo-Mom and Jon and Kate), and health problems such as obesity and smoking.

Preterm Birth Top Cause of US Infant Mortality originally appeared on About.com Preemies on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 17:28:06.

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New Option to Stop Premature Labor?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:28:10 +0000

One of the most heartbreaking things about premature labor is that it is so difficult to stop. Once labor has begun, medications to halt it are often ineffective.

A research team at the UK's Newcastle University has begun researching what they hope will be a new way to stop premature labor. Their research is in its early stages, but preliminary studies show that the drug Trichostatin A, used to fight cancer, reduces uterine contractions.

No testing has been done to see if the drug can stop premature labor - the current study was done with uterine tissue in a laboratory - but these early results are certainly encouraging.

New Option to Stop Premature Labor? originally appeared on About.com Preemies on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 02:28:10.

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Protecting Your NICU Baby From H1N1

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:25:26 +0000

The H1N1 virus has hit my area of Virginia hard, and the moms and nurses in my NICU are really starting to worry about protecting our premature babies. The CDC's guide, Considerations Regarding Novel H1N1 Flu Virus in Obstetric Settings, explains that the full impact of the virus on newborn babies is unknown, but that newborns are thought to be at a high risk of serious illness. For critically ill NICU patients, the risk of any type of respiratory illness is a serious one. Parents and nurses of NICU babies can take the following steps to protect their patients:

Stay home if you feel sick: If you have a fever, sore throat, cough, or body aches, don't come into the NICU.
Get vaccinated: Whether you're a NICU nurse or the parent of a premature baby, get the H1N1 vaccine. Infants under age 6 months can't get the vaccine, so vaccinate yourself to protect your preemie. If you're the parent of a premature baby, have your other children vaccinated as well.
Continue to pump breastmilk: The CDC has determined that H1N1 can't be passed through breastmilk, so feel free to continue to pump your milk and send it in to the NICU, even if you are taking antiviral medications to get well faster. As always, wash your hands before pumping.

Protecting Your NICU Baby From H1N1 originally appeared on About.com Preemies on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 15:25:26.

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How Many Weeks Was Your Baby?

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:02:50 +0000

I've just posted a poll in the forum - how many weeks gestation was your baby at birth? This quick snapshot of my reader population will definitely help me tailor my articles and blogs to better meet your needs, so please stop by and vote!

How Many Weeks Was Your Baby? originally appeared on About.com Preemies on Monday, October 19th, 2009 at 22:02:50.

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Awarding Research on Pain in Preemies

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:44:04 +0000

Martin Schiavenato, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, was recently awarded the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar award for his research on measuring pain in premature babies. Schiavenato, a nurse educator at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, is working on developing a new tool that measures pain in premature babies. He is creating a tool that measures pain cues, such as increased heart rate and hand position, and sends data to a glowing orb that immediately lets doctors and nurses know when babies are in pain.

Because it can be very difficult to decide when babies are in severe pain, Schiavenato's tool would be very helpful in NICUs, including my own. We work hard to keep babies comfortable by swaddling them, offering pacifiers, and using sucrose, but it still feels like some babies are undertreated for pain. I would love to use Schiavenato's orb to help better serve the babies I care for.

Awarding Research on Pain in Preemies originally appeared on About.com Preemies on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 16:44:04.

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Time to Start Thinking About RSV

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:07:47 +0000

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is one of the most devastating post-discharge infections in premature babies. The virus, which causes a bad cold in adults and older children, can quickly land premature babies right back in the hospital, very sick. Happily, there is a vaccine for RSV. In order to be effective, the vaccine must be given in several doses throughout RSV season. Because the timing of RSV season varies each year and by region, parents of premature babies should talk to NICU staff or their pediatrician to find out when is the best time for the RSV vaccine.

Time to Start Thinking About RSV originally appeared on About.com Preemies on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 at 14:07:47.

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NICU Reunion Planning Help

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:40:08 +0000

Our NICU is planning a reunion, and we'd love to hear your favorite NICU reunion stories! Have you ever gone to a NICU reunion? What did you like best/least? If you have hints or advice to share with the planning committee, please post them in the comments below.

NICU Reunion Planning Help originally appeared on About.com Preemies on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 03:40:08.

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Does Music Help Preemies?

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:31:13 +0000

Over the past several years, several small studies have been done to look at whether music helps to ease babies' pain or have other benefits. A new analysis of music's benefits are being published this month in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. The article reviewed 9 studies of music's benefit on infants, studying music's benefit on circumcision pain, heel stick pain, feeding quality, and heart and lung measures.

In the analysis, none of the studies were considered of high quality, so further research is needed to decide whether music really has any benefit for premature babies. In the studies, 3 showed that music is helpful during heel sticks, one showed some benefit with circumcision pain, and one showed that pacifiers that play music when sucked improved feeding quality. This is encouraging preliminary research, and I hope that further studies are published soon.

Does Music Help Preemies? originally appeared on About.com Preemies on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at 11:31:13.

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