World Prematurity Day 2024: Expert Tips for Caring for Premature Babies at Home - Dr Avneet Kaur

As we mark World Prematurity Day today, Neonatologist and Paediatrician Dr Avneet Kaur highlights the importance of specialized care for premature babies at home.

Here are the essential tips to ensure their well-being:

1. Maintaining body temperature and hygiene

Preterm babies do not have enough systems to maintain their body temperature and are prone to hypothermia, always keep your baby covered in cotton clothing and use bonnet gloves and socks, keep examining the baby’s extremities using the back of your hand to make sure your baby is always warm. Keep the room temperature at 27C.

2. Kangaroo mother care (KMC)

Kangaroo mother care helps your baby to maintain body temperature and also helps in good weight ageing as well as brain development. It is always wise to maintain hygiene while handling preterm babies avoid multiple people handling the baby, wash hands before and after handling the baby.

3. Feeding your baby

Breastfeeding is an ideal choice for a full-term or a preterm baby, but due to the baby being too small, they might experience difficulty latching onto the breast at first.

To make the feeding process more manageable, you can pump the breast milk called as expressed breast milk and feed it to your baby by a spoon or more ideally a payday, to ensure your baby is adequately fed.

Sometimes, your doctor might even recommend a baby formula milk, as there are unique formulas made especially for premature babies. So ensure you ask your doctor which milk is the most suitable for your baby to get complete nutrition.

4. Follow a timely feeding schedule

It is essential for any baby to be fed on-time every day, and if the baby is premature, they might require to be fed 8-10 times a day. Therefore, ensure there isn’t a gap of more than 3 hours after your baby is fed; to avoid any chances of dehydration, as preterm babies are prone to be dehydrated quite often.

5. Record and update your baby’s growth

I’m sure by now you are aware that preterm babies grow slightly different compared to a full-term baby. But, this doesn’t mean they won’t catch up, with the help of a growing chart given by your doctor.

You can monitor and record your baby’s growth as time passes by. This will help you understand what your baby’s growth rate is and also help pinpoint any particular issues which can be rectified immediately.

6. Always stay in touch with your doctor

Keeping in constant touch with your doctor should be your number one priority, as this helps you and your doctor understand your baby’s health and monitor your baby’s progress in growth.

7. Learn CPR and get specialized training

This is the most important and crucial of all the tips in taking care of a premature baby. Sometimes, preterm babies have difficulties in breathing, which can result in the baby breathing slowly and might even pause.

Learning how to perform CPR will help you take care of any baby if there is an emergency. This training is also given at the hospital if the baby is choking or not breathing normally. So, this is nothing to worry about, rather than make you feel confident in taking care of your baby.

8. Ensure your baby has proper sleep requirements

As we know, babies require a lot of sleep, but did you know premature babies need more sleep compared to full-term babies. Your preterm baby would spend most of his/her time sleeping.

Make sure your baby’s crib has a firm mattress with no pillows, as this will help the baby’s back get the right amount of support. And also make sure or check your baby is always sleeping on its back, head end elevated.