Post-discharge care for premature infants

For newborns, there are certain risks if they are born without staying in the mother's womb for a certain period of time. For example, premature babies may suffer from developmental delay due to malnutrition. This developmental delay is comprehensive, including slow physical development as well as slow brain and hearing development. Therefore, premature babies must be well cared for after being discharged from the hospital. So, how should premature babies be cared for after being discharged from the hospital?

Keep warm and maintain body temperature:

Because premature babies have underdeveloped body temperature regulation centers and poor ability to regulate body temperature, it is important to keep the room temperature between 24°C and 28°C, the humidity between 55% and 65%, and the baby's body temperature between 36°C and 37°C. Especially after being discharged from the hospital, you need to measure your body temperature frequently. If the temperature differs by 1°C from the normal temperature, you should take immediate measures to keep the temperature stable.

Prevent infection:

Premature babies have incomplete immune development and are extremely susceptible to the virus. After they are discharged from the hospital, please reduce visits as much as possible, and other people should try to avoid entering the premature baby's room as much as possible. Dedicated care is provided by dedicated personnel. The caregiver must change into clean clothes and wash hands before each contact with the baby. In addition, the indoor air should be fresh and windows should be opened frequently for ventilation. If a family member is sick with a cold, be sure to isolate them.

Touch:

Touch is of great significance during the critical period of infant's physical development, especially for the development of the nervous system. It has a positive effect on promoting growth, intellectual development and even psychological development. Mothers can learn massage from professionals. When massaging, you should lie on your back with your head tilted to one side. Your hands should be warm and smooth. The area touched should be large, and the technique should be of appropriate strength. You can also play some soft music, or talk and sing to your baby. The massage should be performed 1 to 3 times a day, each time for 15 minutes, when the baby is awake 1 to 2 hours after feeding. During the massage, you should observe the baby and stop massaging if the baby cries, vomits, or becomes irritable.

Vaccinations:

The growth and development of premature infants lags behind that of full-term infants, especially the immune system, so the vaccination schedule for premature infants should be slightly changed. BCG should be administered only after the baby's weight reaches 2500g. The first dose of hepatitis B vaccine is generally given as soon as possible within 24 hours after birth for low birth weight premature infants, and for extremely low birth weight infants after their condition stabilizes. But after one month, the 3 doses can be completed by re-administering the program at 0, 1, and 6 months.

First aid knowledge:

Although premature babies meet the discharge criteria when they are discharged from the hospital, due to the incomplete development of their organs and poor neurological reflexes, the risk of neonatal asphyxia is higher than that of full-term babies. Therefore, before premature babies are discharged from the hospital, mothers or caregivers should learn neonatal asphyxia resuscitation techniques from professional medical staff, just in case.

Regular follow-up:

Pediatricians need to regularly evaluate the baby's motor development, vision, hearing, etc., especially for premature babies admitted to the NICU for monitoring. They need to see a doctor regularly to evaluate the baby's growth and development level and hearing. Premature babies less than 32 weeks need to be screened for retinal diseases.