Melomed Richards Bay celebrates World Prematurity Day

LITTLE VIP guests and their parents were invited to spend the morning at Melomed Richards Bay last Thursday to celebrate their success stories in commemoration of World Prematurity Day.
These babies all spent the first few weeks of their life in Melomed’s neonatal ICU (NICU), where they were lovingly cared for and nursed to good health.
They are now happy and healthy little babies, ready to face the world.
Observed annually on 17 November, World Prematurity Day was declared a day of importance in 2008 to celebrate the world’s tiniest heroes.

A premature baby is born before the 37th week of pregnancy; a normal term pregnancy is 40 completed weeks.
Globally, one in 10 babies is born premature and this number is rising. About one million babies die every year from complications of prematurity.
There are many causes of pre-term birth, which include having previously had a premature baby; maternal bleeding; multiple babies (eg twins); infection, and chronic maternal conditions like hypertension and diabetes, but some causes remain unknown.

The management of these babies is critical and the majority need specialised care in the NICU.

While admitted, they need to be kept in a quiet and warm environment. Feeding them is a priority, though the majority may not be able to suck. Thus, they are fed through a tube that is passed down the mouth or nose into the stomach.

Treating these babies for any infections and making sure they do not contract infection in the first place, is one of the major concerns.

As part of their treatment, they will need long-term follow-ups to monitor their growth and development. Immediate kangaroo mother care overcomes this barrier; keeping the mother and baby together helps the baby survive and thrive.

Prematurity is categorised into the following:
• An extreme pre-term baby born before 28 weeks of pregnancy
• Moderate pre-term baby born between 28 and 32 weeks
• Late pre-term baby born between 32 and 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Babies born pre-term have much higher rates of low birth weight. This refers to babies born weighing less than 2.5kg, while very low birth weight is less than 1.5kg. The concept of ‘small for gestational age’ describes babies who are smaller than the average for the number of weeks of pregnancy.