©pregnancy-bliss.co.uk. All rights reserved
Any question not covered? personal?
Click Here:
Click Here:
pregnancy questions answered
Preconception, antenatal, childbirth and beyond
Home І Hot Topics І Contact І Forum
What kind of problems does the newborn face in the short and long term?
It all depends on the degree of prematurity: the lower the gestation, the more severe the potential complications. The immediate problem the baby faces is usually respiratory.
Infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS), also called "hyaline membrane disease" affects virtually all babies born before twenty-six weeks of gestation. Between 26 and 28 weeks of gestation, four out of five babies will be affected by this condition, but at thirty-two to thirty-four weeks, the figure falls to only about one in ten and is less severe.
Other short-term concerns include brain haemorrhage and bowel inflammation (necrotising enterocolitis), both of which could lead to serious long-term handicap or even loss of the baby.
Infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS), also called "hyaline membrane disease" affects virtually all babies born before twenty-six weeks of gestation. Between 26 and 28 weeks of gestation, four out of five babies will be affected by this condition, but at thirty-two to thirty-four weeks, the figure falls to only about one in ten and is less severe.
Other short-term concerns include brain haemorrhage and bowel inflammation (necrotising enterocolitis), both of which could lead to serious long-term handicap or even loss of the baby.
Long-term, there is the potential of developing chronic lung disease, eye complications (which, in some cases lead to blindness) and general or localized handicap, resulting from brain haemorrhage. Again, the risk is higher the severer the degree of prematurity.
Of all the problems mentioned, the most frequent and greatest cause of illness and infant loss is the respiratory distress syndrome.
Next Page: Prolonged Pregnancy
