When Does a Baby's Lungs Start to Develop

Premature babies and other very sick newborns face some of the aforementioned medical problems.

What are some mutual health conditions babies have in the NICU?

The conditions listed may non be relevant to your baby's situation. We encourage you to read only what you lot feel would be helpful to you and your child's particular circumstances. To find out more information nearly specific weather, ask our health experts.

Additional information and back up for families with babies in the NICU can exist found at Share Your Story, the March of Dimes Web site for NICU families.

Premature babies are often anemic. This means that they practice not have enough scarlet blood cells. Normally, the fetus stores atomic number 26 during the latter months of pregnancy and uses information technology after birth to make cerise blood cells. Infants built-in as well before long may not accept had plenty time to store iron. Loss of blood from frequent claret tests likewise can contribute to anemia. Bloodless infants may be treated with dietary atomic number 26 supplements, drugs that increase ruddy claret cell product or, in some cases, a claret transfusion.

Premature babies often accept animate problems because their lungs are not fully developed. Full-term babies likewise tin can develop breathing problems due to complications of labor and delivery, birth defects and infections. An infant with animate problems may be given medicines, a mechanical ventilator to help him exhale, or a combination of these two treatments.

Apnea: Premature babies sometimes do non exhale regularly. A babe may take a long breath, then a short ane, then pause for 5 to 10 seconds before starting to breathe unremarkably. This is called periodic breathing. Apnea is when a baby stops breathing for more than 15 seconds. Apnea may be accompanied by a wearisome heart rate called bradycardia. Babies in the NICU are constantly monitored for apnea and bradycardia (often called "A's and B's").

Sensors on the baby's breast send information about his breathing and eye rate to a machine located virtually the incubator. If a infant stops breathing, an alert will brainstorm beeping. A nurse volition stimulate the baby to start breathing by patting him or touching the soles of his feet. The neonatologist might consider giving the baby medicine or using equipment, such as C-PAP (continuous positive airway pressure; delivery of air to a babe'southward lungs through either pocket-size tubes in the baby's nose or through a tube inserted into the windpipe).

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD): This chronic lung disease is most common in premature babies who take been treated for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (see below). Babies with RDS have immature lungs. They sometimes need a mechanical ventilator to help them exhale. Some babies treated for RDS may develop symptoms of BPD, including fluid in the lungs, scarring and lung damage.

Babies with BPD are treated with medications to assist make breathing easier. They are slowly weaned from the mechanical ventilator. Their lungs commonly improve over the kickoff ii years of life. But some children develop a chronic lung affliction resembling asthma. BPD likewise occasionally occurs in full-term newborns after they have had pneumonia or other infections.

Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN): Babies with PPHN cannot breathe properly because they have high claret pressure in their lungs. At birth, in response to the offset minutes of animate air, the claret vessels in the lungs normally relax and allow blood to flow through them. This is how the claret picks upwards oxygen. In babies with PPHN, this response does not occur. This leads to a lack of oxygen in the blood, and sometimes to other complications including encephalon damage. Babies with PPHN often have birth defects (such as eye defects) or have suffered from birth complications.

Babies with PPHN oft need a mechanical ventilator to help them exhale. They may exist given a gas called nitric oxide through a tube in the windpipe. This handling may aid the blood vessels in the lungs to relax and improve animate.

Pneumonia: This lung infection is common in premature and other sick newborns. A infant's doctors may suspect pneumonia if the baby has difficulty breathing, if her charge per unit of breathing changes, or if the baby has an increased number of apnea episodes.

The physician volition listen to the baby'southward lungs with a stethoscope and then practice an 10-ray to encounter if there is excess fluid in the lungs. Sometimes the doctor may insert a tube into the lungs to take a sample of the lung fluid. The fluid is then tested to see what type of bacterium or virus is causing the infection, and then that the doctor tin can choose the most effective drug to care for it. Babies with pneumonia are by and large treated with antibiotics. They also may need boosted oxygen until the infection clears up.

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS): Babies born before 34 weeks of pregnancy frequently develop this serious breathing problem. Babies with RDS practice not have enough surfactant, which keeps the small air sacs in the lungs from collapsing. Treatment with surfactant helps affected babies breathe more hands.

Babies with RDS also may receive a treatment chosen C-PAP (continuous positive airway pressure). The air may be delivered through small tubes in the babe'south nose, or through a tube that has been inserted into his windpipe. Equally with surfactant handling, C-PAP helps continue small air sacs from collapsing. C-PAP helps your baby breathe, only does not breathe for him. The sickest babies may temporarily need the aid of a mechanical ventilator to breathe for them while their lungs recover.

These heart defects are present at birth. They originate in the early office of pregnancy when the heart is forming.

Bradycardia: Premature babies sometimes do not exhale regularly. Interrupted breathing, too called apnea, can crusade Bradycardia. Bradycardia is an unhealthy, slow middle rate. NICU staff call these weather condition A's and B'southward: apnea and bradycardia. Treatments include medicines and breathing support.

Coarctation of the aorta: The aorta is the large artery that sends blood from the heart to the balance of the body. In this condition, the aorta may be too narrow for the blood to menstruum evenly. A surgeon tin cut abroad the narrow part and sew the open up ends together, replace the constricted section with man-made fabric, or patch it with part of a blood vessel taken from elsewhere in the torso. Sometimes, this narrowed area can be widened by inflating a balloon on the tip of a catheter inserted through an avenue.

Center valve abnormalities: Some babies are built-in with heart valves that are narrowed, closed or blocked and foreclose claret from flowing smoothly. Some babies may require placement of a shunt (artificial graft) to allow blood to featherbed the blockage until the baby is large enough to take the valve repaired or replaced.

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA): PDA is the virtually common middle problem in premature babies. Before nativity, much of a fetus's claret goes through a passageway (ductus arteriosus) from one claret vessel to another, instead of through the lungs, because the lungs are not yet in use. This passageway should close before long after nativity, so the blood can have the normal route from heart to lungs and back. If it doesn't shut, blood doesn't menses correctly. In some cases, medicine can help close the passageway. If that doesn't work, surgery can also close information technology.

Septal defects: A septal defect refers to a hole in the wall (septum) that divides the two upper or lower chambers of the heart. Because of this pigsty, the blood cannot circulate as it should, and the middle has to piece of work extra hard. A surgeon tin close the hole by sewing or patching it. Small holes may heal by themselves and not need repair at all.

Tetralogy of Fallot: In this condition, a combination of four centre defects keeps some claret from getting to the lungs. Every bit a effect, the baby has episodes of cyanosis (the pare looks blue due to lack of oxygen) and may grow poorly. Surgery is done to ready this complex middle defect.

Transposition of the great arteries: Here, the positions of the ii major arteries leaving the heart are reversed. Each artery arises from the incorrect pumping chamber. Surgery is done to correct the position of the arteries.

Experts concur that breast milk provides many wonderful and vital health benefits for newborns, especially premature or sick babies. And it is something but a mom can give her baby. A babe needs good nutrition to abound and become stronger. But she may demand to be fed a different way for a while, before she is ready for breast or bottle.

Babies who are very minor or sick are oftentimes fed intravenously (through a vein). A tiny needle is placed in a vein in the baby'southward manus, foot, scalp or belly button. She will receive sugar (glucose) and essential nutrients through the vein. Equally shortly as she is strong plenty, the babe will exist fed breast milk or formula through a tube that is placed through the nose or oral fissure into the tum or intestines. This is chosen gavage feeding.

In gavage feeding, the tube may be left in place or inserted at each feeding. Inserting the tube should not bother the infant too much considering babies this modest generally do non gag. When the baby tin suck and swallow finer, gavage feedings will exist stopped, and the baby will be able to breast or canteen-feed.

Many babies in NICUs offset trophic (minimal) feeds presently after birth. This is washed to stimulate the baby'due south intestine until the baby is strong enough to tolerate larger feedings.

Hypoglycemia is depression blood sugar (glucose). Information technology is commonly diagnosed in a infant shortly afterwards birth. Babies built-in to mothers with diabetes have their glucose levels checked regularly to assess for hypoglycemia. Early on feeding and an intravenous glucose solution help to forbid and treat hypoglycemia.

A babe with this condition grows more than slowly than usual in utero, and is smaller than normal for his gestational age at birth. IUGR is ordinarily diagnosed during pregnancy through an ultrasound. It ordinarily is due to fetal or maternal complications. Upon admission to the NICU, babies are tested to make up one's mind possible causes, although this can't always be determined.

IVH refers to bleeding in the brain and is almost mutual in the smallest premature babies (those weighing less than 3 1/3 pounds). The bleeds unremarkably occur in the first iv days of life. Bleeding by and large occurs most the fluid-filled spaces (ventricles) in the center of the brain. An ultrasound examination can bear witness whether a infant has had a brain bleed and how severe it is.

Brain bleeds ordinarily are given a number from 1 to 4, with iv being the most severe. Almost brain bleeds are mild (grades 1 and two) and resolve themselves with no or few lasting problems. More severe bleeds can cause difficulties for the baby during the hospitalization and possible problems in the futurity. Some will require conscientious monitoring of the baby'due south development throughout infancy and childhood.

Babies with jaundice have a yellowish color to their pare and eyes. Jaundice occurs when the liver is too immature or sick to remove a waste production called bilirubin from the blood. Bilirubin is formed when old red blood cells break down. Jaundice is peculiarly mutual in premature babies and in babies who have blood type incompatibilities with their mothers (such as Rh disease, ABO incompatibility or G6PD affliction).

Jaundice itself does not unremarkably cause harm to a baby. Simply if the bilirubin level gets too high, it tin cause more serious problems. For this reason, the baby's bilirubin level is checked frequently. If it gets besides high, he is treated with special blue lights (phototherapy) that help the trunk break down and eliminate bilirubin.

Occasionally, a infant will need a special type of claret transfusion called an substitution transfusion to reduce very high bilirubin levels. In this procedure, some of the infant's blood is removed and replaced with blood from a donor.

Babies who are born too small and as well soon frequently accept trouble controlling their body temperature. Unlike salubrious, full-term babies, they don't have enough trunk fatty to prevent the loss of estrus from their bodies. Babies in the NICU are placed in an incubator or warmer right after birth to assist control their temperature. A tiny thermometer taped to the baby'due south breadbasket senses her body temperature and regulates the heat in the incubator. A baby will grow faster if she maintains a normal body temperature (98.vi degrees F.).

A condition in which a infant is born with excessive birth weight, that is, 4,500 grams (ix pounds, 14 ounces) or more. This is commonly due to maternal diabetes and may require delivery past cesarean section. These babies are also monitored for hypoglycemia.

This potentially dangerous intestinal problem well-nigh commonly affects premature babies. The bowel may get damaged when its blood supply is decreased. Leaner that are ordinarily present in the bowel invade the damaged surface area, causing more harm. Babies with NEC develop feeding problems, abdominal swelling and other complications. If tests show that a infant has NEC, he will exist fed intravenously while his bowel heals. Sometimes damaged sections of intestine must be surgically removed.

ROP is an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye. Information technology occurs most frequently in babies built-in before thirty weeks of pregnancy. ROP can lead to bleeding and scarring that can damage the eye'southward retina (the lining at the rear of the eye that relays messages to the brain). This tin result in vision loss. An ophthalmologist (eye doctor) will examine the infant's eyes for signs of ROP.

Most balmy cases heal without treatment, with picayune or no vision loss. In more than severe cases, the ophthalmologist may perform laser therapy or do a procedure called cryotherapy (freezing) to eliminate abnormal blood vessels and scars. Both treatments help protect the retina.

Some babies are admitted to the NICU to determine if they take this potentially dangerous infection of the bloodstream. The infection is caused by a germ which the baby has had difficulty fighting off. Certain lab tests, cultures, and Ten-rays can help diagnose this condition. These tests may be recommended if your infant has symptoms such as temperature instability, high or low blood sugar levels, breathing issues or depression claret pressure. The condition is treated with antibiotics, and the baby is monitored closely for an improvement in symptoms.

Last reviewed: August, 2014

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Source: https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/common-conditions-treated-in-the-nicu.aspx

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