Do premature babies develop the same as normal babies? Will premature babies have developmental delays?

Many parents are concerned about whether premature babies will develop the same as normal babies. Today, I will tell you whether premature babies will have developmental delays. Premature babies should receive more careful care from their parents. Next, I will tell you about the specific situation of premature babies.

Do premature babies develop the same as normal babies?

Premature babies develop relatively more slowly than normal babies.

The immaturity of premature babies is manifested in 6 aspects

1. Unable to maintain normal body temperature, premature babies need to be incubated in a dark box.

2. Breathing becomes labored or apnea occurs. Immature lungs affect the breathing of premature babies, and they often require artificial ventilators and some special drugs to help them mature.

3. Premature infants have immature liver function, so skin jaundice appears early and is more severe. If measures such as phototherapy are not taken in time to control the progression of jaundice, irreversible damage to the brain will occur, which is medically known as bilirubin encephalopathy.

4. Immature liver function in premature infants can also lead to systemic bleeding, especially cerebral hemorrhage and intestinal bleeding. Maintaining a stable body temperature, normal blood sugar, and steady breathing in premature infants is the basis for preventing bleeding.

5. Nutrition is the basis of human survival. However, premature babies often cannot suck normally and need a thin tube inserted into the stomach to feed. Normal breast milk or formula milk cannot meet their needs, so breast milk additives need to be added to breast milk.

6. The immune system of newborns is immature, especially for premature infants. Systemic infection is the most common disease in premature infants. Injection of immunoglobulin and necessary antibiotics can prevent and control infection.

Will premature babies grow up to be like normal people?

In most cases, premature babies grow up to be the same as normal people, but it also depends on the specific situation of each premature baby. The clinical manifestations of premature birth include:

1. The premature babies have thinner and tenderer skin, more water content in tissue, sunken indentations, red color, less subcutaneous fat, less muscle, short and soft nails, longer hair on the trunk, less and shorter hair on the head, larger head, wider fontanelle, flat and soft ear shells close to the skull, soft chest, dot-shaped areola, no protrusions on the edges, small or untouchable breasts. The abdomen is swollen and the scrotum is poorly developed. The testicles of male premature babies are often in the external groin, and gradually descend into the scrotum during development. The premature females have more separated and prominent labia minora. There are fewer wrinkles on the soles of the hands and feet.

2. Temperature regulation: difficult and unstable, the heat production function is limited, the muscles are few, the tension is low, and the posture cannot be changed to reduce the area of ​​heat loss. On the other hand, due to the immature development of sweat glands and incomplete sweating function, it is also easy to have high body temperature.

3. Weak resistance: The resistance to various infections is extremely weak, and even a minor infection can lead to serious consequences such as sepsis.

4. Premature babies have fast and shallow breathing, often with irregular intermittent breathing or respiratory arrest. They cry softly and often have cyanosis.

5. Premature infants have weak sucking and swallowing abilities, and their pyloric sphincter is relaxed, which can easily lead to choking, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal distension.

6. When there is trauma, hypoxia, infection, or blood coagulation disorder, bleeding is often easy and severe. The blood vessels in the brain are particularly prone to injury and bleeding. Sometimes, unexplained pulmonary bleeding may also occur.

7. Premature infants have poor binding and excretion of bilirubin, and their physiological jaundice lasts longer and is more severe than that of full-term infants.

Feeding methods for premature babies

1. Premature babies need breast milk more

Premature babies need breastfeeding more than normal babies, and breast milk can help improve the baby's immune system. Therefore, mothers should try to have enough breast milk to help premature babies catch up with other babies as soon as possible.

2. Prepare formula milk for low-weight babies

If breast milk is not enough, mothers can buy some special milk powder prepared for low-weight babies to feed their babies with breast milk. However, it is best not to use formula milk more than 1/2 of the total amount of milk the baby drinks every day, and milk powder can only be used as a supplement to breast milk.

3. The baby drinks milk in a semi-recumbent position

Because the swallowing function of premature babies is not perfect, they are more likely to spit up milk than normal babies. Sometimes the milk will flow back into the throat and then be inhaled into the lungs, causing pneumonia. Therefore, when feeding premature babies, try to put the baby in a semi-recumbent position. If the baby spit up milk, the mother should immediately let the baby lie on his side to let the milk in the baby's mouth flow out to prevent suffocation.

4. Feeding premature babies requires enough patience

Premature babies have poor sucking ability, so they drink milk very slowly. Mothers should be patient enough. If the baby is tired of drinking milk, the mother should let him rest for a while and continue to drink after his physical strength is restored. If the baby is unable to suck milk normally, the mother can feed the baby with a small spoon, but be careful not to choke the baby.

5. Feed premature babies on demand

Because premature babies have smaller stomachs, they drink less milk each time, so they drink milk more frequently than normal babies. Normal babies usually drink milk every 3-4 hours, while premature babies need to drink milk every 1-2 hours.