How much does a premature baby drink?

Premature babies need special care, including their diet. The appropriate amount of milk for these babies varies depending on several aspects of their lives, such as body weight, age, and health status. Roughly, these babies require 150 to 200 ml of milk per kilogram of their weight per day, distributed over several meals throughout the day.

For example, a 2 kg baby might need 300 to 400 ml of milk per day. It is essential to provide this amount in several small meals, making sure to distribute it evenly every 2 to 3 hours.

Advice should always be sought from a professional, whether a doctor or a nutritionist, to ensure that the child receives the best health care appropriate to his or her individual condition.

What is premature babies?

A premature baby is a baby who comes into life before the completion of the 37-week pregnancy period, which means that he is born more than three weeks before the expected date of birth. The most common period for the birth of these babies is between the 32nd and 36th week of pregnancy.

Premature babies are characterized by their weight being lower than the average infant, often weighing less than 2.5 kilograms. This low weight makes them more vulnerable to several challenges early in life, including difficulty staying warm and problems with breastfeeding, in addition to other challenges they may face due to their small size.

Researching information about premature babies can be very helpful both to prevent premature birth if possible, and to better understand how to deal with infants who face this challenge from the start, to ensure they are given the care and support they need for healthy growth and development.

When is a premature baby's lung complete?

When babies are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, they are at risk for several health challenges, the most prominent of which is the challenge of fully developing their lungs. Lung development is a vital step that usually occurs shortly before birth, especially at 36 weeks. However, not all babies follow the same pace of development, which means that some babies may need additional support, such as steroid injections for their mothers before birth, to promote lung development in order to reduce health risks.

Underdeveloped lungs can cause serious problems such as respiratory distress syndrome, a condition caused by underdeveloped lungs and a lack of the active substance that helps keep the lungs expanding. Premature babies may also be at risk for pneumonia, a type of infection that can be caused by bacteria or viruses while the baby is in the womb.

To address these challenges, doctors sometimes use an apnea device, which consists of a belt with sensitive wires placed around the baby’s chest and a monitor with an alarm that measures chest movement and breathing rate. This system helps monitor breathing accurately and deal with any problems as soon as they arise. It is also very important for parents to learn how to perform CPR on infants as a precaution, even if the chance of using it is small, as preparation is still important in such cases.

When does a premature baby see?

When a baby is born before the 37th week of pregnancy, he or she may have various vision problems. These problems are due to a condition known as retinoblastoma, which occurs when the immature lungs are exposed to oxygen. However, serious vision problems in these cases are rare, and can often be treated with surgery to preserve the baby's vision.

To maintain the health of your premature baby’s eyesight, it is recommended that he or she be protected from bright light. Because the vision of these babies is still developing, too much light can strain it, even when the eyes are closed. For this reason, doctors in neonatal intensive care units use special eye masks to reduce exposure to bright light, mimicking the safe, dark environment of the mother’s womb.

If visual problems appear in a premature baby, the ophthalmologist will carefully evaluate the condition, continue to monitor it, and look for ways to treat it. The decision about when to complete this treatment is at the discretion of the treating physician, who will closely monitor developments.

When does a premature baby start walking?

Babies who were born prematurely, or what we call preemies, can face different challenges during their early development. From 6 to 12 months of age, these babies may begin to learn to stand with support from their parents or by holding onto furniture, such as sofas and cabinets.

As they progress to 13 to 18 months, their chances of being able to walk independently, without needing assistance, often become greater.

However, it should be noted that some premature babies may be delayed in starting to walk compared to their peers who were born on their normal due date.

This delay may be due to various reasons, such as health problems that may occur at birth, especially if the child was born before the 27th week of pregnancy, or suffers from health problems such as chronic lung disease, muscle weakness, or cerebral palsy. These factors can significantly affect the stages of development of their ability to walk.

Premature baby and weight

We receive many inquiries from mothers of premature babies about whether their baby's weight or head circumference is within the normal range. They wonder about the correct weight for their baby at different stages of growth, and they are also interested in knowing whether the head size of a baby born prematurely is considered small for babies who have completed the normal pregnancy period.

To shed light on these questions, we are pleased to provide you with a simple guide that explains the typical weight of babies who did not complete the full term of pregnancy, highlighting the classifications of these babies.

Premature babies are classified as follows:

1. Babies born between 34 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
2. Babies born between 32 and 34 weeks.
3. Those born before 32 weeks of pregnancy.
4. Babies who came into the world at or before the 25th week of pregnancy.

This classification gives us a general idea of ​​how to identify the different stages of preterm birth and helps us understand the differences in their development.

Premature babies and breastfeeding

Babies born prematurely often have difficulty feeding, whether they are breastfed or bottle-fed. This is because their bodies haven’t developed enough to properly coordinate sucking and swallowing with breathing. They may also have other problems, such as breathing difficulties, low oxygen levels, or circulation problems.

Despite these challenges, it remains the best food for these little ones, providing them with protection against many infections and diseases. If this is not available, there are alternatives that include special formulas fortified with calcium and protein to meet their nutritional needs. Breastfed babies can also benefit from supplements that provide them with protein, calories, iron, calcium and important vitamins.

Babies born before 37 weeks have unique nutritional needs that differ from those of full-term babies. They need more protein, so breast milk is adapted to contain higher levels of protein as well as the enzyme lysozyme, which plays an important role in fighting infection.

If your baby is born before 34 weeks, he or she may be able to breastfeed right away. But if he or she is born earlier, he or she may need time before he or she can breastfeed naturally and may be fed through a tube to make sure he or she gets the nutrition he or she needs.