I was hoping, hoping, and the hospital called: “Your baby is ready to be discharged, please bring your ID card to take your baby home this afternoon.”
”Really?” Hearing this news, many moms and dads were no less excited than when they were just upgraded to parents-to-be. So, the morning was spent in excitement and nervousness, preparing for the pick-up of the baby to go home. Most premature babies are transferred to the NICU for treatment as soon as they are born, so this meeting is likely to be the first time mom and baby will ever meet.
Mothers are filled with anticipation! However, the first time they see their baby, they are disappointed: Why is my baby still so skinny and weak? And then there is a deep concern: Can I take care of my baby? When will my baby grow up? When will my baby be as fat and white as my friend’s baby?
Family members will kindly reassure you: don’t worry, your baby will soon catch up with other people’s children!
Yes, premature babies are full of potential, and it is very fast to catch up with their growth. However, due to the immaturity of the organs of preterm babies, these worries of mothers are not superfluous, and taking care of preterm babies requires more care and patience, which is a challenging task.
So, what do mothers need to pay attention to when taking care of their babies after they are discharged from the hospital? Here, based on my own experience and feedback from many preterm mothers, I’ll summarize a few things first, and keep summarizing and adding to them in the future.
First, pay attention to monitoring the body temperature.
During the baby’s hospitalization in its own exclusive warm box, the nurse aunt will adjust the right temperature and humidity for the baby according to the gestational age and daytime age, so that the baby will lie comfortably in the warm box every day for treatment and growth. After discharge from the hospital, the mother will take over the work of the nurses and create a comfortable living environment for the baby. Since each family is located in a different geographical environment, different climate, different baby discharge season and different baby’s physical condition, it is impossible to standardize the room temperature and humidity here. What mothers should do is to take the baby’s temperature every day, and a temperature between 36 degrees and 37 degrees is appropriate. Premature babies have thin subcutaneous fat, the temperature is too low will be hypothermia or even hard swelling; sweat glands are not developed, the body temperature is too high can not be cooled by sweating, easy to fever. If the body temperature is lower than 36 degrees, the hands and feet are cold, please adjust the room temperature or wrap thicker; if the body temperature is more than 37.2 degrees, please lower the room temperature or wrap thinner for the baby.
Second, insist on breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is always the best way to feed newborns, and premature babies are no exception. Therefore, it is best for the mother to use a breast pump to empty the milk from both breasts regularly during the baby’s hospitalization. If the breast pump is well sterilized, you can use a special disposable breast milk storage bag to freeze the breast milk so that the baby can still have colostrum after discharge from the hospital. And regular breast pumping will ensure no return of milk. If breast milk is not enough, prepare your baby for mixed feeding with formula for preterm babies. You can feed on demand or once every 2 hours.
Thirdly, there is no need to feed water routinely.
The kidneys of newborns are immature, especially in preterm babies, and too much water feeding will increase the burden on the kidneys. Breastfeeding or formula feeding according to instructions can ensure that the baby receives enough water. If the baby’s urine is clear and her skin is not dry, she is not dehydrated and does not need additional water. However, if baby has diarrhea and loses a lot of water in the body, or if the room temperature is high and the room is dry, resulting in a small amount of baby’s urine and yellowing, it is necessary to feed water appropriately.
Fourth, pay attention to the baby’s stool.
Premature babies have slower gastrointestinal motility, formula feeding during hospitalization, and even if they take probiotics orally, they inevitably have dry stools, and some even need enemas frequently. Most babies will improve significantly when they are discharged from the hospital with breast milk, but there are some babies who do not have a bowel movement for several days. If you have not had a bowel movement for 3 days, you can stimulate your baby’s little butt with a tight, thin cotton swab dipped in olive oil or sesame oil to help with the bowel movement, or you can use an open plug. Adding probiotics and massaging baby’s abdomen clockwise daily can also help improve constipation. Pay special attention, if your baby’s stomach is distended, or crying obviously, promptly come to the hospital to exclude intestinal obstruction.
Fifth, monitor weight gain.
Buy a lovely scale for your baby, and measure your baby’s weight at the same time every day. If the weight does not increase or even decreases, it means that your baby is not fed enough, so increase the amount of feeding appropriately, and if the effect is not good, bring your baby to the hospital for examination.
Sixth, pay attention to the reaction situation.
Mothers will find that their babies are always sleeping when they first come home, and even if they are hungry, they only grunt a few times and rarely cry as loudly as a full-term newborn. You can judge your baby’s response by playing the soles of your feet. If your baby does not respond well to playing the soles of your feet, and if he or she does not eat well and does not look well, you should pay attention to him or her and take him or her back to the hospital to get help from the pediatrician.
Seventh, touch is very important.
If the mother has the energy, it is best to give preterm babies touch every day, you can go to specialized institutions to learn, or you can buy CDs or download videos from the Internet to learn. Of course, if you don’t have the conditions, hugging and talking to your baby is also very useful to promote the development of your baby’s nervous system.
Eighth, read the discharge record carefully.
Every baby discharged from the hospital has a detailed discharge record, which records the birth of the baby, the examination and treatment during the hospitalization, the discharge, and details the precautions to be taken after the discharge. It is most important for the mother to read the discharge instructions carefully. In this form, the doctor informs the baby of the dosage of oral medication to be taken after discharge, the course of treatment, the items that need to be reviewed, the time when the baby needs to be seen again, and so on.
In short, the baby has only reached the discharge standard (our hospital’s discharge standard is weight over 2.0kg, milk can meet the body’s energy and fluid needs, no need for oxygen, no serious anemia, etc.), but it will take a long time to catch up with a full-term baby, during which serious infections and anemia may occur, and some babies may need to be hospitalized again. Therefore, we hope that mothers will observe carefully, take good care of their babies, and seek medical attention in time if they find any abnormalities. Of course, we hope that the family will give these new mothers enough love, understanding and help. If the mother is happy and healthy, the baby will grow up!