Understanding premature babies and their needs is very different for a new parent, especially if the parents have other children who were not born prematurely. Premature baby needs are much the same as those of a full-term infant. These include the need for love, food and warmth.
The differences between premature and full-term babies may be subtle, but are important. A full-term infant may like his back rubbed where a preemie may find it irritating. Nerve endings in a premature infant may not be completely developed, thereby causing noise and touch to be irritating instead of soothing.
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Feeding preemies is also a little different. They may need smaller, more frequent feedings and special formulas. The choice of food depends on the infant's stage of development. Some premature babies may need special feeding tubes to allow them to get a small continuous amount of formula.
A premature infant is also at higher risk for SIDS or crib death. Sleeping position, blanketing, warmth of the room and pillow placement are all important aspects of their care. Preemies should be placed on his back or side to sleep. There should not be any loose blankets or pillows near the infant.
It is important to keep a premature infant warm without overheating them. A cold infant uses a lot of energy to try to keep warm. It requires more oxygen and more calories to maintain adequate body temperature. It is better to wrap the premature baby well than to increase the room temperature to excess. There is a fine line between keeping the preemie warm while not overheating the air they breathe. Sleeping in a hot room on their stomach is a contributing factor for sudden infant death syndrome.
While babies like faces and black and white geometric shapes to look at, preemies need less light than that of a full term infant. A preemie needs to have the room dark at night and soft light during the day. Babies grow during their sleep so it is important that a preemie get as much undisturbed sleep as possible.
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