More and more babies are coming to the world too soon. We all know someone who has had a premature baby, or we are the protagonists of the story ourselves. According to data from the Spanish Society of Neonatology, in Spain premature births increased 36% in the last 20 years.
Currently, one in ten children in the world is born prematurely, a condition that has become the leading cause of death in children under 5 years. In our country more than 29,000 babies are born early each year, of which between 1.5% and 1.8% are large premature babies, that is, babies born before the 32nd week of gestation or with very low weight.
Why premature births increase
It is believed that it is only a matter of luck, and although it is true that it is not always possible to know for sure the reason that triggers a delivery early, there are several situations that increase the risk that the pregnancy does not reach term.
Preterm birth is linked to bad habits in the mother such as smoking, stress, alcoholism, overweight, and environmental factors such as pollution. It is also related to genetic factors and risk factors in pregnancy such as kidney disease, heart disease or infections in the mother, preeclampsia, complications of the placenta, malformations in the uterus or an interval between pregnancies too short.
We must also add the progress in assisted reproduction techniques that makes more and more multiple pregnancies, with a high risk of prematurity.
Likewise, being a mother before age 18 and after age 40 increases the risk of having a preterm birth.
Survival of premature babies
Survival rates for premature infants under 32 weeks of gestation have greatly improved in recent years in developed countries. In Spain, important achievements and advances have been made in the management of premature babies, reducing mortality and the great consequences of prematurity such as cerebral palsy or those related to severe sensory deficits.
The greatest improvements have been made particularly in the smallest ones whose gestational age is close to the feasibility limit (22-26 weeks of gestation). Survival free of major neurological morbidity in this group has increased from 39.6% in the years 2002-2006 to 45.1% during the years 2006-2011, according to data from SEN1500.
The reduction of blindness in premature children has been a great achievement. The frequency of blindness has been reduced from 8-10% to less than 2% at present, although the rates of hearing impairment have remained stable at around 7%
The Kangaroo method
The technical kangaroo method originated in Colombia and inspired by the marsupials that are born immature and continue their growth outside the uterus, generates a magical effect on the newborn.
He skin-to-skin contact with your mother (or father) becomes the best incubator for the baby. In this way, it better regulates stress and therefore adapts better to the environment and external stimuli. In addition, it helps improve the regulation of vital signs (temperature, pulse, heart rate) and of course, facilitates breastfeeding, a true natural medicine for premature babies. The baby's clinical situation improves markedly, which helps him gain weight and recover faster.
The objectives of prematurity
The objectives for the next three to five years focus on preventing and alleviating this global health problem that has become a worrisome health problem in many countries.
Attention measures must be strengthened at school and research on the causes of preterm birth should be encouraged to try to reduce the growing increase in births before the end of the year we have been having.
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More information | SeNeo
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