Dr. Jess Daigle, NICU specialist, shares her story of having a a baby in the NICU as well as her professional experience as a physician who cares for preterm babies.

Terms:

Premature infant (premie):  babies born more than 3 weeks earlier than their expected due date (i.e. earlier than 37 weeks).

24 weeks | Fetal viability:  the point where a baby can survive outside the womb with medical support. 

32 weeks | Fetal brain development:  the point where your baby no longer needs medication for cognitive support. 

34 weeks | Lung development:  the point where your baby may or may not need steroids for assistance with lung maturation. 

Steroids (Betamethasone):  is a steroid that can help speed up lung development in preterm babies.

NICU:  the intensive care unit of babies who are sick or born early.  Hospitals have different NICU levels that they offer:

Level 1 NICU | Basic care - provide care for healthy full-term babies. 

Level 2  NICU| Advanced care - offer care for babies born at or after 32 weeks.

Level 3 NICU| Specialized care - care for very sick babies and offer access to a wide range of pediatric specialists and equipment. 

Level 4 NICU| Highest level of care - provides a full range of healthcare providers and equipment for very sick babies. 

Neonatologist:  a pediatrician who specializes in premature babies or newborns with high-risk or complex health conditions.

Pulmonary surfactant:  low levels are noted to cause neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS), a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants.

Progesterone: a hormone produced by the body that plays a role in pregnancy maintenance. 

Cervical insufficiency:  Inability of the cervix to retain a pregnancy in the absence of signs and symptoms of clinical contractions, labor, or both in the second trimester 

LEEP:  is a treatment to remove precancerous cells from the cervix. Can be performed in the clinic. 

Cold Knife Cone:  Similar procedure as a LEEP where more tissue is taken. Performed in the operating room. 

Cerclage: a treatment that involves temporarily sewing the cervix closed with stitches. This may help prevent preterm birth.

Jaundice:  is an immature liver, which is common in preterm babies. 

Aspiration:  breathing in a foreign object (for example, sucking food into the airway).

Social worker: helps individuals, groups, and families prevent and cope with problems in their everyday lives.

Tracheal tube (trach):  tube placed in the windpipe to help with breathing. 

Ventilator machine (vent):  mechanical ventilators are machines that act as bellows to move air in and out of your lungs. 

Feeding tube:  delivers a liquid nutrition formula directly into your digestive system.

Speech therapy:  The goals of speech therapy include improving pronunciation, strengthening the muscles used in speech, and learning to speak correctly.

Links:

PSI (Postpartum Support International): An organization that aims to raise awareness about the emotional changes that women experience during  and postpartum by educating and training the community https://www.postpartum.net/about-psi/ 

Early Childhood Intervention:  https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/states.html