The Pros And Cons Of Preterm Infants

Not all parents have the luxury of bringing their newborn home after birth. In the United States, 10 to 15 percent of babies born wind up in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) due for reasons including prematurity, heart problems, birth defects, breathing irregularities and infections, among others (Knispel).

A preterm infant is defined as a baby who is born less than 37 weeks gestation. Upon arrival preterm infants are faced with more health challenges than a full term newborn. Preterm infants can experience: anemia, respiratory distress syndrome, low birth weight, hypoglycemia, among others. (Lee, 2011).

According to an article in the Parenting magazine, the parents of baby Abigail were shocked beyond belief when they discovered that their pregnancy had come to an end at only 35 weeks, labeling Abigail a preterm infant. They were also completely unprepared for the weeks that followed her birth. Although Abigail went on to live a healthy life, this is only the case for some babies (Epel). Despite the NICU being a foreign environment for Abigail’s parents, their involvement is what led to her success in the NICU and developmentally. Parenting behavior strongly effects a preterm infant’s

Breast milk is said to digest easily in infants, provide an opportunity for skin to skin contact, and help in fighting infection, among others (as cited in the article, “Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding,” para. 7). In particular, babies benefit psychologically from breast milk. Mother and baby get the opportunity to bond, which strengthens maternal affection, and babies also develop a sense of trust and attachment with the mother. Authors at the Clinic Perintalogy state that, “The feeding of human milk (milk from the infant’s own mother; excluding donor milk) during the NICU stay reduces the risk of short-and long-term morbidities in premature