Why Premature Babies Need Special Care

Premature babies need extra help to survive outside the protection of their mother's womb. He or she may stay in the postnatal ward if greater than 35 weeks or be placed in special unit called a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), or Special care Baby Unit if less than 35 weeks.

Neonatal means newborn, and these units are designed to give your new baby the best care that he or she needs at this time.
Premature babies often have trouble with their temperature, breathing, and feeding and need support for these problems. The goal in neonatal units is to help babies carry out these three important functions.

Placing babies in an incubator, or hot-cot, will maintain their temperature; a ventilator or respirator will help them breathe.Nutrition may be given by a vein initially and subsequently it is probable that your baby will be fed by way of a fine tube through his nose or mouth into his stomach. The benefits of breast milk are significant for premature babies.