Premature babies: Who will speak up for these ?little guys??

In an interview with Medical News Today, neonatologist Dr. Charleta Guillory speaks about her work looking after very small babies, how health inequity affects prematurity, and what public health measures she set up to counter these. While medical advances have ensured that many babies born prematurely survive and have good long-term outcomes, prematurity remains the leading cause of death in children under 5 years globally. This is where the smallest babies, those born before 32 weeks and weighing less than 1,500 grams, are looked after.Dr. Guillory gave MNT some background information on prematurity and the known risk factors. She also explained how the care of premature babies had changed during her career and how her unit and the families she is working with have coped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Who is more likely to have a premature baby?Dr. Guillory: There are specific risk factors for preterm birth, including sociodemographic and obstetric factors.These include maternal reproductive factors, such as a history of preterm birth and maternal age. And without that care, especially the prenatal care aspect of it, we’re going to see more premature babies.Actually, I was looking at the data, and about 60% of our African American moms are not getting prenatal care in the first trimester. If you want a healthy nation: we always knew that infant mortality was the best barometer for measuring how well a nation is doing.We know that premature babies have the highest morbidity and mortality, particularly those born at less than 32 weeks gestation.MNT: How has the care of premature babies changed during your career?Dr. Guillory: The biggest challenge initially was survival, mostly from respiratory distress syndrome. Today, we don’t just want to improve the survival of infants, but we want to focus on improving long-term developmental outcomes.MNT: Can you tell us a little bit more about how the focus has changed?Dr. Guillory: There are two aspects to this. I [will talk] about the prenatal aspects first and our [obstetrician] partners and our maternal-fetal medicine [partners.][Prenatally], those [who are at increased risk of having a premature baby] should not just be taken care of by OB/GYNs. They should be taken care of by maternal-fetal medicine doctors, as these are high risk pregnancies. MNT: How do you study the long-term outcomes for premature babies? One thing about taking care of premature babies is that you have to understand that your work extends beyond the hospital. MNT: How do you talk to parents of premature babies? We have to be careful what we’re saying and how it’s interpreted; it has to be culturally appropriate when we’re talking to our families.The other thing is that in a Family-Centered Care Unit as we have in Texas Children’s, it is important that the parents are part of the discussion.So when we make rounds, they are our partners in this team. They need to see we’re at the bedside 24/7, which we are in a Level 4 unit.MNT: What can other family members do to support parents?Dr. Guillory: That’s an interesting question. The one thing that I see that is always comforting to me is when a mom says goodnight and knows she can walk away and that her baby is being taken care of. We have to adjust to that.MNT: What do you wish for parents with premature babies to know? From speaking to Dr. Guillory, it is clear how deep her passion for caring for premature babies runs. She is a tireless advocate for babies, mothers, and their families, working towards the best possible long-term outcomes for premature babies.With that, Dr. Guillory left to return to the ward to look after the small babies in her care.Premature or preterm labor is labor that starts early, before week 37 of pregnancy begins. Here, learn about the signs, next steps, and methods of…In an interview with Medical News Today, Dr. Marc Mercurio from Yale School of Medicine tells us that most premature babies will have good outcomes…Scientists used to think that a woman's immune system had to be repressed during pregnancy.