Together, we can prevent premature births
Solaade Ayo-Aderele
Any mother who has had a premature baby will confess that the experience is not a walk in the park.
The reason is simple: Caring for a
premature baby in resource-poor setting can be a challenge; and that’s
one of the reasons a premature baby may not survive.
Consultant Gynaecologist, Dr. Funmi
Samuel, says a normal pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks when measured from
the first day of a woman’s last period. So, a baby that is born before a
pregnancy clocks 37 weeks is considered premature.
Grim statistics
According to Born On Time (a
collaboration between NGO, government and corporate partners working to
improve newborn survival), pre-term birth is the number one cause of
death for children under the age of five worldwide.
The situation is such that more than one
in 10 babies are born before they are due —representing 15 million
premature births annually globally.
Samuel says that in environments where
there are resources to take care of premature babies, the babies can
thrive, even when they are small.
She, however, says that even at that,
such babies may struggle with some health challenges, such as
disability, adult heart disease and diabetes.
“In most cases, when a baby is born
prematurely, his organ systems may not have had time to fully develop.
Consequently, he may not be able to live without medical support,”
Samuel warns.
General Practitioner, Dr. Kunle Abiodun,
adds that, depending on the extent of the prematurity, babies born
before the time can have problems breathing due to immature lungs; and
they may also have difficulty in maintaining body temperature.
“Such babies may not be able to feed, as
they may be unable to suck or coordinate their breathing and
swallowing. They may have jaundice, and they are usually at a high risk
for infections,” Abiodun says.
Experts add that premature babies are at
higher risk of long-term complications, such as blindness, deafness,
cerebral palsy and chronic lung problems.
“The earlier a baby is born, the more likely he or she will have these problems,” Abiodun says.
Causes of premature birth
But then, what causes premature birth and how can it be prevented? Some of the causes are as follow…
Multiple pregnancy: Samuel says the
overstretching of the womb that occurs in the case of twin or triple
pregnancies may increase the risk of premature labour.
Maternal age: She warns that mothers who are younger than 20 or older than 35 years old risk having premature babies.
Foetal development:
Abiodun says if a baby is not thriving in the womb, for example, if the
placental blood supply is impaired or there is evidence of growth
retardation, it can lead to premature birth.
Lifestyle: “A mother
who smokes, abuses drugs or eats poor diets that lead to underweight,
may be unable to carry a pregnancy to term,” Samuel says.
She adds that women who engage in
over-strenuous physical activity when they are pregnant may also deliver
their babies before the due date.
Pregnancy-specific maternal disease:
Women who experience pregnancy-induced diabetes, pre-eclampsia and
obstetric cholestasis (liver disease characterised by extreme itching)
may expect to have premature babies if they don’t receive good medical
attention.
Infection: Abiodun says
that vaginal infections, such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia, trichomonas,
cervical infection (such as group B streptococci), syphilis, bladder
infections, bacterial vaginosis, etc., can spur premature labour.
Cervical incompetence:
In some women, the cervix may shorten and open too soon. “When this
happens, labour will follow spontaneously. And that’s why a pregnant
woman must be in constant touch with her doctor,” Samuel counsels.
Signs of premature labour
The physicians say that symptoms of
premature labour usually occur before the 37th week of pregnancy.
Abiodun says what a pregnant woman should watch out for include:
Contractions. “A contraction that occurs
more than four per hour, even if it is painless, is a warning that
labour may have started prematurely. The woman must get to the hospital
without delay,” the GP says.
Again, he warns that when a woman
experiences cramps, similar to menstrual cramps; if she has lower
backache or if she feels pelvic pressure, she must see the doctor
immediately.
Other symptoms of premature labour
include wind or diarrhoea, vaginal spotting or bleeding, a change in the
quality or quantity of vaginal discharge, especially any gush or leak
of fluid. “All these require expert handling,” Abiodun says.
Premature birth can be prevented
The President, March of Dimes Foundation
(an organization that funds life-saving research and programmes and
works to end premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality), Dr.
Jennifer Howse, at the just-concluded Women Deliver conference in
Copenhagen, Denmark, notes that while care is absolute, prevention is
ideal.
At personal level, she says,
mothers-to-be must maintain healthy lifestyle, such as quitting smoking
or not starting it all; avoiding drug abuse and eating balanced diet.
She urges governments to make access to health care a priority, so that pregnant women can receive optimum care as necessary.
“Seventy-five per cent of deaths related
to premature birth can be prevented with practical, cost-effective
solutions,” Howse says.
Source: Punch
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