What exactly does a premature baby mean and why is it so harmful?

Question

i no someone who had a baby who was 4 weeks premature i no it means they were born early or something like tht

Answer 1

Premature means they have been born before term. Term is considered to be 37 weeks, full term is 40 weeks.

My son was born 14 weeks premature, he missed out on all that developing time in the womb. He is what is called a micropreemie, and they often die, or survive with many disabilities. His eyes weren't fully developed, his brain wasn't fully developed, his skin was very thin and his lungs were nowhere near developed yet.

When babies are born so premmie, they can suffer blindness, deafness, developmental and motor impairments like cerebral palsy, brain bleeds, learning difficulties, sensory impairments, chronic lung disorders, organ failure...a whole multitude of problems. My son came home after 135 days in hospital on oxygen because his lungs were scarred by the ventilation that he needed to save his life. He didn't come off the oxygen until he was 13 months old, and had a lot of feeding issues and poor weight gain. He also is shortsighted and has severe cerebral palsy.

A baby born only 4 weeks early is usually perfectly alright, maybe just a little small. Sometimes they can have lung problems.

Answer 2

Premature is any baby born before 37 weeks. It is harmful because the baby has not fully developed yet, especially things like the lungs. Also, during the last month in the womb, is when they get most of the anti-bodies for a healthy immune system--so when they miss out on this, they get sick easier than full term babies. Usually by 34 or 35 weeks gestation, the baby s fine, with minor problems--like my baby. My baby was born at 35 weeks (5 weeks early) but he was born pretty healthy--he didn't even spend any time in the NICU (the neonatal intensive care unit). He was only 5.5 pounds, had a very difficult time retaining heat for weeks, had jaundice for weeks (that's from the liver not being ready), and now gets sick easily, even though he is breastfeed (he caught pnemonia at 2 months). However, my boyfriend was premature 2 months, and he had a lot of difficulty. He couldn't come home for a few weeks and had to have oxygen, a feeding tube, and be in an incubator--he almost died. Sometimes when babies are born really premature they also can have brain damage because their brain isn't fully developed. Also, premature babies have an increased risk of SIDS. Just so many problems for premature babies, I could go on and on.

Answer 3

Premiee means it was born early w/o reaching full term. Many babies born premature do well and can go home with no problems whatsoever. But many babies born premature have to stay in NICU for several days or weeks, due mostly with problems with their breathing, it is harmful because lungs aren't fully developed and they need oxygen and assistance while it happens before going home. They mostly do fine, just hit their milestones takes a little longer but many of them grow up with out any problems.

Answer 4

Premature baby or also known as a preemie is a baby born earlier than 37 weeks. As a full term baby is born at 38 to 42 weeks after they are conceived.When babies are born premature they are not fully developed. It depends on how premature your preemie is. For example preemies lungs may not be fully developed to breathe on his or her own or may not produce enough surfactant. The baby would be put on machines that can breath for them. Premature babies face many health problems b/c their bodies have not had time to fully develop therefore they are not equipped w/ what they need in the outside world.

Answer 5

It means they were born before full term (40 weeks). My twins were born at 33 weeks. They were below weight of course and spent a couple weeks in a NICU gaining weight and learning how to feed through a bottle. They are 3 years old now and still below normal in weight and height, but they are very healthy otherwise. They are developmentally on track. They walked, talked, crawled and everything just like any other baby. Sometimes being premature can cause babies to be developmentally delayed or cause health problems. This isn't in every case, but they can happen.

Answer 6

if a baby is born prematurely, then he or she is born before the full 40 weeks it usually takes for an unborn baby to be born!

this can be very harmful if the baby is very premature as important development may not yet have taken place meaning the baby isn't ready for the world, and could easily die.

Answer 7

Being born premature means that the baby was born before it has fully developed, ie his lungs or any other part of his body. If a child is born before their lungs can mature means that they wont be able to breath on their own when they are first here, also they have to be kept at a certain temp and their immune systems are alot weaker.

Answer 8

Any baby born before 37 weeks is considered pre-mature. My son was 6 weeks premature, but he was fine. The problem is the baby's lungs(the last thing to develop) . Babies born to early have real problems breathing on their own.

Answer 9

premature emans the childe was born early, so they are not fully matured to come into the world. It is dangerous because often the lungs of the baby are not matured enough, or some of the other vital organs either are too smallto funcition, or have yet to develop.

Answer 10

my twins were "premature" by normal standards. but being a twin pregnancy i was told that they were full term (36 weeks for twins is considered full term). premature is when a baby is born early, and may have some organs (especially the lungs) that are not full developed. some babies can be born early and are prefectly normal and healthy, some are early and develop problems.