How long do premature babies stay in the hospital?

The birth of a premature baby differs from a “normal” birth in many respects . Because the birth process itself often resembles an operation, since most premature babies are born by caesarean section . Immediately after birth, the tiny little babies are usually first separated from their parents and placed in an incubator, the so-called incubator. This situation is often difficult for the new parents to handle and it is not uncommon for the parents to fear for their little lives. But thanks to extremely complex treatment in highly qualified intensive care units and in special perinatal centers, the chances of survival for premature babies are very good these days.

Medical treatment of premature babies

• The temperature and humidity in the incubator are optimally tailored to the needs of premature babies. This ensures that your baby also feels comfortable and secure in the incubator.
• Your baby’s breathing and heartbeat are electronically monitored in the incubator , so you can be sure that your child is doing well.
• In many premature babies, the small lungs are not yet fully developed. Therefore, the baby is likely to need mechanical ventilation to get enough oxygen.
• Also, most premature babies do not yet have a sucking reflex, so they cannot be breastfed or bottle-fed like full-term babies. For this reason, they are initially fed with breast milk via a stomach tube.

What you can do for your premature baby

Many parents are unsettled when they see their premature baby for the first time. The tiny baby lies in the incubator and is connected to various medical devices with many tubes and cables. Out of sheer fear of hurting the small, fragile human, the parents do not dare to contact their baby. As a rule, however, the parents are consciously involved in the care and supervision of the baby as soon as possible. In this way, they can overcome their feeling of helplessness and actively do something for their child.

• Express breast milk: Breast milk is very important for your premature baby. It contains many important nutrients that help it grow big and strong. However, since the baby is probably too weak to suckle on its own, you have to express the breast milk.
• Physical contact is important: physical contact stimulates the premature baby’s senses and promotes parent-child bonding. For this purpose, the naked baby is placed on your bare chest several times a day. So you can be very close despite the difficult conditions and enjoy tender moments together. You can also let your baby hold your finger while it’s in the incubator. In this way, the contact can easily be extended.
• Familiar Voices: Some parents bring tapes of their own voice with their preemie for clinic staff to play from time to time when the parents are not present. You can use it to tell stories or sing songs. From the 26th week of life, premature babies react visibly to the voices of their parents. You listen carefully and look in the direction of the sound source. If premature babies are acoustically stimulated in this way, they need to be ventilated for less time on average and spend less time in the clinic. How long the premature baby has to stay in the hospital depends of course on his state of health.

In our article “ Help in the first few weeks with a premature baby ” you will find out what help you as parents can get during this time. With today’s offers of help, you will not be alone in this challenge.