Anaemia - Fewer red blood cells than normal. In Preemies, anaemia can cause breathing problems, low energy and poor growth.
Apnoea - A pause in breathing that lasts for more than 20 seconds, or is accompanied by a slow heart rate (bradycardia) or a change in skin colour. Apnoea is common amongst premature babies because they still have immature control of their breathing.
Apnoea Alarm - These set off an alarm if the baby paused for too long between two breaths (apnoea).
Bilirubin - A yellow substance that the body makes all the time as red blood cells are broken down. When bilirubin builds up in the body it turns the skin a yellowish tinge, called Jaundice.
Blood Gas Monitors - Another device is normally strapped gently to the baby's foot or hand. This shines light through the skin and monitors the amount of oxygen in your baby's blood.
BPD (Bronchopulmonary Dysphasia) - Sometimes referred to as Chronic Lung Disease (CLD). This is chronic injury or scarring in a preemies lungs, caused by supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilation.
Bradycardia (Brady) - A slower than normal heart rate, in preemies it most often results from apnoea.
CPAP - Short for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. This helps the baby breathe by having air flow through two fine tubes placed in the baby's nostrils. This slightly raises the pressure and helps to keep the baby's lungs inflated.
Chronic Lung Disease - Babies who need to be ventilated for long periods of time may get chronic lung disease depending on the level of ventilation or oxygen they need or if they develop a chest infection. If a baby has chronic lung disease their lungs are stiffer and they have to work harder to get air into their lungs. They may also become more tired during feeds. Babies with chronic lung disease may need additional oxygen support for a while after they go home.
Endotracheal (ET)Tube - A tube inserted into the nose or mouth into the windpipe(trachea), that can then be attached to a ventilator, to send air directly into the lungs.
Gastroesophageal Reflux - Often referred to as 'GE Reflux', or just 'Reflux', this is a condition in which food in the stomach comes back up the oesophagus, and sometimes all the way out of the mouth.
Head Ultrasound Scan - This is used to have a look at the structure of a newborn baby's brain. It can show whether there has been any bleeding or other problems.
High Frequency Ventilators - Puff small amounts of air into the lungs hundreds of times a minute. This is a natural process that is very like the panting type of breathing that dogs do after a long walk on a hot day.
Indomethacin - This medication may cause a PDA to shrink and close.
Intravenous Line - A thin plastic tube placed inside one of your baby's veins which allows drugs like antibiotics to be given directly into the blood stream.
IVH (Intraventricular Haemorrhage) - Bleeding occurring in an inner part of the brain, near the ventricles, where premature babies have blood vessels that are particularly fragile and prone to rupture.
Jaundice - A yellowish discolouring of the skin caused by a build up of bilirubin.
Kangaroo Care - A way to hold your naked baby skin-to-skin, against your bare chest, inside your shirt or covered by a blanket, like a kangaroo in his mothers pouch.
Long Lines - very fine tubes fed into a vein to let staff give nutrition if your baby is too premature or unwell to take food or fluids through his or her mouth. The line can also be used for injecting medication like antibiotics, should this ever be needed.
Lumbar puncture - If there is evidence of a severe infection, doctors may want to take a sample of fluid that surrounds the spinal cord. This fluid flows down from the brain, so analysing it should show if the infection is present in this vital part of the nervous system.
A small needle is used, and a doctor will insert this between two bones low in the baby's back. While many important nerves run through the spine they will not be damaged because these nerves are all higher than the level where this needle is placed.
MRI Scans - These can give very useful computer generated pictures of the organs inside a baby without harming the baby. If your baby has an MRI scan, he or she will be placed in a special incubator that keeps him or her safe and warm while inside the scanner.
MRI images are extremely useful for assessing the extent of any brain damage and give useful information on the way that the brain is maturing.
NEC (Necrotizing Enterocolitis) - An intestinal disease, most common in young preemies, in which portions of the bowel are damaged or destroyed by poor blood flow, inflammation, or infection.
NG (Naso-Gastric)Tube - A soft tube that goes through a baby's nose down into the stomach. It can be used for feeding or emptying the stomach of gas.
Oscillating Ventilator - Also called a high-frequency ventilator, it works differently than a conventional ventilator. An oscillating ventilator keeps a baby's lungs continuously inflated by providing tiny quantities of air at extremely rapid rates.
OG (Oro-Gastric)Tube - Same as an NG Tube but inserted via the mouth.
PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus) - An open blood vessel near the heart and lungs which is a necessary part of a foetus's circulation, a PDA should normally close a few days after birth. If it lingers, as it often does in premature babies, it can cause breathing difficulties and heart failure.
Periodic Breathing - An irregular breathing pattern. Because of immaturity, it's normal for a preemie to take some deep breaths, and then pause for 5 or ten seconds before taking the next one.
Phototherapy
Blood
cells only live in the body for a few days or weeks.
They are constantly broken down and new ones are formed.
When these cells are broken down a chemical called bilirubin is released
into the blood stream. Sometimes
levels of bilirubin can build up in the blood of newborn babies because their
liver cannot remove it fast enough. This
is often the case for premature babies and those with specific liver p
If bilirubin builds up to very high levels in the blood for the baby’s level of maturity, it carries the risk of causing brain damage. Bilirubin is broken down by blue light, so premature babies are often placed under a blue light or laid on top of a biliblanket that gives out similar light. This is known as phototherapy.
Pneumothorax - A tear in the air sacs of a baby's lung causing air to leak out into the space between the lung and the chest wall.
Positive Pressure Ventilators - blow oxygen-enriched air gently into the baby's lungs through a tube that is passed through his or her mouth or nose. These ventilators inflate the lungs. The rate of breathing will be regularly adjusted to meet your baby's current need. These sophisticated machines are designed to reduce damage to your baby's lungs.
RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome) - Also called Hyaline Membrane syndrome, it is a result of a preemie having immature lungs. A baby with RDS is not able to breathe well on their own.
ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity) - An eye disease of premature babies, in which new, abnormal blood vessels grow near the retina, and temporarily or permanently damage it.
RSV (Respiratory Syntical Virus) - A common virus that gives most people a cold, but can be more serious in premature babies, causing infections such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis.
Surfactant - A natural substance in the lungs that helps keep the air sacs expanded and reduce the tension on the surface of the lungs making breathing easier for the baby. It is deficient in premature babies who suffer RDS. Replacement surfactant can be given to babies who don't produce enough of their own.
TPN Total Parenteral Nutrition) - A nourishing solution - containing protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients - that is given to the baby intravenously.
Umbilical Catheters - Fine tubes can be inserted into blood vessels in the tummy button. They are mostly used in the first day after birth.
Vital Signs Monitors - Small pads may be placed on the baby's chest with cables running to a monitor. These pick up the electrical signals given out by the baby's heart and constantly checks that it is beating properly. The pads can also detect changes during breathing and pauses in breathing may trigger the alarm.