How to take care of a Premature Baby?

Premature babies are kept in intensive care till the doctors are of the opinion that they are out of danger. Take baby regularly to health care provider to monitor the weight gain, and talk to doctor about the precautions you have to take while baby is at home.

One important suggestion is to keep away visitors as these preteen babies are more prone to illness, as they often don't have fully developed immune system just like other normal full-term babies and thus cannot fight back infections.

Watch out for the weight of the baby such babies have difficulty in feeding because of weakness. Talk with your doctor about feeding your baby. He or she can recommend vitamins, iron and a special formula if the baby is bottle-fed. Preemies are given vitamins to help them grow and stay healthy. Though breast milk is an excellent source of nutrition, but premature infants are too immature to be fed directly from the breast or bottle until they are 32 to 34 biological weeks old. They can only drink a small amount at a time, most often via a tube placed through the nose into the stomach.

Don't be worried when you see your baby not growing much as preemies not grow at the same rate as a full-term baby for the first 2 years. Premature babies are usually smaller during this time. Sometimes they grow in bursts. They usually catch up with "term" babies after a while. So keep a record of your baby's growth, your doctor can use special growth charts for premature babies. You can also keep a track on baby's progress by taking regular photos (without flashlight!) using a constant toy beside your baby.

Do keep an extra equipment like oxygen or apnea monitors at home and get required training on how to use them so that you should know how to operate them prior to coming home.