Premature Baby Care
Highest Quality of Care
Premature baby care is specialized health care and support for infants born less than 37 weeks gestation. Babies who weigh less than five pounds and eight ounces at birth are considered low birth weight and may have similar needs as premature babies.
The Children's Clinic offers premature baby care for infants and parents who have graduated from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and are at home. For a low birth weight baby or preemie to go home, they must:
- Have no serious health problems
- Be able to regulate their body temperature in an open bed
- Be able to take feedings by mouth
- Maintain a healthy growth rate
- Have no recent extended pauses in breathing or low heart rate
Premature baby care extends the highest quality of care your little one receives in the hospital and supports you as you learn to care for them at home.
Bringing home a premature baby can warrant anxieties and concerns about their safety and your ability to care for them.
The team at the Children’s Clinic in Billings, Montana, offers quality premature baby care that extends to supporting new parents and lowering risks associated with babies born early.
Premature Baby Care Q&A
Call or request an appointment at the West End or downtown office today for expert and comprehensive premature baby care and preemie parent support.
What does premature baby care entail?
Premature baby care involves extensive education for parents and other caretakers when your baby comes home with monitors, oxygen, medications, and feeding tubes. Premature baby care helps parents learn all the aspects of their baby's medical and developmental needs.
Premature baby care also includes:
- Nutritional consultations
- Weight monitoring
- Developmental assessments
- Referrals and specialist consultations
- Health care team coordination
- Vaccinations
- Specialized well-child exams
- Vision and hearing exams
Because preterm babies are at higher risk for having special needs and some pediatric diseases, premature baby care also monitors signs of illness, developmental delays, and long-term complications.
What complications of preterm birth does premature baby care help manage?
Babies born before 37 weeks gestation don't have fully matured lungs, organs, brain, and nervous system at birth. Because of this, they are much more likely to have long-term complications such as:
- Cerebral palsy
- Developmental delays
- Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Asthma or allergies
- Vision or hearing problems
- Congenital heart problems
- Respiratory infections or lung disease
- Dental problems
- Behavioral or psychological problems
Quality premature baby care helps monitor for signs of these complications and ensures early diagnosis and intervention. If you have a premature baby, you can count on ongoing support from the team of pediatric experts at the Children's Clinic.