Recently, the sudden outbreak of the epidemic in many places, staying at home and going out less, is still the most important and effective measure to prevent the new crown virus pneumonia epidemic. But is it possible to extend it for premature babies who require regular follow-up? When do I need to go to the hospital? I'll answer them all.
1. What should I do if I follow up my premature babies regularly during the epidemic?
Under normal circumstances, after the premature baby is discharged from the hospital, it should be followed up regularly in the hospital according to the doctor's recommendations, closely monitor the growth and development of the baby, so as to detect abnormal signs as soon as possible, give targeted feeding guidance, intervention and training in time, maximize the baby's growth potential, reach the level of full-term children, and lay a good foundation for future life.
But during the pandemic, in order to protect your child from cross-infection, it is still necessary to reduce the number of trips to the hospital. Routine follow-up visits, such as once a month or once every two months, may be extended appropriately. Now many hospitals have carried out online consultation or preterm baby hotlines, parents can call the doctor, the doctor will provide some personalized guidance according to the specific situation of the child. However, there are some checks that cannot be delayed:
jaundice
Although most newborns will have different degrees of jaundice after birth, and it is generally not important to have mild jaundice, due to the immature development of the blood-brain barrier in preterm infants, severe jaundice can lead to bilirubin encephalopathy, especially in the early postnatal period, so monitoring changes in bilirubin is very important.
Some premature babies who are nearly full-term often have a short hospital stay, and if they relax their vigilance after returning home, they will not observe, coupled with insufficient feeding and other reasons, it is easy to aggravate jaundice. How to judge the degree of jaundice at home? First of all, observe the color of the child's skin in a good natural light environment, the lighter jaundice is only manifested in the face and trunk, if the jaundice develops rapidly within a few days, even affecting the heart of the hands and siblings, you must go to the hospital immediately for examination. Now there are also mobile phone software to detect jaundice, which can be monitored and observed at home, which is more convenient, and once the warning value is reached, it is necessary to go to the hospital to further confirm the severity of jaundice and the treatment method.
Fundus examination
In premature babies, the retinal blood vessels are immature and regular fundus examinations are important. Some premature babies have had a fundus examination during their hospitalization, and before they are discharged, the doctor will tell the parents when the next examination will be. If the retinal vascular development is not very good, on the verge of danger, then you need to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist and come to the hospital in time as required.
Thyroid function tests
Thyroid function tests in preterm infants should be handled as appropriate for the child's specific circumstances. Routine testing is generally not required in preterm infants with older gestational age, but monitoring thyroid function is necessary for preterm infants of small gestational age. In particular, those who have abnormal examination results during hospitalization, such as a significant increase in TSH, need to consult a doctor when to draw blood for re-examination, in this case, there is no delay.
2. How can parents of premature babies observe whether their children's growth and development are normal during the epidemic?
In the case that regular follow-up visits to the hospital are not available at present, parents can do some simple monitoring at home. For example, measure the child's weight, length and head circumference, record the measurement time and value, correct the child's standard growth curve after the age of the month, see if the child's growth is normal, or consult the doctor by phone or tell the doctor at the next follow-up visit.
For the development level of premature babies, it can be observed according to the corrected monthly age to observe whether the child's major exercise has reached the developmental milestone, such as three flips, six sittings, eight climbs, and one year old walking. At the same time, observe whether the child's fine motor, social skills and language development meet the requirements of the corresponding age.
In addition, for children under one year of age, should we observe whether muscle tone is increased? Are there any unusual postures? You can record your observations and consult your doctor over the phone. Usually, according to the baby's development law, give the child some early development promotion suitable for his or her age, such as passive exercise and active sports training.
3. Do premature babies need to go to the hospital immediately if they have fever?
It is normal for newborns to have a temperature between 36.5°C and 37.5°C. The body temperature of some young preterm infants is prone to fluctuate with changes in ambient temperature. If the room temperature is high, the child wears too much, his body temperature will be higher; if the room is not so warm, the child wears less cover, the body temperature will be lower, but as long as the child's small hands and feet are warm, you can judge that it is basically normal.
If the child has a slightly low-grade fever, such as 37.5 ° C to 38 ° C, no other symptoms or only a slight runny cough, etc., the spirit and feeding are not affected, it is recommended to observe and care at home first. If your child has a persistently high fever, is in poor spirits, does not breastfeed, or has other symptoms, such as a severe cough, wheezing, or frequent vomiting, diarrhea, and low urination, these emergencies are necessary to go to the hospital.
Although this is the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no need to be too nervous for parents of premature babies. If a premature infant develops fever, the epidemiological exposure history should be considered first. If it is not in the epidemic area, and there is no such confirmed or suspected patient and close contacts at home, especially young children who do not have such contact at home, it is generally not necessary to consider the new crown pneumonia.
At present, parents need to be more calm and calm in the face of their children's various situations, and when the situation is uncertain, they can consult with the hospital.
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