Question

Write a short summary (200 words) of an article that you have found about preterm labor, complications of pregnancy or fundal assessment (pick one). Please give the reference in APA form.

Answer 1

1) Ans)Preterm labor occurs when regular contractions result in the opening of your cervix after week 20 and before week 37 of pregnancy. Preterm labor can result in premature birth. The earlier premature birth happens, the greater the health risks for your baby.

Preterm birth has been defined as any birth before 37 weeks completed weeks of gestation. An estimated 15 million infants are born preterm, with resulting complications. It is the principal cause of an estimated one million neonatal deaths annually and a significant contributor to childhood morbidities. Low and middle income countries (LMIC) carry a higher burden of disease attributed to preterm birth.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines preterm birth as any birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation, or fewer than 259 days since the first day of the woman's last menstrual period (LMP). This is further subdivided on the basis of gestational age (GA):

• extremely preterm (<28 weeks);

• very preterm (28–<32 weeks);

• moderate or late preterm (32–<37 completed weeks of gestation).

Complications:

Complications of preterm labor include delivering a preterm baby. This can pose a number of health concerns for your baby, such as low birth weight, breathing difficulties, underdeveloped organs and vision problems. Children who are born prematurely also have a higher risk of cerebral palsy, learning disabilities and behavioral problems.

The Most Common Complications

The risk of complications increases the earlier the baby is born. Any complication that premature newborn experiences will be treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Below is a list of the most common premature birth complications that a newborn may experience:

Immature Lungs – Most babies have mature lungs by 36 weeks of gestation. However, since babies develop at different rates, there are exceptions to this. If a mother and her health care provider know that the baby might be coming early, an amniocentesis may be performed to check the maturity level of the lungs.

Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) causes harsh, irregular breathing and difficulties due to the lack of a specific agent (surfactant) in the lungs that helps prevent the lungs from collapsing

Transient tachypnea is rapid shallow breathing. This can occur in both premature babies as well as full-term babies.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) occurs when a baby’s lungs have shown evidence of deterioration.

Pneumonia – Complications with premature-related respiratory problems can lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection in the area of the lung involved in the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen.

Apnea and Bradycardia – Apnea is the absence of breathing. In the NICU an alarm will sound if a newborn develops an irregular breathing pattern of pauses longer than 10-15 seconds. Bradycardia is the reduction of heart rate.

Infection – A premature baby might not be able to resist certain infections. For its own protection, the baby is placed in an incubator to provide protection against these infections.

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) – Babies born sooner than 34 weeks have an increased risk of bleeding in the brain because immature blood vessels might not tolerate the changes in circulation that took place during labor. This can lead to future complications such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and learning difficulties.

Inability to maintain body heat – A premature baby is born with little body fat and immature skin, which makes it harder to maintain body heat.

Immature gastrointestinal and digestive system – Premature newborns are born with gastrointestinal systems that are too immature to absorb nutrients effectively. In such cases, they receive their initial nutrients through intravenous (IV) feeding. This is referred to as total parenteral nutrition (TPN).

Anemia – This is a medical condition caused by abnormally low concentrations of red blood cells. Red blood cells are important because they carry a substance called hemoglobin, which carries oxygen. Most premature newborns should have red blood cell levels higher than 15 grams. However, preemies are at a high risk of having lower levels. If the anemia is severe, treatment can involve a transfusion of red blood cells to the newborn.

Sepsis – This is a medical condition where bacteria enter the bloodstream. Sepsis often brings infection to the lungs and can result in pneumonia