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Preemie Matters - June 2009

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In this issue of Preemie Matters: New Podcast on Preventing Preterm Birth  •  Study Looks at Preemie Milestones for Hospital Discharge  •  Online Resource: MOST's YouTube Channel  •  Save the Date for NEO 2010 in Orlando  •  New Book on Breastfeeding the Late Preterm Infant  •  PTSD Among Parents of NICU Babies

New Podcast on Preventing Preterm Birth

As part of its monthly "Pinn Pont on Women's Health" series, the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) has released its new podcast on preterm birth, featuring Vivian Pinn, MD, ORWH Director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Catherine Spong, MD, Chief of the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The podcast covers what preterm birth is, why it's an important women's health topic, and the risk factors. Drs. Pinn and Spong discuss healthy pregnancy and how women can reduce their risk of delivering a preterm baby. The podcast encourages women to prepare for a healthy pregnancy before pregnancy occurs, by maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, avoiding alcohol and tobacco smoke, getting up-to-date on immunizations and starting prenatal care early. The podcast is available at NIH Podcast. For the transcript as a downloadable PDF, go to Preterm Birth PDF.

Study Looks at Preemie Milestones for Hospital Discharge

Research published in the journal Pediatrics examines the age at which prematurely born infants achieve the physiologic milestones needed for hospital discharge, using data from a large cohort of babies born between 24 and 32 weeks' gestation between 1998 and 2001. The research team looked at the postmenstrual age (PMA) at which these preemies achieved adequate control of breathing, successful breathing without supplemental oxygen, adequate oral feeding, and maintenance of body temperature without supplemental heat. Among the findings: Overall, less than one percent of the infants achieved the feeding and temperature milestones by 31 weeks PMA or within 12 hours of birth, whichever was later. However, about one-quarter of all infants were off supplemental oxygen by this time. Infants of younger gestational age generally achieved milestones at later PMAs. They concluded that complications of prematurity have the largest effect on the maturation process of prematurely born infants, leading to both longer hospitalizations and higher medical costs. For the abstract, click here.

Online Resource: MOST's YouTube Channel

National nonprofit organization MOST (Mothers of Supertwins), a community of families, volunteers and professionals founded in 1987, has updated its YouTube channel as a resource for support and education on higher-order multiple births. Leveraging online video to advocate for quality prenatal care and healthy deliveries, MOST's YouTube page allows the organization to reach new audiences with its message of successful parenting through every phase. Check out this resource and MOST's homepage.

Save the Date for NEO 2010 in Orlando

Save the date now for NEO 2010, the Conference for Neonatology, set for February at the Hilton-Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek in Orlando, FL. The event includes a pre-conference on Continuous Quality Improvement on February 10, followed by the full conference lineup and exhibit hall February 11-14. The lineup of educational and CE offerings covers cutting-edge and practical aspects of newborn care, aimed at health care professionals in neonatology, perinatology, neonatal physician assistants, advance practice and staff nurses. Online registration opens next month. For more information, click here.

New Book on Breastfeeding the Late Preterm Infant

A new book authored by Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC and made available by Hale Publishing provides detailed research findings, information, pictures, graphs, resources, and sample individualized feeding plans for use by healthcare providers working with the mothers of late preterm babies. Breastfeeding the Late Preterm Infant is an 84-page guide to the special issues faced by these nursing mothers, and practical approaches to helping them to succeed at breastfeeding their newborns. For more information, click here.

PTSD Among Parents of NICU Babies

Richard Shaw, MD, a child psychiatrist at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and an associate professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, is studying post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among parents whose newborns spent time in the NICU, and his latest paper on the subject appeared in the March-April 2009 issue of the journal Psychosomatics. Stanford recently published a Q&A with Dr. Shaw on his research and how parents are affected by the stress and anxiety of the NICU experience.

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Information is reported as provided and does not necessarily represent the view of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. A complete copy of HMHB's disclaimer is available on our website.

Renee Klink