W&I studying late-preterm infants

PROVIDENCE – Women & Infants Hospital has joined a national study of “late-preterm” infants, babies born at 34 to 36 weeks – still short of the normal 40 weeks, but normally cared for in regular nurseries – to see if additional specialized care would help them do better.
The majority of premature babies actually fall into this category, and while they don’t need to be in the neonatal intensive-care unit, they do need extra help, experts say.
“If someone looks at a full-term infant and a late preterm infant, they probably won’t see a difference, said Jean Salera-Vieira, nurse manager of a Mother/Baby Unit at Women & Infants Hospital. “But these babies are not the same when it comes to brain growth and development. The ability to suck, swallow and breathe develops in the third trimester, so babies born at 34 to 36 weeks gestation often tire easily, resulting in significant breastfeeding challenges, among other issues.”
The new study, sponsored by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, involves 15 sites (chosen from among 145 applicants) and is a multi-year endeavor. Salera-Vieira is leading the project at Women & Infants.
A key goal of the study is to raise provider and consumer awareness of the special needs and risks involved with these babies, and to provide educational resources to help providers assess and care for these patients.
The first six-month phase focuses on nurses, said Salera-Vieira, and will involve changes to common practices. “For instance, rather than bringing a late preterm infant to the newborn nursery to spend some time being monitored in a warmer, we are instead encouraging prolonged ‘skin to skin’ contact with the mother.”
Babies will also be given a chance to feed more often than full-term babies, since they tend to be slower and may not be able to take in as much milk. They will also be monitored for their sleep needs, since they tend to need more sleep, and for breathing problems. In addition, late preterm infants have less body fat and may be less able to regulate their own temperature, and they may be more likely to develop jaundice and infections.
Babies will be enrolled in this phase through September of this year. The results will be made available early next year. To learn more about AWHONN and the study, go to www.awhonn.org.