Preventing the risk of premature birth

In Vietnam, the national average rate of premature birth is about 7-10%, with about 100,000 - 110,000 premature babies born each year.

At Thien Hanh General Hospital, on average, about 30-40 babies are born every day, of which about 3-4 are premature, accounting for 10%. These babies are all treated and cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Pediatrics Department. Some babies were born at just 25 or 26 weeks old and had to be placed in an incubator, with all kinds of support machines around their bodies to ensure their survival. Dr. Tran Thi My Gieng, Head of the Pediatrics Department (Thien Hanh General Hospital) said that the rate of premature babies is increasing, especially in cases of extremely premature babies born at just 24 weeks of gestation. These babies often suffer from respiratory failure early in the postpartum period and severe sepsis.

Premature babies are treated at the Department of Pediatrics, Thien Hanh General Hospital.

Photo: Quang Nhat

Premature babies face many health risks, because the organs in their bodies are still in the process of formation and are not yet fully developed, especially the respiratory system.

According to medical specialists, in addition to the obvious causes of premature birth such as: pregnant women with chronic diseases, infections, abnormalities in the structure of the uterus, cervix, multiple pregnancies, heavy work..., nearly half of premature birth cases have unknown reasons.

Dr. Tran Thi My Gieng said that saving the premature baby was a great success, but raising and caring for the baby so that he or she can develop normally is also extremely difficult. Premature babies face many health risks, because the organs in their bodies are still in the process of formation and are not yet fully developed, especially the respiratory system. All premature babies have very weak lungs, and cannot breathe on their own, so the risk of respiratory failure after birth is very common.

In addition, premature babies are susceptible to hypothermia, which is one of the predictors of death. There are also other problems such as cardiovascular, nutritional, and immune systems. “Pregnant women at risk of premature birth need to be examined and monitored at medical facilities with obstetrics and pediatrics departments, with the ability to provide emergency care and care for premature babies. Because if intervention is not good within the first 60 minutes of birth, the mortality rate can be up to 50%, and the more premature the baby, the higher the mortality rate,” Dr. Gieng noted.

Although modern medicine has made many achievements in saving the lives of premature babies, the increasing rate of premature birth poses a burden and challenge for both the medical profession and the child's family.

To save and successfully raise a premature baby costs a lot of money, up to over 100 million VND after deducting the part paid by health insurance, in addition to the effort and psychology of care, while the survival rate of extremely premature babies is very low.

Therefore, to prevent the risk of premature birth, specialists recommend that pregnant women should take the following preventive measures: plan to get pregnant at the right age, from 20 to 35 years old because the older you are, the more pregnancy complications increase; have a reasonable diet and rest, avoid heavy work and stay in toxic environments for a long time; have regular pregnancy check-ups to promptly detect and predict high-risk pregnancies early, and have follow-up check-ups according to the doctor's regimen.

During pregnancy, if the pregnant woman has abnormal symptoms such as: abdominal pain, back pain, headache, dizziness, high blood pressure, vomiting, signs of preeclampsia; abnormal vaginal discharge, brown discharge, red discharge or broken water; the fetus kicks abnormally, kicks more or less than usual... then she must go to a medical facility with adequate expertise in obstetrics and gynecology in the area immediately without delay. Because that moment of delay can cause bad consequences for both mother and baby.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/y-te-suc-khoe/202504/du-phong-nguy-co-sinh-non-1ed02c5/