ACIDOSIS. An abnormally high level of acid in the blood because the lungs are not working well.
ANAEMIA. Not enough red blood cells.
APGAR SCORE. A simple way of assessing a the baby's health, immediately after birth, by scoring points for heart rate, breathing, skin colour, tone, and the baby's reactions.
APNOEA. A pause in breathing. "Apnoeic attacks" are short spurts in which breathing is interrupted. These episodes usually repeat themselves.
ASPHYXIA. Too little oxygen and too much carbon dioxide in the blood, causing the baby to suffocate.
BAGGING. Putting a mask connected to a squeezable bag over the baby's nose and mouth to help breathing.
BILIRUBIN. Yellow pigment in blood, which gives a yellow colouring to the skin.
BLOOD GASES. Laboratory test to find out levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide gases in the blood. The purpose is to work out how well the lungs and circulation are functioning.
BRADYCARDIA. When the heart rate temporarily slows down.
BRAIN SCAN. This can be done by using ultrasound, X rays (called CT scan) or magnetic resonance (called MR) to create a picture of the brain in order to gain information about it.
BREAST PUMP. Piece of equipment which is both manual or electric, used for expressing breast milk.
BRONCHO PULMONARY DYSPLASIA (BPD). A disorder of the lung, which may have come about because the baby has been on a ventilator for a long time. When this happens, the baby needs more oxygen and may have difficulty breathing, which can take some time to improve.
CANDIDA. A yeast infection of skin and mucus membranes (mouth, digestive or genital tracts).
CENTILE CHARTS. Graphs showing the normal ranges of measurements at different ages.
CEREBROSPINAL FLUID (CSF). Fluid produced within the brain which flows into the fluid in the area of the spinal cord. If the flow is obstructed, or the brain is not absorbing enough, it can lead to hydrocephalus, or 'water on the brain'.
CHEST DRAIN. Tube passed through the chest wall to drain off air leaking from the lung.
CHRONOLOGICAL AGE. A baby's age from the actual date of birth.
CORRECTED AGE. The age a premature baby would be if he/she had been born on their due date.
CPAP/CDAP (Continuous positive airway pressure /continuous distending airway pressure). When the flow of air/oxygen is passed through the baby using a slightly higher level of pressure. Used to help a baby's breathing and to reduce the number of apnoeic attacks by keeping air in the baby's under-developed lung.
CYANOSIS. Lack of oxygen in the blood, which makes the skin, lips and nails appear bluish.
DOWN'S SYNDROME
This is a chromosomal abnormality with which some babies are born. Babies with Down's syndrome have a variety of symptoms that include a degree of mental disability and slow physical development. There may also be a degree of congenital heart disease and other physical ailments. Each baby born with Down's syndrome will be individual in his or her range of symptoms, some of which are immediately apparent and others which need more careful diagnosis.
For many babies born with Down's syndrome, their life expectancy is good and they have happy and fulfilled lives. This will partly depend on their individual symptoms and what specialized care their families or support services can give them. While there is understandable grief at the birth of a baby with Down's syndrome, because there are many of life's opportunities that won't be available to them and there are often difficult decisions about their care to be made, many parents come to see the disabilities of their baby with Down's syndrome are just as much a part of them as the colour of their eyes.
However, because there are known risk factors for Down's syndrome and antenatal tests for these, it is possible for parents to make a decision about whether or not to continue a pregnancy that will result in the birth of a baby with Down's Syndrome.
DRIP. When fluids or blood are passed into a vein or artery, using a needle or plastic tube.
ECG (Electrocardiogram). Graph showing heart's electrical activity. EEG (Electroencephalogram). Graph showing brain's electrical activity.
ELECTROLYTES. Essential substances in the body which, when dissolved, give solutions able to conduct electric current (e.g. table salt, sodium chloride, potassium chloride).
ENDOTRACHEAL TUBE. Soft plastic tube inserted through the mouth or nose to the windpipe (trachea) to help breathing.
EXCHANGE TRANSFUSION. Replacing the baby's blood with blood from an adult donor.
EXPRESSING BREAST MILK. Manipulating the breast to produce milk.
EXTUBATE. Removing the endrotracheal tube (explained previous) from the windpipe
FONTANELLE. Soft spots on a baby's head which disappear as the bones grow together
GESTATIONAL AGE. The time (in weeks) from the (start of) last menstrual period.
GRUNTING. Noise made by a baby with breathing difficulty.
HAEMOGLOBIN. The part of the red blood cells that carries oxygen.
HEAD BOX. Plastic box placed over a baby's head to allow accurate control of oxygen.
HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE. Measurement of the maximum distance around the baby's head.
HEAT SHIELD. Clear plastic shell placed over the baby to prevent heat loss.
HYALINE MEMBRANE DISEASE (HMD) or RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME (RDS). A breathing problem in which the lungs have difficulty holding in air.
HYDROCEPHALUS. When too much 'cerebrospinal' fluid is collected inside the brain, which may cause rapid increase in head size. A lower than normal level of blood calcium.1
HYPOGLYCAEIA. Abnormally low blood glucose level.
HYPOTHERMIA. When the body temperature drops below 35.5 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
HYPOXIA. Abnormally low amount of oxygen in the body tissues.
INTRACRANIAL HAEMORRHAGE. A bleed inside the skull.
INTRAVENOUS NUTRITION. A way of supplying all the most vital nutrients directly into the blood by either a type of drip (called a peripheral drip) or a central line.
INTERMITTENT POSITIVE PRESURE VENTILATION (IPPV). A way of helping breathing mechanically. IV. Intravenous ("into the vein").
JAUNDICE. Yellowness of the skin/whites of the eyes caused by a higher level of bilirubin in the blood.
JEJUNAL FEEDING. Introducing milk, using a special soft tube, directly into the jejunum (part of the small intestine).This reduces the likelihood of the baby regurgitating or vomiting (with the risk of inhalation into the lungs).
Knowledge.year by year knowlege about the care of premature babies and those with abnormalities improves so we must remain optimisitc and cheerful. The team at the Rosie is constantly doing research to improve their skills.
LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (LBW)
Sometimes referred to as 'small-for-dates' or 'light-for-dates', this is any baby born weighing 2.5 kg, (5 1/2 lb) or less. This may be because the baby was born before 37 weeks, or pre-term (premature), or because of a number of factors during pregnancy which may include poor nutrition, cigarette smoking, maternal age or multiple pregnancy, for example. Good antenatal care helps to prevent some of these problems, but should your baby be 'small-for-dates', he or she may need the advantage of a special care baby unit for a while
LUMBAR PUNCTURE (LP) or LUMBAR TAP. Withdrawal of a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid in order to analyse it.
MASTITIS
Mastitis means, literally, inflammation of the breast. Many women suffer from some degree of mastitis without being pregnant: they have tender, lumpy breasts particularly just before a period. This is uncomfortable but harmless, and caused by the fluctuating hormones of the menstrual cycle.
When mastitis occurs during breastfeeding, it is usually non-infective, and probably caused by a poor feeding technique or an ill-fitting bra. It is usually characterized by a wedge-shaped area of inflammation which feels tender and warm and looks red. Whatever the cause, continuing to feed - having removed the bra and checked the position of the baby on the breast - will help the problem resolve itself quite quickly. If you become engorged, take steps to deal with it so that it doesn't give rise to mastitis.
If you don't continue to breastfeed with mastitis, the blockage that gave rise to the inflammation in the first place provides an ideal breeding ground for infection - and that could, in the worst case, give rise to a breast abscess. Infection can sometimes arise because the nipple has become sore and allowed access to infection. Sore nipples will usually only happen if your baby isn't latched-on properly, or positioned badly. Ask your midwife for advice
MECONIUM. Dark greenish material that builds up in the digestive system before birth, and usually starts being passed as bowel movements within 24 hours of birth.
MECONIUM ASPIRATION. A baby which becomes distressed before delivery may pass meconium (the dark greenish material described above) while he or she is still in the womb. If the baby then inhales the fluid in which he or she is "floating" in the womb, the sticky material irritates and partially blocks the airways, causing breathing difficulties in around the time that the baby is born.
NASO GASTRIC FEEDS (NG Feeds). Feeding using a fine, soft tube passed through the nose into the stomach.
NEONATE. Baby during the first four weeks of life.
NECROTISING ENTEROCOLITES (NEC). When a section of the wall of the intestine is swollen or inflamed because of damage to the lining.This is often linked to a period in which the blood flow has been obstructed. The abdomen may swell up, and blood is passed through the bowels. Air penetrates the wall of the digestive tract; and sometimes very rarely, it may make a hole in the gut.
OXYGEN. Premature babies often have immature lungs so extra oxygen is required to get adeuate oxygen into the blood.The level is carefully monitored.
OEDEMA. Swelling caused by too much fluid in the tissues under the skin.
PRE-ECLAMPSIA
Pre-eclampsia is also known as pregnancy-induced hypertension, or PIH. The cause of this increase in blood-pressure during pregnancy is unknown, but it affects between 5 and 20 per cent of pregnant women, being seen most commonly during the last 8 weeks of pregnancy.
The reason you will have your blood-pressure taken and a urine test performed at every antenatal visit is that the three main signs of PIH are:
A rise in blood pressure so that it is significantly higher than on a previous visit;
protein showing up in a urine test;
swelling, not only of the feet and ankles but more generally, and where if gentle finger-tip pressure is applied briefly the indentation remains.
If PIH is diagnosed, the treatment is bed rest which should allow things to settle down and avoid the problems escalating into eclampsia. Bed rest usually means staying in hospital because it is almost impossible for a woman to rest adequately enough at home without full-time support and, to avoid the necessity of a premature delivery, rest is essential. The aim of treatment is to keep the pregnancy going until 38 weeks, closely monitoring both mother and baby, then inducing labour. If eclampsia develops, a caesarean section may be needed immediately.
Although there are many complementary therapies and remedies you can try to help relax and restore yourself, pre-eclampsia needs careful supervision and medical management. No alternative practitioner would recommend that you treat this condition without the full medical support you need to ensure the health of you and your baby. This condition is potentially too serious, and must always benefit from clinical management, although aromatherapy massage, Homoeopathic remedies and even shiatsu and acupuncture can all have a place in assisting you through what may be a difficult time prior to the birth of your baby.
The good news is that the signs of PIH disappear within 48 to 72 hours of delivery of the baby, and cause no further complications.
PARENTERAL NUTRITION. Supplying all the most important nutrients into a vein, by an infusion.
PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS (PDA). Blood vessel in the heart remaining open after it should have closed.
PEEP (Positive End Expiratory Pressure). Pressure applied during breathing out, which helps keep the lungs from collapsing while the baby is on the ventilator.
PERIODIC BREATHING. When pauses of up to ten seconds take place in the baby's breathing.
PERSISTENT FOETAL CIRCULATION. Before birth, the blood vessels of the lung are narrow. If the blood vessels do not relax after birth, blood flow to the lungs is reduced. Oxygen, and sometimes drugs, are given to help with this. pH. Is about the acidity (low value) or alkalinity (raised value) of the blood. A value close to 7.4 is normal for arterial blood.
PHOTOTHERAPY. Using light to reduce the bilirubin level.
PHYSIOTHERAPY. Special exercises to improve or relieve physical problems.
PNEUMOTHORAX. When there is air between the lung and chest wall if a lung has leaked air.
POSSET. When the baby spits up a small amount of milk after feeding
PRETERM BABY. A baby born before reaching 37 weeks.
QUESTIONS .Be bave and ask questions as it saves a lot of worring. If the staff seem terribly busy they can often make time to speak to you later.
RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY. Damage to the retina area of the eye that is sensitive to light; usually linked to the amount of oxygen in the blood reaching the retina. SGA (Small for gestational age). Baby whose birth weight is lower than that of 90% of babies of the same gestational age.
SURFACTANI A chemical that helps to ease or loosen the surface tension in the lungs, in order to stop the lung from collapsing when the baby breathes out.
TOXAEMIA
This means, literally, poisoning of the blood by toxins. It was previously thought to be the cause of pre-eclampsia, which was sometimes referred to as toxaemia of pregnancy.
TACHYCARDIA. Rapid heart beat.
TACHYPNOEA. Rapid breathing rate.
UMBILICAL CATHETER. Plastic tube inserted through one of the two umbilical arteries. Used to take blood samples, which will be analysed. Some catheters have a special device that monitors the amount of oxygen there is in the blood.
VENTILATION. Mechanical support with breathing, so that the baby will be able to have normal levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in their blood.
Weight. The weight chart is used to measure growth,whichgives a good indication of the amounts of feed your baby may need.
X Rays.These are frequently required to examine the lungs and exclude a collapsed lung which can occur on a ventilater.R.D.S shows up as a white ground glass appearance on an x-ray.
Why did it happen to me ?
Often nobody knows but common causes are multiple births,infections,and preclampsia.This is a condition where mum develops high blood pressure,fluid retention and protein in her urine. Her blood vessels constrict so the placenta gets a poor blood supply.It is often nessary to deliver the baby early. The cause of many congenital abnormalities is being researched.
Snoozing .Premature babies sleep most of the time but they tend to become more active near their due date so be warned that life at home can be hectic.