Specialized Care for Premature Babies:

The Importance of Children's Physical Therapy at AMS Exercise Medical Center

A preterm baby is considered to be born before 37 weeks of pregnancy (WHO definition). Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal mortality in the world (during the first four weeks of life) and the second leading cause of death among children under five years of age, after pneumonia. Every year, 15 million babies worldwide are born prematurely, with one in ten births occurring at 22 weeks gestation (extreme preterm). More than one million of these babies die shortly thereafter; others survive with some form of physical and/or neurological sequelae or disability.

Premature infants require individualized care, which must be supported by the medical and family environment. Many of them need to spend some time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and undergo clinical and medical interventions that are painful and stressful for them and their families. Therefore, the accompaniment and continuous contact with their parents or one of them is vital.

Following these simple steps helps the premature baby to better regulate stress and better adapt to the environment outside the womb and to external stimuli. It contributes to the implementation of their neurobiological mechanisms and improves their adaptive responses: regulation of body temperature, oxygen level, stabilization of respiratory and heart rates; it favors psychomotor development, reduces apneas (transient cessation of breathing) and improves the baby's immune system by protecting him/her from infections:

• Look at the baby: this is a basic element in order to provide individualized care. Determine, after observation, what the baby needs.
• Parents: they are a fundamental part of the baby's attention, care and life and offer the best sensory stimulation through their presence, touch, voice, warmth, smell, etc.
• Careful environment: adapted to the gestational age and developmental needs of each baby (light levels, noise intensity, positioning, ambient temperature, etc.).
• Breastfeeding: whenever possible, it is the best feeding option to support the baby's health and development. If direct breastfeeding is not possible, breast milk banking is an excellent health care tool because of its antibacterial, antiviral, anti-infective and antiparasitic factors, as well as its high content of hormones, enzymes, fat, growth factors and immunological properties.
• Skin-to-skin contact: it is proven that there is a beneficial exchange between mother and baby that supports the efficient development of the premature baby due to the bacteria and microbes that are familiar to the baby and that strengthen its immune system, without forgetting that the skin is the largest organ of the body that also maintains the temperature and connects us sensorially with the outside.
• Kangaroo method: consists of placing the baby on the mother's bare chest, favoring skin-to-skin contact. The mother remains seated or lying down, tucking the baby in for as long as possible. It has proven to be a very effective technique.

AMS Recommendation

The baby's family also needs specific care, because they are the source of strength and support for the baby's well-being. They must be informed to understand and attend to the baby's needs and to know and recognize subtle developmental changes or warning signs. Neonatal care provided by parents has been associated with numerous benefits, including shorter NICU stay, improved parent-infant emotional bonding, and improved adaptive mental health conditions.

The last trimester of pregnancy, as well as the first years of life, are very sensitive periods in brain development, which is determined by a genetic specification and by the type of experiences that the environment provides. This brain development is strongly affected by stress and pain. Avoiding preterm birth is not possible, but being prepared with certain information is. A premature baby is a baby still in formation, hence the importance of understanding that we must do everything possible to respect the baby's natural time to be born.

At AMS Centro Médico del Ejercicio, we understand the importance of this care and that is why we offer a private infant physiotherapy service, led by our expert physiotherapist and director of physiotherapists, Mercedes Morales Gómez. Our personalized approach ensures that each baby receives the right care for their development and well-being, providing specialized support for families at this crucial time.

In future posts we will continue to report on the exciting world of pediatric physical therapy.

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