The first touch and the cuddle with your newborn baby is a moment that is filled with pure love. It gives hope for the bright future ahead. The precious little one deserves all the love, care, and support it gets from you during the early stages.
However, it isn’t the same with everyone else. There have been families who have had to cope with the heartbreaking loss of their baby shortly after their birth. Reports suggest that there are 4.5 million babies and women die every year. These deaths have been reported either during the pregnancy, immediately after the baby is born, or after a week. Thankfully, the advances in healthcare, especially for newborns, have improved things.
Let us look at some of the advancements in neonatal care that have brought down the infant mortality rate to a considerable rate. Additionally, we will focus on some of the key challenges
How Neonatal Care Saves Lives
Neonatal care is special medical attention given to a newborn baby, particularly during the first 28 days of the birth. This small period is very important for newborns and especially for those who are born prematurely. This is a stage when the babies are vulnerable and the chances of them facing health issues are high.
The goal is basically for survival and their healthy development by taking care of their medical needs. However, there is one severe medical condition that could affect premature newborn babies. The condition is Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC).
NEC is a life-threatening intestinal disease that mainly affects premature babies’ intestines. This further leads to inflammation and bacterial infections in their intestines.
The precise cause of NEC is still under investigation. However, it is believed that the reason for NEC is a combination of various factors like the baby’s gut immaturity, bacterial colonization, and baby formula feeding. Studies also suggest that formula feeding increases the chances of NEC in infants.
The severity of NEC has led to a lot of scrutiny of infant feeding practices, especially the use of certain baby formulas. All these events have prompted the parents to take serious action and file NEC lawsuits against baby formula manufacturers. The parents believe that the formula contains harmful ingredients which are the main cause of their babies developing NEC.
Recently, a mother from Georgia lost her newborn baby. She believes that her newborn was fed baby formula which killed the baby.
According to TorHoerman Law, these lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers, who are the producers of Similac and Enfamil. You can file an NEC lawsuit if your baby has developed NEC from the cow’s milk-based formula given in the maternity ward or NICU of a hospital.
Advancements in Neonatal Care Addressing These Challenges
The neonatal care field has seen significant advancements in improving the survival rate and better health outcomes of newborn babies. According to WHO, newborn babies’ mortality rate has dropped from 93 deaths in 1990 to 37 in 2022 (for 1000 live births). Here are some of those key advancements
Improved Monitoring Systems for Vital Signs and Breathing
Modern monitoring systems have improved so much that they can now accurately track a baby’s vital signs. The vital signs could be heart rate, oxygen levels, and breathing patterns. These monitoring systems help doctors and nurses to quickly notice and respond to the problems that may arise.
Specialized Incubators for Premature Babies
Today’s incubators come with advanced features that are designed to maintain a controlled environment. They regulate temperature, humidity, and oxygen levels which are ideal for a newborn baby. These improvements minimize the infection risks and create a clean and sterile space which is essential for newborn babies.
Challenges and Areas for Improvement
The advancements that we have seen in the neonatal care field have brought some great changes with countless infants’ lives being saved. However, the fight for healthy newborns isn’t over yet. The death rates of newborn babies are different across different regions.
The main reason for this difference is the quality of healthcare which influences a newborn’s chance of survival. This is one area that needs to be focused and the gap needs to be closed.
Premature birth is another main cause of newborn mortality and long-term health issues. So, this is one area where there has to be an improvement to understand the cause of premature birth.
The other addition to this list of areas of improvement is the birth defects and infection. The screening methods need to get better along with earlier interventions and more effective treatments.
When you think about the overall progress, we have come a long way. There have been some steady advancements in neonatal care. However, as discussed previously, a lot of work needs to be done. Access to top-notch medical care and continuity in research to prevent complications is something that needs to be focused on.
More importantly, the social factors that impact a newborn baby’s health need to be addressed.
