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Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Posted by kim on June 6, 2011
Prenatal vitamins with docosahexaenoic acid, also known as DHA are one more way of protecting baby against some of the developmental problems that can follow premature birth in expectant mothers should start taking them as soon as they know they are pregnant. However, if the mother has not taken DHA before giving birth, supplemental DHA can still help protect the premature baby’s brain.
DHA is an essential fatty acid the baby’s body uses to make the brain. It is especially important during the 28th to 40th weeks of pregnancy, when the brain and central nervous system are busy wiring connections and growing blood vessels for their blood supply. Even when babies are carried to term, infants born to mothers who took at least 300 mg of DHA a day (the average woman’s diet provides just 45 to 115 mg of DHA a day) have better vision and faster mental development.
Continue reading “The Importance of DHA for Premature Babies” »
Posted by Guest on June 2, 2011
Vitamin E is essential to the development of the baby before and after birth, but vitamin E deficiencies in babies carried to term are very rare. Many preemies, however, are given vitamin E to prevent a condition called retinopathy of prematurity.
Also known as retrolental fibroplasia, retinopathy of prematurity is the leading cause of blindness in children. When children are carried for the full nine months in the womb, the last 12 weeks are especially active for the growth of the eye. The blood vessels supplying the retina gradually spread over its surface and stop their progression at about the time of birth.
Continue reading “Why Is Vitamin E Given to Premature Infants?” »
Posted by kim on April 20, 2011
According to a Swedish study published in Diabetes Care (a publication from the American Diabetes Association), babies born premature (before 37 weeks gestational age) have a slightly higher risk of developing diabetes at some point in their lifetime.
Preterm birth, including late preterm birth, is associated with a modestly increased risk of diabetes in young Swedish adults. These findings have important public health implications given the increasing number of preterm births and the large disease burden of diabetes, particularly when diagnosed in young adulthood.
Mind you, this study was done in Sweden, not the United States, so results may be different for American babies born prematurely. My guess is that the percentage may be even higher here in the states. Why? Because the we have a higher rate of premature births. And we also have a higher risk factors involved, such as obesity – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that two thirds of Americans are overweight.
That being said, diabetes needle disposal as well as medical waste disposal in general is becoming a bigger and bigger problem as infectious waste has the ability to cause human and environmental harm if not properly disposed. BioMedical Waste Solutions offers a more environmentally friendly process of treatment and disposal by using an autoclave, or steam sterilization, to render your waste noninfectious and is OSHA compliant.
