preemies : NPR

Mother's Milk May Help Prevent Blindness In Preemies

Babies born prematurely are at risk of eye damage and, in severe cases, permanent blindness. Treatments can help. And human milk looks like it helps, too. iStockphoto hide caption

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Mother's Milk May Help Prevent Blindness In Preemies

November 16, 2015 • Babies born premature are at risk for eye damage that can cause blindness, like it did for Stevie Wonder. Babies who are fed breast milk are much less likely to be affected.

Weak Brain Connections May Link Premature Birth And Later Disorders

Researchers have used MRI scanners to learn that preemies are born with weak connections in some critical brain networks. iStockphoto hide caption

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Weak Brain Connections May Link Premature Birth And Later Disorders

October 19, 2015 • Brain scans found abnormally weak connections in the brains of premature infants may make them more prone to develop autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other emotional disorders.

Weak Brain Connections May Link Premature Birth And Later Disorders

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Preemies' Survival Rates Improve, But Many Challenges Remain

Even just one extra week in the womb can make a huge difference in preemies' chances of survival when they're born in the second trimester. BSIP/Corbis hide caption

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Preemies' Survival Rates Improve, But Many Challenges Remain

September 8, 2015 • Extremely premature babies, those born between 22 and 28 weeks of gestation, are more likely to survive now than they were 20 years ago. But the very youngest still have serious health problems.

Microbe Mix May Play Role In Preterm Birth Risk

Microbial diversity could be a factor in premature births. iStockphoto hide caption

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Microbe Mix May Play Role In Preterm Birth Risk

August 17, 2015 • A small study found that women with diverse microorganisms in their birth canals were more likely to give birth before their babies reached full term than women with less microbial variety.

How A Scientist's Slick Discovery Helped Save Preemies' Lives

Researcher John Clements in the early 1980s, after he figured out that lungs need surfactants to breathe. David Powers/Courtesy of UCSF hide caption

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David Powers/Courtesy of UCSF

How A Scientist's Slick Discovery Helped Save Preemies' Lives

August 3, 2015 • Sometimes one person's insight transforms medicine. Dr. John Clements is one of those people. In the 1950s he discovered a slippery lung substance key to breathing, and to the survival of tiny babies.

How A Scientist's Slick Discovery Helped Save Preemies' Lives

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Babies in the neonatal intensive care unit hospital don't always need the tests and treatments suggested. iStockphoto hide caption

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What Not To Do In The NICU

July 20, 2015 • Babies in the neonatal intensive care unit often get multiple tests and treatments a day. Not all of them help, and some can hurt. Neonatologists have picked the five least likely to do good.

Waiting To Pick Your Baby's Name Raises The Risk For Medical Mistakes

Hands holding one week old baby boy. Leanne Temme/Getty Images hide caption

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Leanne Temme/Getty Images

Waiting To Pick Your Baby's Name Raises The Risk For Medical Mistakes

July 13, 2015 • If parents don't have a name teed up, hospitals often give babies temporary ones, like Babygirl. But those generic names can be dangerously confusing, especially in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Preemies May Be Exposed To High Levels Of Phthalates In The NICU

Premature infants in a neonatal intensive care unit may be exposed to DEHP, a chemical in some PVC medical equipment. ERproductions Ltd/Blend Images/Corbis hide caption

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ERproductions Ltd/Blend Images/Corbis

Preemies May Be Exposed To High Levels Of Phthalates In The NICU

November 13, 2014 • Chemicals in medical equipment can be transferred to patients, and it's a particular concern with premature infants whose bodies and brains are immature.

A Growth Factor Heals The Damage To A Preemie's Brain — In Mice

A baby born too soon continues to develop and grow inside an incubator at the neonatal ward of the Centre Hospitalier de Lens in Lens, northern France. Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images

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A Growth Factor Heals The Damage To A Preemie's Brain — In Mice

January 22, 2014 • Scientists have shown that damage to the brain's "white matter" is responsible for many of the developmental problems that very premature infants often face. Now researchers have also demonstrated that it's possible to prevent that sort of damage in mice.

A Growth Factor Heals The Damage To A Preemie's Brain — In Mice

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Another Study Of Preemies Blasted Over Ethical Concerns

What should parents be told before their premature infants participate in a clinical study? iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Another Study Of Preemies Blasted Over Ethical Concerns

August 23, 2013 • The study randomly assigns preemies to one group that will get blood transfusions when their anemia is relatively mild or another that won't get them until the anemia is severe. Researchers want to see which approach is better at reducing deaths and brain damage. Critics say the doctors haven't leveled with parents about the risks.

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NIH Chief Rejects Ethics Critique Of Preemie Study

June 6, 2013 • At issue is a controversial study of more than 1,300 severely premature infants that looked at how much oxygen they should receive after birth. This spring, the federal Office for Human Research Protections criticized the scientists who ran the study for failing to tell parents enough about the risks.

Feds Fault Preemie Researchers For Ethical Lapses

How much oxygen should severely premature infants receive? A study that sought to answer the question has been criticized for not fully informing parents about the risks to their children. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Feds Fault Preemie Researchers For Ethical Lapses

April 10, 2013 • Infants received different levels of oxygen to see which was better at preventing blindness without increasing the risk of nerve damage or death. But the federal government says doctors in the study didn't tell parents enough in advance about the "foreseeable risks" to their children.

C-Section Delivery May Be Risky For Smaller Preemies

A cesarean section may not be risky for a small preemie than a vaginal birth. Matthew Scherf/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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C-Section Delivery May Be Risky For Smaller Preemies

February 10, 2012 • C-sections pose a risk to preemies who are small for their gestational age, according to a new study. Those babies a higher risk of had breathing problems than babies who were delivered vaginally.

A Little Sugar And A Human Touch Can Ease Preemies' Pain

A little sugar can relieve preemies' pain in intensive care. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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A Little Sugar And A Human Touch Can Ease Preemies' Pain

January 9, 2012 • Swiss researchers found that newborns who got sugar and a firm embrace suffered the least pain, compared to babies who got just sugar or who were just held during medical procedures.

Care For Earliest Preemies Improves, But Low Birth Weight Remains Risky

Madeline Mann seen shortly after she was born prematurely in in 1989. Weighing 9.9 ounces at birth, she is now an honors student in psychology at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. A. Hayashi, Loyola University Medical Center/AP hide caption

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A. Hayashi, Loyola University Medical Center/AP

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Care For Earliest Preemies Improves, But Low Birth Weight Remains Risky

December 12, 2011 • Even very tiny preemies sometimes turn out OK, as shown by the stories of two girls who were among the smallest preemies to survive. But infants born very early and weighing very little can face a lifetime of health problems.