Advances in medicine that guarantee the survival of premature babies are evident, but this does not omit the risk that these babies suffer some damage with neurological sequelae. Fortunately, work continues to ensure adequate development of premature babies, and there is increasing hope.
A study by the Harvard School of Public Health (USA), which has followed the evolution of 985 children born prematurely throughout its first 18 years, it shows that the intensive attention that education, cognitive function work, sociability, etc., enters, especially during the first three years of life, improves its development.
The problem is that, although all children have improved their cognitive performance, it is not as effective with those who were born with less weight, because it is not maintained over time. The intensive attention of the study was carried out to babies with less than 33 weeks of gestation and weighing less than 2.5 kilos, making two groups, one of the babies weighing 2 kilos or less and another of the babies of 2,001 and 2,499 grams All the babies were visited by the specialist once a week during the first year, then twice a month until three years. In addition, they went to a day center every day.
At three years, the group of babies with greater weight significantly improved their IQ, to a lesser extent also increased in infants with less weight, in addition, without waiting for it, the relationship of these children with mothers improved, which also reduced the symptoms of depression.
According to Professor McCormick, the same as last week participated in the III Conference of the Observatory of Health and Women and said that A premature birth favors postpartum depression, tells us that "It is very important to follow up children from hospital discharge , because the first months are crucial for their development and for establishing a good relationship with their parents. ”
Add to these statements different professionals such as the head of the Neonatology Service of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Xavier Carbonell.
Once the children were 18 years old they were analyzed again, observing on this occasion that those born with a weight less than 2 kilos, did not maintain as good level of education as the children of greater weight.
This leads them to concern and the study of what environmental, educational or biological factors are what make the educational intervention of their early years fade away.
