Mental Health of Premature Babies

 
According to WHO, every year about 15 million babies are born prematurely around the world and that is more than one in 10 of all babies born globally. In India, out of 27 million babies born every year, 3.5 million babies born are premature.

Significant progress in the field of medical technology has improved the set-up of preterm care within the NICU. Latest innovations in incubators and other medical devices have contributed to the increased survival rate of preterm babies. However, exposing these fragile patients to technology can also have some negative consequences.

A study has revealed that children who are admitted to NICU are twice as likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems including ADHD, phobias, and other separation anxiety.

So, in this page of the blog our consultant psychologist Sadhiya Sulthana will be discussing the mental health issues of preterm babies, their symptoms, treatment methods etc.

So, Let’s start. Hi, I am Sadhiya Sulthana, Consultant Psychologist and I am dealing with special needs of the children. An expert in adolescent counseling, child counseling and stress management. Before going deep into the topic let us discuss some of the major issues prevalent in preterm babies:

Behavioral and psychological problems: Children who experienced premature birth may be more likely to have certain behavioral or psychological problems as well as some developmental delays. Impaired learning: Premature babies are more likely to lag on various developmental milestones. Upon school age, a child who was born prematurely might be more likely to have learning disabilities. We will be discussing each problem in detail in the upcoming weeks, so keep watching this page and do not hesitate to post your queries.