Reference no: EM133445464

A baby born with an extremely low birth rate of less than 1000g or 2lb 3oz is a challenge for doctors, nurses and especially parents. Reasons a newborn to have an extremely low birth rate could have been caused by preeclampsia, smoking, substance abuse, or poor pregnancy nutrition. Newborns of this size may experience organ function complication, keeping a warm temperature, and feeding problems due to not being able to breastfeed or bottle feed.

Short term impact on the family is a long NICU stay, newborns that are premature between 27 -28 weeks (about 6 and a half months) on average stay in the hospital for months. One parent may have to stay in the hospital and the other go home to care for another child in the home. If both new parents must go home without their newborn the stress of leaving their child behind could be hard to comprehend. The newborn might need to be transported or the mother may need to be transported before the birth to hospital with a NICU, meaning the family is away from home and their support unit. The cost of food and amenities needed while away from home could impact the family financially. Loss of wages for the other parent while staying at the hospital with their child.

Recently a women came to the ED with back pains and did not understand why pain medication did not help. The women was Native American and gave birth having no idea she was pregnant. The newborn did not survive due to an extremely low birth rate, the mother was a substance abuse user with poor nutrition. The Tribal Government Wellness Programs help families on the reservations with home visits, family sel-sufficancy teaching, and behavioral and metal health sessions.

Below are a list of mothers that have increased low birth rates.

Race. African-American babies are twice as likely to have very low birthweight than white babies.
Age. Mothers who are younger than age 17 or older than age 35 have a much higher risk of having a baby with very low birthweight.
Multiple birth. Multiple birth babies are at increased risk of very low birthweight because they often are premature. About 10 percent of twins and more than one-third of triplets have very low birthweight.
Mother's health. Women who are exposed to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes during pregnancy are more likely to have low or very low birthweight babies. Mothers of lower socioeconomic status are also more likely to have poorer pregnancy nutrition, inadequate prenatal care, and pregnancy complications--all factors that can contribute to very low birthweight.