A medical expert, Dr Gbemisola Boyede, Consultant Paediatrician and Founder of “Ask The Paediatricians Foundation”, an NGO, stressed the need for early and quality antenatal care to reduce complications affecting preterm babies.
A 2018 World Health Organisation report states that premature birth is a leading cause of death in children under the age of five worldwide and may lead to health issues with long term health problems that may affect the brain, lungs, hearing or vision. “Experienced mothers, don’t do ‘too-know’ and wait until last trimester before registering for antenatal care because each pregnancy is different. Early registration will help doctors to pick out high-risk pregnancy that needs more specialist care.”
The paediatrician noted that most preterm babies’ organs were not fully matured and had a sub-optimal function, hence they often encounter difficulties in adapting to life outside the womb. According to her, poor growth, learning disability, behavioural disorders, hydrocephalus , epilepsy, cerebral palsy, hearing and visual impairment, intellectual disability and increased risk of child abuse and neglect were possible long term complications.