Premie look
DDerleth@aol.com
Wed, 20 Mar 1996 23:07:41 -0500
I thought I had sent this a couple of days ago, but I don't think it got
through, so I'll try again:
The "premie look" is not inevitable, even for tiny premies. The key is to
avoid the constant pressure on the sides of the head. Water pillows can help
a little, but the best thing is to put the back of the head against the
mattress a good amount of the time. We do this often in our NICU, and the
"premie look" rarely shows, even in the least mature kids.
Another thing that might help prevent "the look" is giving the babies as much
calcium and phosphorus as possible, which makes the growing bones, (skull
bones, in this case), as strong as possible, and therefore less likely to
flatten under pressure. Care must be taken, however, to avoid overdoing it
and causing calcium deposits in the kidneys (nephrocalcinosis) or kidney
stones.
Doug