In this five-part series, you will read about premature babies and the neonatal ward.

When you say that a child is premature or preterm, it means it was born too early, before week 37+0. Of these premature babies, approximately 16% are born before week 32.

Children who are born prematurely often need to stay in the neonatal unit for some time after birth in order to receive both the support and the care they need. A full-term child who, for example, has difficulty breathing after birth or suffers from an infection can also be cared for in the neonatal ward.

Sometimes a premature birth may be due to an infection or illness in the pregnant person, but usually there is no answer as to why children are born prematurely.

When talking about premature babies, they are usually divided into categories. Children born before week 28+0 are called extremely preterm, children born before week 32+0 are called very preterm and those born before week 37+0 are called moderate to late preterm.

When a child ends up in the neonatal unit, the first few days will most likely be completely different from what you imagined. Children who are born prematurely are more fragile and susceptible to infection than children who are born at full term, but you as a parent can rest assured that the staff who work at the neonatal ward are specially trained to take care of both premature and sick children.

As a parent, you will feel involved in the care of your child and the staff will seek your involvement more and more as the child grows. If it feels difficult to not always be close at hand, you can let your child get a piece of cloth with your scent close to their face. And when your baby is allowed to come out of an incubator, you can hold them against your skin. This releases the hormone oxytocin in both you and your baby, which is one of the hormones that makes us feel good.