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

This is part 3 of the series on premature babies. Babies born before week 32+0 are called very preterm. Children continue their development, which then accelerates around the time the child would have been born.

The brain continues to develop and now an insulating, fatty sheath is formed around the brain cells which enables the brain’s impulses to travel faster. The activity for brain development is irregular, it occurs in cycles when the child is asleep and is dreaming. Dream sleep is important for your child to be able to develop their senses, while deep sleep is of great importance for their ability to learn. When the child is sleeping, you can often see rapid eye movements under the closed eyelids. The eyes are still immature and cannot fully regulate the light to the retina.

Now your child can notice low-frequency sounds and can distinguish whether it is a male or female voice speaking. The child can also distinguish between sweet and sour tastes.

Purely in terms of motor skills, the movement pattern is still jerky and reflexive. The child tries to put their hand near their mouth in an attempt to comfort themselves, and may try to grab something or suck on a dummy.

At this time, the child needs some form of breathing support to be able to breathe sufficiently deeply and effectively. Often a CPAP is sufficient, where the child breathes against a resistance to air that helps open up the alveoli to make the volume of breathing more efficient. The child may still have difficulty regulating both heart rate and breathing.