LThe infant benefited from “constant care” at the Robert-Ballanger hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois. Santiago, seventeen days old, was taken by his parents from the neonatal department on Monday October 21. If the car of the couple, suspected of having kidnapped the baby, was found in Belgium, the investigation remains ongoing to find the child, born very premature.
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This preterm birth, i.e. after six to seven months of pregnancy, determines the child's chances of survival. According to Célia Levavasseur, hospital pediatrician, a very premature baby remains “very fragile” and must be “monitored and supported” in the hospital. His disappearance can have serious consequences on his health.
Difficulty eating and breathing
Because a premature baby cannot feed himself. “Due to a fusion-swallowing reflex that they have in their mother's womb, these infants are fed by tubes, placed through the nose into the stomach,” warns the doctor. It is impossible to feed him with commercially available milk, but with special milk, very rich in calories. » According to her, the consequences are the risk of hypoglycemia: “His body will try to correct this imbalance, so the baby risks turning yellow and damaging his brain. »
In addition, an infant born prematurely may also have difficulty keeping warm. “It is in the last trimester of pregnancy that the woman takes fat to insulate the baby's body and warm it,” explains the pediatrician. These are very skinny humans, to mature, who must be placed in an incubator to protect them. »
His very premature status could also involve breathing difficulties, in that he would not yet be able to breathe on his own. “Generally, if we know that the baby will be born prematurely, we give corticosteroids to mothers to accelerate the maturation of the baby's lungs, in the hope that he will breathe more easily,” indicates Dr. Célia Levavasseur. It is also possible to provide them with continuous ventilation at night. »
Fragile immune system
An additional difficulty is that the skin of premature babies is “completely porous”. “The consequence is first of all that babies are unable to maintain humidity, which also makes the use of an incubator necessary,” she points out. And the immune system can also be faulty and can be prone to any infections. »
If the doctor affirms that it is difficult to comment on Santiago's case, without the elements of his medical file, the situation can turn out to be “very complicated for a very premature baby, even more so if there are aggravating circumstances and environmental, such as cigarette smoke, etc. » If the infant is found, one thing is certain: medical examinations will be necessary to measure the consequences on his brain.
