About 7 percent of all babies born in the U.S. weigh less than 5½ pounds (2.5 kilograms), either because they are premature or for other reasons. All low birth-weight babies need special care.
When we say a baby is premature we mean that he has not yet matured to the point where he can cope easily outside the security of his mother’s uterus. Although the chances today that a premature or low birth-weight baby will survive and thrive are vastly improved in comparison to our mother’s generation, it’s still a difficult experience to see your baby being taken away to a special-care or intensive-care unit immediately after the delivery. Understanding why a baby needs special treatment for a few days or weeks will help lessen your anxiety. Premature babies have very weak muscle tone and don’t move much. They often have calcium and iron deficiencies, as well as low blood-sugar levels. If they are very premature their eyes may still be sealed. They have very red and wrinkled skin. Their heads are disproportionately large in comparison to the rest of the body, and the bones in their skull are soft. They are more than usually prone to jaundice.
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