2023 1 Having a place that families can go to for information and assistance

  

1-Having a place that families can go to for information and assistance takes a lot of stress off the parents because they can see that there is support out there for them and they can ask all the questions they want and someone will do their best to find an answer for them. When a family member is sick, I know I ask all the questions and feel uneasy when no one answers them or takes the time to answer them so having a place to find some answers helps relieve anxiety and stresss during a rough time.

  

2-For many families with preterm infants, even if there are no long-term complications, it takes time to get that infant or child back to where they need to be. Stress can be a big factor for the parents and support is needed. There are often times frequent doctor’s visits to various specialists and physical, occupational and speech therapy may also be involved. I have a family member that was preterm and is doing well but every day life for them is busy in trying to get that child back to where they should be developmentally, physically and nutritionally. They are only able to have one parent work because of the demands of therapy, appointments, and nutritional needs etc. Caring for a baby that is preterm or of low birth weight affects the whole family and requires support inside and outside the home.

3- It is at least encouraging the United States has advanced technologies and robust medical devices to save many lives of premature newborns. However, the burden that is left with the new parent like you said – like complications, stress, developmental delays etc can result into overwhelmed distress and cost to the family and community overall. Efforts should be made and population should be educated to minimize premature. The government and health care facilities should make efforts to ensure that people who are pregnant, or planned to be pregnant are provided everything possible to increase their chances of having full-term pregnancy. There are many things pregnant mothers can do to boost chances of having full term pregnancy, such as prenatal care (prenatal vitamins), quit smoking, get flu shot, etc.