Parenting Australia

Apnoea

This is when your baby may temporary stopping of breathing. A simple touch is usually enough to get him to take the next breath

A drug commonly given to preterm babies to reduce apneas and bradycardias

A small rubber mask is placed over baby’s mouth and nose to pump oxygen from a rubber bag into the lungs. This may be done with long apnoeas or to change a baby’s ventilator tubing

A yellow by-product of the body’s red cells being broken down. When a baby’s body is unable to remove this product the results is Jaundice

An amount of milk or fluid given rapidly into the gut or into a vein

A slowing of the heart beat to less than 90 beats per minute. Gently patting or stimulation can usually speed it up

A pump used to express breast milk

A non-specific diagnosis given to children with some impairment of muscle tone, movement, and co-ordination

A long term intravenous line

Drugs that mimic the action of natural steroid hormones can help the lungs of a foetus to develop more quickly while in the uterus

The age your baby would be if born at 40 weeks

Continuous positive airways pressure – usually a short plastic tube from the nose to the back of the throat which increases the pressure in the airways

Expressed breast milk

A thick plastic tube from the mouth or nose into the airways. It is then connected to a ventilator or a rebreathing bag (see bagging)

To collect breast milk into sterile bottles either by hand or with a breast pump

A baby weighing less than 1000 grams at birth

A baby born after 37 weeks and before 42 weeks’ gestation

To feed a baby milk through a fine plastic tube passed through the nose or mouth into the stomach

The age of a foetus or a newborn, usually expressed in weeks dating from the first day of the mother’s last menstrual period

Oxygen a clear plastic hood placed over baby’s head to increase the level of oxygen they breathe

Haemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low Platelets.

A machine which keeps the baby in environment of proper temperature and humidity

Intra Ututerine growth restriction- usually caused by a problem with the placenta. This result in a small for gestation age baby. (SGA)

A chemical agent used to close a patent ductus arteriosus

A method of supplying essential nutrients by infusion into a vein

(Brain Bleed) a type of bleeding within the ventricular system of the brain Incubator/Isolette/

Humidicrib

An enclosed, see-through, temperature-controlled, sometimes doubled-walled box that gives premature babies environmental protection from bacteria and drafts.

Jaundice

The yellow discoloration of a baby’s skin and eyes caused by too much bilirubin in the blood.

Kangaroo Care

Skin-to-skin contact where baby is positioned on mum or dad’s bare chest to promote bonding and healing.

Meconium

The first bowel movement/stool passed by a newborn, usually dark green and sticky.

Meconium aspiration syndrome

A type of pneumonia caused by stool being passed by the baby while still in the womb. The stool can be inhaled into the baby’s lungs and can partially or completely block the baby’s air passage. This makes it difficult for the baby to breathe.

Nasal Canula

A small plastic tube placed under the nose to provide oxygen.

Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC)

A bowel condition caused by lack of blood supply. A section of the bowel may become severely inflamed or infected.

NICU

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Neonate

A newborn infant, less than 30 days old.

Neonatologist

A physician who specializes in the care of critically ill newborn infants.

Oscillator

A type of high frequency ventilator

Oxygen saturation

The level of oxygen in a baby’s blood. Oxygen level is measured by a small probe on the baby’s hand or foot, also by blood samples. This level tells ata-glance how well oxygen is being carried through the body.

Peripherally Inserted Central

Catheter (PICC)

A flexible, thin IV tube put into a vein in the arm, foot, or leg and then routed up into, or near, the heart.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of Newborns (PPHN)

A serious condition that causes the baby to return to its prebirth route of blood circulation. The baby’s blood is only partially oxygenated through the lungs. This results in very low oxygen levels, plus a higher blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. Treatment includes, oxygen, ventilator therapy, medications and/or ECMO. Also called persistent foetal circulation (PFC).

Phototherapy (or Bililights)

A mode of treatment for jaundice in which the affected infant is placed under special fluorescent lights that break down the structure of the bilirubin so it can be more easily transported to the liver and then excreted from the body.

Pneumothorax (pneumo)

Air escapes from the lung into the chest cavity, creating a pocket of air in the wrong place. This pocket of air then presses on the lungs or heart. A chest tube or catheter can be inserted to remove the pocket of air, which lets the lungs re-expand.

Pulse oximeter

An electronic monitor that detects oxygen saturation in the blood using a light sensor probe.

Respiratory DistressSyndrome (RDS)/Hyaline Membrane

A condition in newborns that causes the child to have difficulty breathing. It is caused by an insufficient supply of a chemical called surfactant that helps expand the small air sacs in the lungs.

Retinopathy Of Prematurity (ROP)

An eye disorder, involving the retina that can occur in premature infants.

Room air

The ordinary air we breathe which contains 21% oxygen. Oxygen therapy can deliver from 22 - 100% oxygen.

SCN

Special Care Nursery

Sepsis

An infection caused by bacteria.

Septic Shock

A body infection that causes a drop in stability of the vital signs due to a decrease in heart functioning.

Spinal tap

The removal of a small amount of fluid from the spinal canal. The fluid is then analysed for infection, bleeding, and other disorders.

Surfactant

A substance in the lungs that helps keep the tiny air sacs from collapsing and sticking together. A lack of this substance contributes to Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS).

Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN)

A condition when a baby breathes with quick, shallow breathes (usually over 80 breaths per minute). It is often caused by fluid in the lungs and will improve as this fluid is absorbed. Some babies need oxygen as this resolves.TTN is often associated with caesarean delivery.

Umbilical Catheter, Arterial or Venous (UAC, UVC)

A tube inserted through the belly button (umbilical cord) into the arterial or venous blood vessels. Either tube is used to give the baby fluids and to draw blood samples. The UAC is used to monitor the baby’s blood pressure. If the baby requires oxygen therapy, the UAC will be used to draw blood gases and blood samples.

Ventilator

A machine which fills the baby’s lungs with air and helps the baby breathe.Also called a respirator.

Ventricles of the brain

Spaces in the brain that contain spinal fluid to bathe and cushion the brain.

Reference: PIPA - www.pipa.org.au

Apnoea

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