Safety of Transporting Preemies
Parents of preemies often can't wait to bring their babies home from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital. Yet once faced with actually traveling with their preemie---even if only for the short trip home---parents frequently find themselves nervous. And with good reason; traveling with preemies can lead to serious medical problems for the child.
Other People Are Reading
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Misconceptions
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Many people believe that once a preemie is released from the hospital, the child should be treated like any other baby. However, according to The Children's Hospital website, preemies require special attention when traveling. In particular, parents and caregivers must pay special attention to their breathing.
Significance
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The most common concern for traveling preemies is apnea (when breathing stops) caused by positioning in car seats. This is why The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends an NICU car seat test for all babies born before 37 weeks gestation. Most car seats don't offer preemies much support, making them slump or flop sideways. According to the authors of "Preemies: The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies," one out of five preemies experiences apnea, bradycardia (slowness of the heart) or desaturation (a drop in oxygen levels) while sitting in car seats.
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Considerations
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Even when a preemie passes her car seat test, parents should use some caution when transporting the child. If the baby slumps in the seat, roll up towels to help support her into an upright position. A car seat that has less than 5 inches between the crotch strap and the bottom of the seat back is also recommended. Car beds, made just for preemies, are another option.
The authors of "Preemies: The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies" recommend having an adult sit beside a traveling preemie until the baby has fully outgrown his breathing difficulties.
Airplane rides are discouraged until the baby's breathing improves. Planes don't have oxygen levels as high as the average room that's at sea level. This means breathing on a plane is even harder for a preemie. For the same reason, preemies with low oxygen saturation levels shouldn't travel to high-altitude locations.
Warning
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Parents and caregivers of preemies should learn infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before traveling with their child, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Many NICUs offer free CPR lessons to parents.
Expert Insight
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"Because of potential breathing problems, it's generally recommended that parents limit the time a preemie is in a car seat to an hour or so. If you'll be traveling longer than that, ask your doctor if it is OK for your baby," says The Children's Hospital website. Mia Wechsler Doron, M.D., also reminds parents that all travel outside of personal cars puts preemies at risk for catching illnesses. "Considering that all preemies are vulnerable to these illnesses, particularly in the first winter of their lives, it could be advisable to wait a few more months" before flying, taking the train or using public transportation, Doron says.
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