The Most Influential Breakthroughs In Neonatology

There are many breakthroughs that had helped Neonatology grew immensely. The major breakthroughs of neonatology are many however, we will only focus on three. Breakthroughs including the first incubator for premature babies, respiratory support for premature, and the NICN. The first breakthrough that changes the care for newborns is the incubator. Couney was the person who invented the incubator for premature infants. The incubator is a square or rectangular see-through the enclosure in which the newborn is kept in. Because it is a controlled environment that can easily be modified if needed. It includes a heater, a fan, humidifier, and a control flap where oxygen can be added. The incubator also had open access holes where nurses can reach inside and care for the newborn. In the early 20th century, premature birth was one of the highest causes of infant mortality. There are several causes to why a baby is born prematurely.

Causes can be problems such as having stress, smoking cigarettes or using illegal drugs, and high blood pressure or diabetes. Stress can damage the mental and emotional health of the pregnant mother which can also affect the baby. Smoking cigarettes and using illegal drugs can be a cause on why the baby is premature. Smoking cigarettes can cause problems with the placenta of the mother. Which is very important for the baby because their oxygen and food come from there. The placenta can be separated from the womb too early and can cause extreme bleeding. This can be both dangerous for the mother and the baby’s life before being born and after. Using illegal drugs can also be harmful because they can have heart defects and low birth weight. The mother cannot be able to get pregnant and this is called infertility. Lastly, high blood pressure or diabetes can cause a baby to be born prematurely. They can also have health issues later on throughout their life. Having high blood pressure can cause issues with your placenta. Meaning that your baby will not get enough oxygen and nutrients and causes bleeding to the mother. Having diabetes during your pregnancy can affect your baby immensely. Your baby can develop diabetes later on or can have problems with low blood levels after birth. The incubator helped observe these medical problems and help the infant get better. However, there was another breakthrough that contributed to the advancement in Neonatology.

The second breakthrough is helping babies breathe easier. In the 1970s is when remarkable changes to helping the premature baby breathe easier. According to Weber State University, College of science, “Dr. Gregory who is a pediatric anesthesiologist and an international expert in the care of newborns before and after surgery. Dr. Gregory has made numerous contributions to neonatology, including the introduction of continuous positive airway pressure to treat respiratory distress syndrome. ” Ever since George Gregory proved the success of the CPAP it helped premature infants immensely. Because it was able to give the premature baby respiratory support. The CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure therapy. It is a machine that increases the air pressure in your throat so that your airway does not fail when you breathe in. This was a huge help for babies especially the one who was born prematurely. Because the baby might have some difficulty breathing on its own because it was born prematurely. When the baby is born prematurely not everything inside the newborn is developed fully yet. Since the lungs are not nature yet the baby will have a hard time breathing. George Gregory had made a huge impact in neonatology.

The last breakthrough that made a huge impact on the history of Neonatology is the NICN. In 2008 the NICN was the world first neuro-intensive care nursery. This establishment was very important to the history of neonatology. Because it showed that neonatology is a specialty that matters and should be noticed more often. There are many issues that deal with neonatology, but the NICN targeted to help babies that have brain issues. Some brain issues that a baby can have are cerebrovascular malformations, hydrocephalus, and periventricular leukomalacia. Cerebrovascular malformations are when the baby has any malformation in the brain. Hydrocephalus is when any fluid builds upon the infant's brain during the pregnancy. Lastly, periventricular leukomalacia is when the white tissue in the brain dies or is damaged. This is caused mainly because the baby is born premature or has an infection when in the mother’s stomach. The NICN is focused to give better care and treatment for infants that are at risk for neurological injury. This means that the NICN made sure that it was their priority to dedicate their time for babies that need help in their brain. Because prematurity is the main cause of why babies have brain damage. This issue is not only in one state or area it is a problem worldwide. There were many breakthroughs and there still can be with the help of education.