CONTEXT Few studies document how parents adapt to the experience of a very low-birth-weight (VLBW; <1500 g) birth despite societal concerns about the ethics and justification of intensive care for these infants. OBJECTIVE To determine the degree and type of stress experienced over time by mothers whose infants vary in degree of prematurity and medical and developmental risk. DESIGN Longitud...

OBJECTIVE Very low birth weight (VLBW) is a significant issue in St. Louis, Missouri. Our study evaluated risk factors associated with VLBW in this predominantly urban community. METHODS From 2000 to 2009, birth and fetal death certificates were evaluated (n = 160, 189), and mortality rates were calculated for perinatal periods of risk. The Kitagawa method was used to explore fetoinfant morta...

OBJECTIVE To describe parents' method of adaptation to the problems of caring for a very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infant at home. DESIGN Exploratory, involving three interview sessions, 1 month, 3 months, and 5 months after hospital discharge of a VLBW infant. SETTING A newborn intensive-care unit in a tertiary-care center. PARTICIPANTS Fourteen parents of VLBW (< 1,500 g) infants after ho...

BACKGROUND Adequate foetal growth is primarily determined by nutrient availability, which is dependent on placental nutrient transport and foetal metabolism. We have used (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to probe the metabolic adaptations associated with premature birth. METHODOLOGY The metabolic profile in (1)H NMR spectra of plasma taken immediately after birth from umbili...

Latest World Health Organization guidelines recommend weight-based nevirapine prophylaxis for all HIV-exposed infants in resource-limited settings, yet low birth weight (LBW) infants (< 2500 g) have been understudied. Using data from the NIH-funded India six-week extended-dose nevirapine (SWEN) study, a randomized clinical trial of SWEN versus single-dose nevirapine (SD) for prevention of breas...

Objectives. To assess the risk of very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) attributable to second trimester amniocentesis. Methods. Records of 4,877 consecutive amniocentesis, performed between 1997 and 2003, were analyzed. Only VLBW and ELBW in the study population (exposed) and in the control group (unexposed) were evaluated. Comparisons were made between the amnioce...