The greatest desire of a pregnant mother is nothing more than wanting her beloved baby to open their eyes and see the world with a healthy and complete body. However, it cannot be denied that during pregnancy, the mother may face health problems that cause the baby in the womb to experience abnormalities. One of the common and dangerous conditions that can even cause fetal death is “RDS”, which pregnant mothers should be aware of in order to prevent and reduce the risk effectively.
What is RDS? Which group of infants is at the highest risk?
“RDS” or “Respiratory Distress Syndrome” is a condition of breathing difficulty in newborns caused by immature lungs and a lack of surfactant, a substance that reduces surface tension. This causes the lungs to collapse and breathing to be abnormal. In severe cases, the infant cannot breathe on their own. The main cause is premature birth, but full-term infants can also develop RDS, though less frequently. If it occurs in full-term infants, it is usually due to other factors such as maternal gestational diabetes, which delays lung development compared to the actual gestational age.
What factors cause premature birth, increasing the risk of RDS or breathing difficulties in infants?
The factors that increase the risk of premature birth in pregnant mothers, leading to infants being at risk of RDS or breathing difficulties, can be divided into three main categories as follows:
1. Maternal factors
If the mother is older or has several underlying diseases such as heart disease, kidney disease, or complications during pregnancy like gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, there is a higher chance that the baby will be weak, born prematurely, and at risk of RDS.
2. Infant factors
If the infant has abnormalities such as congenital defects or chromosomal abnormalities, it can lead to premature birth. In cases of multiple pregnancies, whether twins, triplets, or more, this also increases the risk of premature birth and RDS.
3. Other factors
For example, if the mother has a hidden infection or abnormal placenta conditions such as placenta previa, which causes easy bleeding, this can trigger premature labor.
What are the symptoms of infants with RDS?
Symptoms of infants with RDS or breathing difficulties can be seen immediately after birth. Doctors and everyone will clearly observe that the baby is struggling to breathe from birth. Without proper care, the condition may worsen and lead to death, especially in very premature infants or those with very low gestational age, who have a higher chance of severe breathing difficulties due to less mature lung tissue.
How do doctors diagnose and treat infants with RDS?
For diagnosis, doctors will first check the history to see if the baby was born prematurely. Then, they will perform a physical examination and listen to the lungs to assess airflow before conducting an X-ray for a clear diagnosis. If the X-ray shows cloudy lungs with poor lung expansion and the infant has breathing difficulties and distress, it indicates RDS and requires immediate treatment. Since RDS is a lung disorder, the main treatment is “respiratory support,” which depends on the severity of the condition. The severity varies with gestational age; the younger the gestational age, the more severe the symptoms. The levels of respiratory support treatment for RDS are as follows:
- Mild symptoms: The infant can breathe somewhat on their own. Doctors will provide regular oxygen, and the infant will soon adapt and breathe better.
- Moderate symptoms: The infant has significant breathing difficulties. Doctors will consider using a nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to push air and oxygen into the lungs to expand the collapsed lungs, combined with oxygen therapy to improve gas exchange until recovery.
- Severe symptoms: If the infant cannot breathe independently or does not improve with nasal respiratory support, doctors will use intubation and 100% oxygen ventilator support.
In addition to oxygen and respiratory support, another treatment is “treating immature lungs” by administering surfactant spray to expand the lungs. This helps the infant gradually improve and reduces the duration of ventilator use. Normally, lungs produce surfactant throughout life, but premature infants have insufficient surfactant at birth, so doctors provide additional surfactant until the infant matures and lung cells can produce surfactant independently, leading to gradual recovery and normal breathing.
However, the duration of treatment depends on the severity of each infant’s condition. Currently, infants born before 23 weeks gestation mostly cannot survive, but those born after 23 weeks with a weight over 400 grams have increasing chances of survival, although treatment may take several weeks to months.
Good prenatal care helps reduce the risk of premature birth
Actually, the best way to prevent RDS or breathing difficulties in newborns is to maintain good prenatal care so that the baby is born at full term, 9 months or 40 weeks. Pregnant mothers can do this by:
- Regularly visiting an obstetrician during prenatal check-ups to screen for any risk conditions.
- If risks are detected, such as advanced maternal age (over 35 years), gestational diabetes, multiple pregnancies, or preeclampsia, the pregnancy is considered high risk and requires special, close medical care.
- Carefully monitoring for abnormal symptoms such as unusual abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, uncertain fluid leakage, decreased fetal movement, fever, foul-smelling discharge, or lower abdominal pain, so that medical attention can be sought promptly. Early treatment for premature labor may help delay birth and reduce the risk or severity of RDS.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – Critical Care for Fragile Newborns
NICU or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a critical care unit for newborns with abnormalities, regardless of the disease or severity. It functions as an ICU specifically for infants. Not all hospitals have NICU centers because they require specialized medical personnel, including doctors, nurses, and teams specialized in neonatal care, as well as comprehensive medical equipment and technology. Therefore, mothers should consider choosing a hospital with a NICU to ensure timely treatment in case of emergencies, increasing the survival chances for both mother and baby.
Preterm Infant Center
Care Center for Pregnant Mothers and Preterm Infants
Since premature birth or preterm delivery is a major cause of risk for both mothers and infants, Phyathai 3 Hospital emphasizes meticulous care through the Preterm Infant Center. This center is equipped with specialized medical personnel, experts, and modern equipment to minimize the risk of premature birth. At the same time, it is prepared to care for, treat, and support mothers and preterm infants to return to a happy life with strong and healthy bodies. With all the available resources, mothers can be assured of comprehensive and excellent care.
Although RDS or respiratory distress in newborns can be life-threatening, it is a temporary condition that can be fully treated. Infants can recover to breathe and live normally. This depends on two key factors: good prenatal care by the mother combined with prenatal care at a hospital fully equipped to care for pregnant mothers.
Therefore, to avoid risks and ensure that our little ones open their eyes to this world with smiles and good health, paying attention to self-care during pregnancy and carefully choosing a hospital for prenatal care are very important decisions that mothers must make wisely.
