This is also the temperature at which he conserves the most oxygen and calories and gains the most weight. It's very common for a premature baby to have breathing problems. The severity of the problem may depend on how prematurely your baby was born. A premature baby's lungs aren't as fully developed and ready to breathe as a full-term baby's. Let's look now at some common problems associated with breathing.
Apnea is very common among premature babies in the early weeks of life.
For a tiny baby this means the heart is beating fewer than 100 times a minute. This is considered slow for a baby, even though an adult heart rate is usually much slower. In the NICU your baby will be closely watched for signs of apnea and bradycardia with the help of electronic monitoring. Small adhesive monitoring pads or sensors are placed on the baby's skin to detect chest movements as he breathes and to pick up the impulses of his heartbeat. Wires attached to the pads transmit the information to a machine next to your baby's bed.