Late Preterm Infants: A Guide for Nurses, Midwives, Clinicians and Allied Health Professionals

This volume analyses the distinct care needs of late preterm infants and their parents by reflecting on the best available evidence to inform practice and latest innovations in care. It addresses the spectrum of issues experienced by late preterm infants and their parents and ways to ensure healthy transitions from hospital to community. We define late preterm infants as those born between 340/7 to 366/7 weeks’ gestational age. The book uses creative writing prompts and a narrative style to gain insight and be self-reflection in and on practice to move the reader to embrace best practices. Issues such as mother’s physical and emotional health, father’s burden in postpartum period, the work organization of nurses caring for late preterm infants, feeding and jaundice which threaten readmission, and neurodevelopmental outcomes of late preterm infants are specifically addressed. Areas of innovation are shared for consideration to prompt readers to think about continuous improvement in quality of care. The book shares local and global perspectives to address the common concerns related to care of late preterm infants and their parents, and fosters a partnership in promoting health of late preterm infants and their parents all across the globe. It is intended for any health care providers such as nurses, midwives, physicians and other allied care professionals like health visitors, community health workers.