Able2able is proud to present Dee Landry, our first Guest Blogger! I e-met Dee through Wahm.com, a networking and information site for Work at Home Moms. Years ago, I read that everyday household fragrances and chemicals continuously irritate and can permanently damage fragile little lungs. These irritants silently contribute to Chronic Lung Disease, Respiratory Infections, and have been linked to Asthma. When I learned that Dee is a Registered Respiratory Therapists as well as a blogger, I asked her to join us for Preemie Week and share some of her knowledge on this subject.

The Fragile Lungs of Your Preemie by Dee Landry

When people have a premature infant they realize how precious that tiny little life is. That is until the child grows up a bit and hopefully catches up to its peers in those developmental milestones that are on all the charts. One thing that's soon forgotten is that some things, things that aren't seen with the human eye, are slower to develop than others and some never do catch up. One thing in particular is the lungs.

To understand how fragile the lung of a preemie is, we first have to look at the development of the lung before birth.

Weeks 2 - 16 the major airways, bronchial tree and portions of the respiratory parenchyma are formed.

Weeks 16 - 24 the last generations of the lung periphery are formed. Epithelial differentiation and the air-blood barrier is formed.

Weeks 24 - 36 we have expansion of the air spaces and surfactant is detectable in amniotic fluid.

In the last few weeks of pregnancy the first alveoli are formed. Alveoli are the tiny air sacs that inflate and deflate and where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. These alveoli are just starting out, and by the date of birth roughly 1/3 of the alveoli are fully developed. These numbers increase and the formation of approximately 300 million alveoli continues up to the first year and a half.

Now that we understand how a lung should be developing and continues to develop after birth in a full term baby, we can fully understand the problems and complications that can and usually do occur in a preemie. Since the lungs are one of the last organs to develop, immature and inefficient lungs are the most dangerous problems facing a preemie.

A preemie is often kept in a controlled environment in the NICU where their temperature and oxygen level is monitored for them, but once you get them home the fun really begins. That precious little life still needs you to control their environment as much as you can. That means no irritants for them to breathe that can cause damage or interfere with the continuing development of their lungs.

A cold can be life threatening. Inhaling dust, smoke, and even air fresheners can have effects on them that you may not be able to see. Did you know that the baby of a mother who smoked during her pregnancy can take longer to develop after birth than those of non smoking mothers? Sometimes up to 6 years, and if a child is continually exposed to second hand smoke after birth that development may never be completed.

For this reason, it's important to take care of the air around your preemie and not let anything or anyone interfere with his continued development:

• Make your house a smoke free zone.

• When using cleaning chemicals, make sure the house is well ventilated and keep the baby in a separate room. Better yet, invest in an air purifier.

• If someone has a cold or the flu, don't be afraid of saying no to a visit or not allowing them to hold and play with the baby. It's a lot easier than having to rush back to the hospital due to a severe respiratory infection that their little bodies and lungs aren't able to fight just yet.

Don't be afraid of upsetting Uncle John or Aunt Suzy. I mean isn't your child's health and future well being worth a few hurt relatives and friends?

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Dee Landry is a Registered Respiratory Therapist with 30 years in the field. She was Clinical Educator and Lead Tech for the NICU, Pediatrics, and Mother Baby Unit at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, Illinois where she worked for 23 years before getting into Home Care. It was her love for her patients and education that led to the development of Sneezes & Wheezes where she provides easy to understand education on varying health diseases.