He could fit in the palms of both hands, seemed to look at you beseechingly while you rushed to thread a vein and snake a tube down a tiny nostril of this 24 week preemie. Already exposed to the prenatal stress that culminated in premature delivery, he has been further exposed to the stress associated with the separation from his mother and multiple medical interventions. Like other premature babies, he is more vulnerable to invasive infections from bacteria and viruses; moreover, the delayed development of his gut-blood-brain barriers could expose him to potential neurotoxins.
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