Newborns in the early neonatal period in a group of mothers at high obstetric and perinatal risk

AIM: We aimed at assessing the status of newborns in the early neonatal period in a group of mothers at high prenatal risk for preeclampsia (PE), fetal growth restriction (FGR), preterm birth (PTB), and fetal chromosomal abnormalities (FCA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively analyzed the status of 435 singletons. Mothers in the first-trimester underwent prenatal screening with risk assessment. Group 1 (study group, n=231) included high-risk subgroups for FCA (subgroup 1A, n=67), maternal PE (subgroup 1B, n=66), FGR (subgroup 1C, n=46), and PTB (subgroup 1D, n=52). We excluded risk combinations. Group 2 (controls) included 204 children of low-risk women.

RESULTS: Group 1 had a higher incidence of mild-to-moderate asphyxia compared with group 2 (p <0.05) and was more frequent in 1B, 1C, and 1D subgroups. Moreover, the frequency of severe asphyxia was similar between the groups (p >0.05). Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and developmental delay were more frequent in group 1 than in group 2 (p <0.05). Moreover, group 1 children required monitoring and treatment more frequently that in group 2 (p <0.05). The frequency of infectious complications in group 1 and 1A, 1B, and 1C subgroups was equally higher than that of group 2 (p <0.05), while respiratory distress syndrome predominated in group 1 (subgroup 1D) and was not observed in group 2. The discharge rate was 95.7% in group 1 and 84.0% in group 2 (p <0.05). On days 3 to 5, 16% and 3.4% of children in groups 1 and 2, respectively, were transferred to the second stage of aftercare (p <0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: In the early neonatal period, children born to high-risk mothers, as opposed to those born to low-risk mothers, were significantly more likely to have asphyxia, IUGR, infectious complications, and indications for continued treatment in the second stage of nursing.