If your child is premature, they will generally need help expelling fluids. Depending on the severity of the edema, treatment may include fluid restriction, corticosteroids to help decrease inflammation, and diuretics to increase urine output.
This article covers types of edema, symptoms, and how it’s treated, plus infant care after you’re home.
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Types and Symptoms of Edema
Preemies have a higher water content than full-term babies and the regular routine of administering fluids in the NICU may contribute to edema.Infants also have a slower red blood cell production, so the breakdown of red cells may be faster than their ability to produce new red blood cells. This is even more of a problem for preemies. Poor circulation can also make it difficult for your preemie’s body to remove excess fluid.
Edema may be mild, causing swelling in the feet or legs, or severe, causing such widespread swelling that the body’s organs are overwhelmed.
The symptoms of edema may include:
Because infants are often lying flat, edema may settle in dependent areas or is more diffused. It can also settle in the genitalia.
Treating Edema
If your child was born premature, the NICU will manage the amount of fluids they’re given to help prevent or reduce edema.Other treatment options for premature babies with edema may include the following:
Treatment lasts as long as is required for your child’s bodily functions. As your child becomes more physiologically mature, treatment will no longer be necessary.
Once You’re Home
While some conditions that cause edema can have lasting effects, minor cases of edema usually resolve without causing any long-term problems.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bengtsson BO, van Houten JP.Central edema in critically ill neonates.Case Rep Perinat Med. 2019;8(2):20190037. doi:10.1515/crpm-2019-0037
Rutledge A, Murphy HJ, Harer MW, Jetton JG.Fluid balance in the critically ill child section: “how bad is fluid in neonates?”Front Pediatr. 2021;9:651458. doi:10.3389/fped.2021.651458
National Library of Medicine.Hydrops fetalis.
Jackson W, Taylor G, Selewski D, Smith PB, Tolleson-Rinehart S, Laughon MM.Association between furosemide in premature infants and sensorineural hearing loss and nephrocalcinosis: a systematic review.Matern Health Neonatol Perinatol. 2018;4(1):23. doi:10.1186/s40748-018-0092-2
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