Babies in the womb benefit from second dose of steroids

According to a recent research, administering a second dose of steroids to babies, still in the womb, could be beneficial to reduce the chances of post-birth respiratory problems in the future without posing any concerns in terms of baby growth.

It was revealed by study author Dr. James Kurtzman, an associate clinical professor in the division of maternal-fetal medicine in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, Irvine, that a reduction of 31 percent was noticed in terms of overall composite neonatal morbidity when a second steroid dose was administered to babies who are born before 34 weeks.

From Health.discovery.com:

When doctors first started giving steroids to mothers who appeared to be going into pre-term labor, they discovered that, for the babies' health, it was best if the steroid dose was given no more than seven days before delivery.
But it's not always easy to tell exactly when a woman will deliver. So, if a woman passed the seven-day mark and still had not delivered, doctors would repeat the steroid dose. However, doctors soon learned that multiple courses of steroids led to growth restriction and smaller head circumferences in the babies.
"Then the pendulum swung the other way, and doctors were holding out on giving the first dose" until they were sure the woman was going to deliver, Kurtzman explained. That resulted in some women never getting treated before delivery.
"So, we developed this study for patients that remained pregnant for more than two weeks after receiving their first course," he said.
The study included 437 women from 18 medical facilities -- both community hospitals and academic medical centers. The women were randomly assigned to receive either a second, so-called "rescue," dose of steroids closer to delivery or a placebo.
The researchers found a significant reduction in respiratory problems for babies who received the second dose of steroids. Plus, they found no evidence of growth restriction or smaller head circumferences.

The results of this study reveal that we are faring better in terms of prevention and management of premature births, as per Dr. Peter Bernstein, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.