Brain haemorrhage worry for baby

A premature baby in an incubator

Concerns are growing for the well being of Chancellor Gordon Brown's daughter whose health has deteriorated over the past 24 hours.

Jennifer Jane, who was born seven weeks early, has been receiving treatment in the specialist neo-natal unit of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Mr Brown and his wife, Sarah, are at their daughter's bedside after she suffered a brain haemorrhage.

She was born by Caesarean section and weighed 2lb 4oz.

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary

Medical experts say brain haemorrhages are one of the most common complications in premature babies.

In the most severe cases, the condition can lead to disabilities including hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy.

Intraventricular haemorrhages (IVH) are a condition in which the capillaries bleed into the baby's brain.

There are often no outward signs that the bleeding has occurred, and the condition usually becomes apparent from around two days after the baby is born.

Dr Nim Subhedar, consultant neo-natologist at Liverpool Women's Hospital, said that severe haemorrhages are relatively rare.

'Drain fluid'

"Intraventricular haemorrhages are so common that, unless they are complicated or very large, we don't need to worry about them," he said.

"We don't exactly ignore them, but they are almost standard in premature babies. No surgical intervention is needed because the bleeding goes away in time."

He said that in some cases the haemorrhage stops the fluid in the brain from draining away, leading to a condition called "hydrocephalus".

"It is a serious and relatively unusual condition which requires a surgical operation to drain the fluid."

Mrs Brown would probably have been given steroids leading up to the birth, Dr Subhedar added.

This improves the survival rates of premature babies because it reduces the chances of contracting lung disease and respiratory problems.