Your guide to children and teen's health treatment and prevention information. Find information on the causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention of children and teen health diseases and conditions and medications, including related conditions, health news, links to children and teen health support groups and information on children and teen health wellness tips. MediResource is Canada's leading source for health information.
Once a baby is born, he or she needs to breathe continuously to get oxygen. In a premature baby, the part of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) that controls breathing is not yet mature enough to allow nonstop breathing. This causes large bursts of breath followed by periods of shallow breathing or stopped breathing. The medical term for this condition is apnea of prematurity, or AOP.