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Should we try to save babies born before 27 weeks?

Premature baby survival rate

A mother carries a child with anticipation. From the time she learns she has conceived to every scan she goes to and in preparation for the birth of her newborn. There are some cases when a mother has mixed feelings about what to expect. She is both scared and happy, exhausted but grateful for her pregnancy. She may be stressed preparing for the child, worrying about health care and childcare as an inexperienced first-time mother. No matter the feelings women feel once they are aware of their pregnancy, they are guaranteed to be strong emotional feelings.

This is why, when a mother delivers her child prematurely, she is instinctively gripped with feelings of fear. Fear that her child won’t survive, fear that she could have caused his early delivery, but above all, she is hopeful that her child will survive regardless. For this reason alone, should medical practitioners work to the bone, and make their best effort to provide immediate childcare for the premature baby to their best of their ability.

At 27 weeks, the second trimester is coming to a close, and by now the baby is growing very well. The lungs have formed although they are in use, the baby would need a lot of medical assistance to breather. The baby has also established a sleeping and waking routine, and occasionally has hiccups. These hiccups do not bother the child but the mother does feel the movements. The baby at this point weights about 2 pounds, approximately a kilogram the size of a cauliflower head.

She may have even developed habits such as sucking the thumb. Making this a functioning infant. To neglect the child after birth, or opt not to provide the intensive medical care the baby will need after premature delivery is tantamount to child murder. Given that the child had a high possibility to survive, medical staff should do all they can to sustain the life of the newborn for as long as possible if not to maturity.

The baby’s brain tissue is also developing well and the brain activity is very active. Having all this knowledge of the child’s activity even at only 27 weeks it would be morally wrong to let the child die due to flimsy reasons. Although sometimes a hospital is not prepared to deal with such conditions, there should be a safe and speedy transfer for the child to the nearest hospital with the right medical facilities.

This is the appropriate action to take to ensure the child’s survival and in the right medical practice. These infants may have an extended stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), but most of them to survive. Those who are born at the 26-week mark have an 80pc chance of survival, while those born at 27 weeks have a 90pc chance. If the child is born earlier than 27 weeks then the chances for surviving outside the womb are lower.

In the years between 2003 and 2005 2o to 35pc of the babies born prematurely at 23 weeks survived. This is significantly lower than the hopeful 80 and 90pc after reaching 27 weeks, which is 4 more weeks in the womb. Proving the essential minerals and surroundings the womb creates for the fetus to mature to wellness.

While their baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit, parents need a lot of support. The mother who is also in recovery needs to eat well, and they also need constant reassurance of the wellness of their child through the capable arms of well-trained medics. A father just like the mother also yearns for the bond with their child, and he should not be neglected.

The parents can be taken on NICU visits to observe their child and help in any way they are able to. This also gives them a chance to bond with their child.

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