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Halle Eicher
Mrs. Truitt
English 3
May 29 th
2012
Premature Babies: Should they be Saved?
Having a baby is difficult enough without it being born prematurely. The rate of premature birth has increased thirty-six percent since the 1980’s (MarchofDimes). All premature babies have some health problems, but the earlier the baby is born the higher the risk for lifethreating complications. Premature babies can easily amount to more than a million dollars.
Despite the great medical cost and risk, extremely premature babies should be saved
(tc.umn.edu).
A normal pregnancy usually lasts at least thirty-seven weeks. Majority of premature babies are born between thirty-four and thirty-six weeks. These babies account for the increase in the premature birth rate. About twelve percent of babies are born between thirty-two and thirty-three weeks, about ten percent are born between twenty-eight and thirty-one, and about six percent at less than twenty-eight weeks gestation. Babies born before twenty-two weeks into a pregnancy usually do not survive (MarchofDimes).
Several factors may cause premature births. Spontaneous pre-term labor and spontaneous premature rupture of the membranes are two reasons that may cause premature labor. About half of all cases providers cannot determine why a woman delivers prematurely. Research suggests that some premature births may be caused by the body’s natural response to certain infections.

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Twenty-five percent of premature births are caused by early induction of cesarean section due to complications or health problems with the mother or the fetus (MarchofDimes).
Have you ever wondered if certain groups of women are at a greater risk for premature birth? These groups include women who have had a previous premature birth, are pregnant with twins, triplets or more, or have certain cervical abnormalities. Also this includes certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure, infections, diabetes, short time between pregnancies, and obesity. Non-Hispanic black race have greater risk than other women and if the women are younger than seventeen or older than thirty-five. Also another factor is when a woman is in a low socioeconomic status. But even if a women has one or more of these risks, that doesn’t mean she will have a premature labor. On the other hand women should be knowledgeable of their pregnancies and signs of premature labor.
The most difficult premature baby is one that is born at twenty-two weeks. Babies at twenty-two weeks usually never survive and are provided with hospice care. The survival rate for these babies is about ten percent, which is really just an estimate. Most of these babies die from severe brain bleeding into the brain. When having a twenty-two week old baby also means you have to prepare the parents that they most likely will not be taking a baby home (Derleth).
Over half of premature babies born between twenty-three and twenty-four weeks of pregnancy will survive delivery and live to see life outside of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Twenty-three and twenty-four week old premature babies are called micro-preemies
(Morrissette). Their chance of survival is around fifty percent but, different issues may cause otherwise. Chance of survival for girls is greater than for boys. Also, singletons usually do better than individual babies from multiple pregnancies. The best chance for survival for a

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(Derleth).
The earlier a baby is born and the lower the birth weight, the chance of survival is less and the chances of handicap are higher (thepregnancyquestions.com). Preterm babies are likely to experience multiple problems that can range from infections to the simplest of their sucking reflex may be absent at birth. Other problems can include lung development which creates difficulty in breathing, also a well know problem with preterm babies is jaundice due to an immature liver. Long-term outcomes are not a matter of being perfectly normal or extremely handicapped. On the contrary, the outcomes of extremely premature babies cover a wide spectrum but, are not as serious as people fear.
Fig. 1 A picture showing the relative size of a premature baby (sonographydegree.net).

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Research has shown that preemies face a higher risk of death in early adulthood.
The years after a preemies birth stands a thirty-eight percent increased risk of dying in their young adulthood. Casey Crump, a clinical assistant professor of Stanford, called the results
“quite remarkable.”
We all know that preterm infants have a higher risk of dying in the first few years of life, but that risk was believed to wane overtime, says Crump. This shows that an increased risk of mortality reappears in young adulthood. That’s important news for survivors of preterm birth, their families and their doctors (Rochman).
Taking care of a premature baby in an incubator in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
(NICU) can cost five thousand dollars per day. If a preemie had to stay one hundred days in the
NICU, it could cost about half a million dollars. If the premature infant needs surgery or other specialized treatments, the cost can easily amount to more than a million dollars (tc.umn.edu).
Most individual families would impoverish themselves in order to save their baby. On the other hand the medical care system automatically assumes that each premature infant should be saved no matter what the costs.
Some causes of preterm birth cannot be changed, but women who are healthy during pregnancy are more likely to have a healthy baby. To prevent a premature birth a women should plan pregnancies, be healthy and see a doctor before she gets pregnant. After visiting a doctor a mother should be sure to take prenatal vitamins. A mother, now that is pregnant should stop smoking, drinking alcohol or taking drugs. During pregnancy eat healthy, keep a good weight and always know the signs of preterm labor (MarchofDimes).

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When the time comes you eventually will be able to take home your baby. It usually will seem a bit chaotic at first but it also can be a very joyous time for you and your family! When bringing a preemie home, parents often wonder how often their babies should be eating, sleeping, and visiting the doctor (Morrissette). But as a parent of a child that has been through so much, the parents have the right to worry. Also preemies get sick more easily than a normal forty week gestation baby. The preemies immune system is much weaker. Therefore, when a premature baby is adjusting to life or starting to school they often get sick, but as a parent all you need to know is when to take them to the doctor which will make their life transition from the hospital to home much smoother.
When it comes to life can it be measured? When dealing with premature babies and saying they should not live is like saying a grown child fighting for its life should just be terminated. A premature baby is born and it automatically starts fighting for its life, just like any other human would be doing. Saving a preterm infant is not only saving a baby it’s also saving a life. No matter what the cost in a parents eyes that is their child and that child is their future.
Each year new technologies are saving tiny babies lives so if we have the ability to do so, why would we not use these advances in technology to save a baby’s life?