Reply to Early premies: do they ever live normal healthy lives?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Absolutely, they can live normal, healthy lives.

I have two cousins who were born extremely prematurely, both before many doctors even want to try to save them:  [b]one at 22 weeks, one just before 23 weeks,[/b] both just about 1 pound.  I have pictures of my aunt's wedding ring placed over my cousin's arm, like an armband, and she is petite, 90 pounds soaking wet.

And this was many years ago, because one cousin is a sophomore at Notre Dame, the other in high school.  Both brilliant, strong and healthy, with big dreams.  Technology is even better now.

Life is precious.  Maybe someday, we will develop artificial wombs for babies in between embryos and 20-22 weeks.  For now, we should do our best.[/quote]

WOW. I honestly did not know that was possible. [/quote]

I suspect the pp is well intentionally getting the gestational age wrong of their cousins.  The earliest a baby has ever been born and survived was 21 weeks 6 days for a baby born in 2007 in Florida, so it is technically possible.  Several babies have survived that were born at 22 weeks, but to have two in the same family two different pregnancies, back long enough ago that the kids are in college is surprising if not very very unlikely.  They don't even calculate the survival rate of babies born at 22 weeks, but babies born at 23 weeks have an 17% chance of survival. [/quote]

Why would I intentionally misrepresent their ages?

One was my cousin on on my mother's side, the other my aunt on my father's side.  In both cases, the mother charted, so she knew her exact gestational age, but because they were breast feeding when they conceived, their cycles were longer than usual, so by LMP, they were farther along than they actually were.  Which was good, because there would have been no interventions if the doctors had known the babies had not crossed 24 weeks yet.  But my cousin and my aunt knew the conception dates, so they were quite positive.  The baby who is now in college had the luck of being born in a special NICU in New York City that had the best technology at the time.  Even so, they told my aunt and uncle there was no chance, and they had to scream and fight to get the doctors to even try.  It's quite a story of luck and willpower.  My cousin wrote about it for his college essay.

My cousin was about to leave for a hike across Europe when she went into labor, and my aunt was dancing at a family party.  Neither even really looked pregnant yet.

The babies fought for their lives.  Some babies have that spirit.  There have been other preemies between 22-23 weeks who survived.  It's preemies before 22 weeks who are the true miracles.

So why the doubt?[/quote]

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