Pregnant and waiting
When I had Madison, the date we were shooting for (with all of my preterm labor issues) was 26 weeks. A baby could survive (with or without problems) at 26 weeks. Madison is now 3 years old. I ended up making it to term with no problems.
I was reading today and they have changed the viable date. Infants born on the cusp of the 23 week period are now considered viable. At 23 weeks, the skin, lungs, eyes, digestive system, and circulatory system are not ready for the outside world. Survivors face blindness, deafness, brain damage and possible neurological, physical, and developmental problems. Statistics show that infants born at 23 or 24 weeks have a 1 in 3 chance of being blind, deaf, or living with cerebal palsy. A quarter are mentally retarded. More than half have significant developmental problems.
Why is this important to me? I am 23 weeks pregnant this week. The ethical question to be asked here is when is to early? What criteria should be used to determine whether or not you continue care for these premature infants?
Let me know your thoughts.
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3 Responses to “Pregnant and waiting”
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Cool Stuff!
Congrats on 23 weeks! My SIL is at 40 weeks this Thursday. My opinion, all babies are worth fighting for regardless of the chances. A life is a life.
If one doesn’t fight for life regardless of the chances, that is abortion outside the womb. (just my thoughts)
Hope things continue to progress well.
Making it to 23 weeks would put me more at ease knowing that if my baby were born now, there would be that chance of survival.
I enjoy learning about your pregnancy, it is neat that you are due only a few weeks before me!