The Preemie Primer

Being early is not always desirable, especially when it comes to childbearing. We give you the facts on this acute issue.

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Madam Helena Foo was 28 weeks pregnant with her second child when her water broke and she was rushed to the National University Hospital. It was also around this time that the expectant mother found out that she was down with fever. She was hospitalised for three days before doctors strongly recommended an immediate delivery to protect the foetus from the increasing risk of neonatal infection.

Baby Shane was born and came in at just under three pounds (approx. 1.3kg). “We were told that babies born under the “very premature” category have a greater than 95 percent chance of making it,” recounted Helena. Still, the baby was in dire condition and was fighting for his survival. “He could barely open his eyes and couldn’t breathe on his own,” she says. Helena did not get to hold her newborn until two weeks later, during which he was monitored in an open incubator and inserted with breathing tubes and an IV through the navel. Thankfully, both mother and child made it through the ordeal, with Shane growing up as a healthy child.

Fastest Foetus First

Stories like Helena’s are one of many cases of premature or preterm labour, which is a more prevalent issue than we think. Notable people like Sir Isaac Newton, Mark Twain, and Sir Winston Churchill were all buns that escaped the oven ahead of time. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 15 million babies are born preterm every year, with this figure steadily increasing.

A birth is termed premature when it occurs more than three weeks before the baby is due, which is around the 37th week of a woman's pregnancy. Preterm birth is classified into extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (28 to under 32 weeks), and moderate preterm (32 to under 37 weeks), with most premature births occurring in the moderate phase.