The tiniest babies: Shifting the boundary of life earlier
Associated PressBIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Michelle Butler was just over halfway through her pregnancy when her water broke and contractions wracked her body. That’s seven weeks earlier than what doctors once considered “the lower limit of viability,” the earliest an infant could possibly survive outside the womb. And survival without disability is certainly not guaranteed.” Hall said doctors shouldn’t keep trying to move the viability line down until they can truly reduce the long-term medical problems associated with extremely premature babies born today. Cori Laemmle of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who gave birth to twin boys in 2020 at 22 weeks, said decisions about whether to treat such infants should consider the individual circumstances and be guided by a question: “Are the interventions going to do more harm than good?” Washington University’s Warner said everyone needs to think about how the babies might suffer. “Hopefully, he’ll require fewer and fewer doctors to care for him.” At home, his 35-year-old mother spends less time tending to Curtis’ medical needs and more time just hanging out with him.
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The tiniest babies: Shifting the boundary of life earlier
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