Posted on 08/16/2024 12:06:30 PM PDT by Morgana
Thanks to medical advancements over the last several decades, preborn babies as young as 21 weeks can now survive outside the womb — and Live Action News has shared many of their amazing stories. Despite this, many neonatal units in the United States aren’t equipped to help families with such micro-preemies, and, what’s worse, many often falsely tell parents that there’s no hope if they do have an infant born so early.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal illustrates two of the potential reasons parents aren’t given the information they need: high costs, and the ‘worry’ that a child might live with a disability.
One mother interviewed for the piece described how one hospital in suburban Minneapolis told her that no one could help her if her daughter was born at 22 weeks. It was only through a Facebook post that she discovered a hospital just seven miles away would care for her daughter. She arranged for a transfer, and thanks to excellent medical intervention, her daughter is now a thriving four-year-old. The article goes on to share stories of several families in similar situations — though sadly, some infants passed away due to lack of care.
Though not every hospital is equipped to deal with micro-preemies, according to the WSJ, “others have chosen not to offer the care, saying it is likely to fail, is expensive — typically more than $100,000 a child, and sometimes much more — and subjects tiny, fragile infants to needless pain and the risk of long-term disabilities.”
Some of the disabilities mentioned include “vision problems or blindness,” “extra oxygen or feeding tubes,” and “developmental delays.”
Joe Kaempf, a neonatologist with Providence Health System in Oregon, admitted that these factors dissuade many hospitals from helping, going so far to say he thinks it’s better if these young babies aren’t treated. According to Kaempf, “the survival and disability data isn’t good enough to justify hospitals routinely offering treatment to babies born at 22 weeks.”
He warns that an extremely premature child may become “a child with an IQ of 60 who will never live independently.” Kaempf also believes hospitals shouldn’t encourage families to seek treatment for their extremely premature children, calling it “taking advantage of the innate goodwill of pregnant women.”
This language is shocking, but it’s indicative of a larger overall disregard for the dignity and value of human life. Some people today think there’s nothing worse than living with a disability, so they justify killing preborn babies with a disability diagnosis. To some, it can make little sense to fight for those children at 22 weeks outside the womb if they weren’t prepared to fight for them inside the womb, especially if the prognosis is the same.
Parents shouldn’t need to rely on Facebook or word of mouth to know that help is available to them and their tiny babies. Though few parents expect to have an extremely premature birth, all should be prepared if it happens. There may be hope, even if the hospital says there is none. As one mother told WSJ, “At least give the parents that fighting chance.”
The organization TwentyTwoMatters has created a global map of hospitals that are willing to help premature babies as young as 22 weeks.
21 weeks, while it is theoretically possible, is stretching the truth.
A while ago there was an article about how the hospitals do a lousy job of pricing their services. They really don’t know how much it costs to set a broken leg, etc.
There was a time and place when babies could not survive 23 weeks now they do. Anything is possible with modern medicine and technology. The thing is are they willing to do it?
I think hospitals are poorly run and the management up at the top is way too greedy.
Sounds like a stretch, but why do you say it is theoretically possible?
Go figure.
My son was born in my 25th week . The hospital wanted to put him on permanent disability, told me that he was a prime candidate for cerebral palsy as he was born with a level 2 brain hemorrhage. I gave that poor little so much love and an understanding that things weren’t gonna happen for him the way they did for other kids. He had to repeat kindergarten because he lacked fine motor skills. Fast forward 20 years….he graduated Xavier University with honors (Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laud) he is currently in his third year of med school. Medicine never factors in a parents love….
I worked at a hospital. We did not have a NICU, but i saw a few transported to the one down the street from our L&D department.
If anyone thinks parents are actually counseled to let their children die because of the cost, you need to think again. In our Labor and delivery group and the one at the NICU down the street (it is literally down the street) the people working there fight harder than you can begin to imagine to keep every baby alive.
There ARE cases where babies are so deformed that they would not survive, even with an army of dedicated staff.
In none of these cases does “cost” or ability to pay even come into play.
The medical world is made out to be full of grim reapers who cannot wait to kill and poison you for a dollar. In the five years I worked there, among the front line staff the cost to treat a patient was never a factor. Keeping costs down overall was certainly something everyone was aware of, but those are two very different things.
The issue isn’t that the procedures are not priced, or that you cannot find out what they will cost…the problem is that no two cases are the same. The costs come off the procedure codes. “A procedure” may consist of 50 different steps. Each one of those things carries a “price.” Each time they scan something—a prescription, a bandage, a surgery, anesthesia, etc…think of it as scanning cans at the grocery store. They all add up to the same bill.
The streps they take to treat me, a 63 year man in good health would be different than those taken for a 75 obese, diabetic smoker. I might be in and out, and never be considered “inpatient.” The higher risk patient might need more acute care; thus a higher cost.
There is simply no “procedure” called “set a broken leg.” It doesn’t work like that.
NICU nurses are the BEST!! We lost our son - he never left the hospital. Those ladies were rocks for us! God bless them all.
Ping
That is not correct.
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