This document discusses premature babies and the challenges they face. It defines a premature baby as one born before 37 weeks of gestation. Premature babies often have underdeveloped organs and need medical equipment like incubators and ventilators to help them survive. They also require special nutrition and developmental support. While the costs of caring for premature babies are high, neonatal intensive care units are considered very cost effective interventions. Organizations like the March of Dimes work to increase awareness of prematurity and fund research to improve outcomes.

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Danielle Chiavelli
Ms.Tillery
AP Literature
18 November 2011
Premature Babies
A premature baby is born before 37 weeks of gestation. Premature babies are born too
early and without the ability to survive on their own; normally their organs are under developed.
As a result, these infants tend to be underweight and in an extreme need of urgent medical care.
Sadly, premature birth is the primary killer of newborns (“Prematurity Campaign”). To make
matters worse, the number of pre-term babies is increasing. Now, “premature birth occurs in
between 8 percent to 10 percent of all pregnancies in the United States” (“Premature Babies”).
Premature babies are extremely difficult to care for because of their complications and special
needs.
Pre-term babies are born with a great need for warmth. A premature baby’s number one
life saver is an incubator; an incubator is “a clear plastic crib that keeps babies warm and helps
protect them from germs and noise” ("Care for the Premature Baby"). Although they cannot be
worn right away, certain articles of clothing can also help babies stay warm. Furthermore,
clothes can help make the infant and the parents more comfortable with their situation
(Morrissette).
Premature infants can have trouble breathing, so different types of technology have been
created in order to help them perform this task. A ventilator is a respirator; it literally breathes for
the premature baby. An oxygen hood can also be used to help newborns breathe. An oxygen
hood is “…an actual clear plastic box that is placed over the baby's head and is attached to a tube

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that pumps oxygen to the baby” (“Care for the Premature Baby”). Overall, these different
breathing aids are very important to premature newborns; however, the babies still have other
needs.
Nutrition and growth is also very important to a premature baby because he or she must
grow at a much faster rate than a normal infant (“About Preemies”). Pre-term babies must grow
faster in order to catch up and return to the level at which they should be maturing. Many
premature babies do catch up and develop in a healthy manner (“Premature baby? Understand
your preemie's special needs”).
Some premature babies “…may need special care during their first 2 years…” of life
("Caring for Your Premature Baby"). As a result of their prematurity, these babies develop other
issues and complications. The primary problems that premature babies suffer from are
deficiencies involving motor skills and speech and behavioral development; therefore, many
premature babies regularly visit occupational and speech therapists. Furthermore, pre-term
babies need a superfluous amount of familial support, which can be difficult on their already
stressed families (“About Preemies”). The immense cost of a premature baby makes matters
worse for the family.
The cost of birthing and caring for a premature baby is insanely high; for just a single
pre-term baby, a hospital may easily collect over $300, 000 (Lantos and Meadow). Because of
the excessive expenses, the concern of the cost-effectiveness of neonatal intensive care units, or
NICUs, has become a prevalent issue. After this issue was investigated, several professionals,
including doctors and economists, concluded that the NICU is “among the most cost-effective of
all intensive care interventions” (Lantos). Despite its critics, the NICU is actually very important
to the survival of premature babies.

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Fortunately, there are several other organizations that aim to aid pre-term babies. The
March of Dimes is a stellar example of one of these organizations; however, this group did not
always help premature babies. In fact, it was originally founded by Franklin Roosevelt in order
to fight polio (“History”). After a vaccine to prevent polio was created, the March of Dimes
decided to focus on birth defects in general. As prematurity began to become a larger problem,
they moved forward in attempt to conquer this new issue.
The March of Dimes has declared November to be Prematurity Awareness Month.
Throughout this month, the March of Dimes “…focuses the nation’s attention on premature
birth” (“Prematurity Campaign”). On November 1, the Premature Birth Report Card is launched;
this data tells the nation where the most premature births take place every year. Then, on
November 17, a huge campaign takes off; November 17 is World Prematurity Day. On this day,
organizations all around the world spread awareness and share information about premature
births.
The March of Dimes launched their Prematurity Campaign in 2003; this campaign strives
to ensure that every baby is born after at least 39 weeks gestation. Specifically, this program
focuses on “…funding lifesaving research and speaking out for legislation that improves care for
moms and babies” (“Prematurity Campaign”). Research that the March of Dimes has performed
has led to many breakthrough discoveries that have allowed doctors to save many babies’ lives.
Although doctors and nurses save the lives of premature babies, the babies’ parents
should also play a proactive role in the early stages of their infants’ lives. A parent’s first job is
to understand their child’s condition because “uncertainty can be frightening…” ("Premature
baby? Understand your preemie's special needs"). Simply understanding the problems
surrounding their baby can provide comfort to parents. However, the newborns also need to be

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comforted; they are in a strange new place, and they feel lost and confused. Parents must strive
to spend quality time with their baby, but the parents still need to be comforted; it is a strenuous
process for everyone involved.
Delivering a premature baby can be a heavy burden for the parents; it is an extremely
emotional event. When they are able to, parents need to take time to focus on themselves. The
parents must take time to heal, to take breaks, to accept help, and to seek support ("Premature
baby? Understand your preemie's special needs"). Even though parents must be there for their
child, they can allow other people to be there for them. In order to be strong for their newborn,
parents should not hesitate to seek help elsewhere; it is not a sign of weakness, but, instead, it
marks strength.
Feeding schedules for babies that are born before full gestation are different than the
schedules of those who are born on time. In the beginning, premature babies should be fed at
least 8 to 10 times a day (“Caring for Your Premature Baby”). If parents allow too large of a time
gap in between feedings, babies may become dehydrated.
When following certain rules of thumb, parents should base their premature baby’s age
on his or her original due date, not his or her actual birthday. For example, most doctors
recommend that babies who were born pre-term should be given solid food at 4 to 6 months after
their due dates (“Caring for Your Premature Baby”). However, some babies are not ready for
solid food even then.
Prematurity has an infinite number of causes. However, “most premature births are
caused by spontaneous preterm labor” (“Your Premature Baby”). The cause of preterm labor is
not completely known or understood. In half of the cases of premature birth, doctors and other
professionals cannot determine a cause or reason as to why the babies had to be delivered early.

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In 25% of premature births, the mothers are induced due to health concerns (“Your
Premature Baby”). Labor is only induced when it is the safest option for the mother and child;
doctors do not induce labor for no reason. However, some pregnant women are prone to pre-term
labor, and an early delivery is inevitable.
Women who are pregnant with several children are at an increased risk of premature
birth. Similarly, certain lifestyles can create circumstances for pre-term labor; these risk factors
include no pre-natal care, smoking, and domestic abuse. Furthermore, medical conditions such as
diabetes and obesity can lead to the early delivery of an infant. Finally, demographic
characteristics can actually affect when a child is delivered. For example, the “non-Hispanic
black race” and people of a “low socioeconomic status” are prone to carry babies that will suffer
through premature births. The mother’s age is also a risk factor; mothers should be between the
ages of 17 and 35 years old (“Your Premature Baby”).
As premature babies grow and develop, they “…face an increased risk of having one or
more complications” (“Care for the Premature Baby”). Common complications among
premature babies include apnea, anemia, and low blood pressure (“About Preemies”). Apnea is
caused by an immaturity in the part of the brain that controls breathing; it can cause a newborn to
stop breathing. Anemia is classified as a lack of red blood cells; an adequate number of red blood
cells are necessary to transport oxygen throughout the body. Finally, low blood pressure can be
caused by many different triggers, but it is easily treated by either increasing fluid intake or
prescribing medicine. In the end, most premature babies are able to overcome their
complications.
A premature baby, who is born before 37 weeks of gestation, goes through a long and
dangerous journey just to survive the first few moments of his or her young life. The medical

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care that is currently in place, along with some organizations, gives babies that are born early a
good chance of survival. Across the globe, 13 million babies are born too early every year
(“Prematurity Campaign”). Hopefully, doctors will soon find a cause for premature births as well
as a prevention method.

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Works Cited
“About Preemies.” Family Doctor. N.p., 2011. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. <http://kidshealth.org/
PageManager.jsp?dn=familydoctor&lic=44&cat_id=10007&article_set=21879&ps=104>
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“Care for the Premature Baby .” American Pregnancy Association. N.p., May 2007. Web. 14
Oct. 2011. <http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/carepremature.htm>.
“Caring for Your Premature Baby.” Family Doctor. N.p., 2011. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.
<http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/infants/283.html>.
“History.” March of Dimes. N.p., 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://www.marchofdimes.com/
mission/history.html>.
Lantos, John, and William Meadow. “Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics.” Academic Search
Complete. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. <http://proxygsu-sche.galileo.usg.edu/
login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=60538456&site=ehost-live>.
Morrissette, Cheryl. “Preemie Clothes for in the NICU.” About.com. N.p., 6 July 2010. Web. 19
Oct. 2011. <http://preemies.about.com/od/goingbacktowork/a/
PreemieClothesinNICU.htm>.
“Premature Babies .” Medline Plus. N.p., 12 Aug. 2011. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/prematurebabies.html>.
“Premature baby? Understand your preemie’s special needs.” Mayo Clinic. N.p., 27 Aug. 2011.
Web. 14 Oct. 2011. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/premature-baby/FL00108>.
“Prematurity Campaign.” The March of Dimes. N.p., 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.marchofdimes.com/mission/prematurity.html>.

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“Your Premature Baby.” March of Dimes. N.p., 2011. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.
<http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/premature_indepth.html