Sophia Goodin
Pikes Peak Community College
Preterm Birth and Its Effects on Parents and Infants
In 2011, nearly five hundred thousand babies were born prematurely in the United States alone (Glass, Costarino, Stayer, Brett, Cladis, & Davis, 2016, p. 1). Preterm birth is a significant issue worldwide, despite having no definitive cause. A premature infant is at risk for critical health issues both early-on and later in life. Additionally, preterm birth brings with it a need for intense medical care immediately after birth — much more intense than would occur with a full-term infant. A frequently forgotten factor that can greatly impact the family of a prematurely …show more content…
If a baby is born at less than 32 weeks gestation, he is very preterm. A baby born at less than 28 weeks is regarded as extremely preterm (Levine & Munsch, 2018, p. 161). Premature birth is a common complication affecting many parents and children around the world. In 2011, approximately 11.7% of the 4 million babies born in the United States were born before 37 weeks, and therefore were born prematurely (Glass et al., 2016, p. 1). The percentage of extremely premature babies is much lower, with fewer than one percent of all births, and six percent of premature births occurring before 28 weeks gestation (Glass et al., 2016, p. 1). Any preterm birth under 37 weeks provides concern enough, but in highly developed countries, a baby born as early as 22-24 weeks can have approximately a fifty percent chance of survival (Glass et al., 2016, p. 1). Despite the varying degrees of prematurity, most premature infants are born closer to the 37-week mark (Glass et al., 2016, p. 1). Unfortunately, even though modern technology and medicine continue to improve, extremely premature infants still have a high mortality rate of thirty to fifty percent (Glass et al., 2016, p. 1). For those that survive, there is a twenty to fifty percent chance that they will have a significant disability or disease (Glass et al., 2016, p.