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Mentalfloss1 t1_jbrmnut wrote

Right at the edge. Will likely have lifelong problems.

Edit: This does not mean that I'm somehow upset that the baby lived. Quite the contrary. My wife was a NICU nurse and took care of many very tiny newborns.

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diagnosedwolf t1_jbrujww wrote

I’m a premature baby who survived and has lifelong problems.

It’s still cool that I’m alive. This is uplifting news.

I’m also a biotechnological scientist. I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I were dead. Or, like, play with my dog. Both cool things.

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Mentalfloss1 t1_jbt61kh wrote

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the baby should have died!! My wife was a high-level NICU nurse and from her I learned that the earlier a baby is born the more likely are serious problems. Our grandson, who lives in our 3-generation home, was premature and he has only a few problems that few can recognize, but he was only a few weeks premature. How premature were you?

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diagnosedwolf t1_jbuq10s wrote

I wasn’t as premie as this baby.

My family has a condition that predisposes towards premature delivery. My grandmother had three premature births where the babies died within a few days. My mother was the fourth. She survived because she was born in 1964. Her siblings were born before the technology existed to save them.

My mother was not expected to live, and if she did she was expected to have significant issues. She was a “miracle” baby - she became a physician.

By the time I was born, being as premature as my mother was not as significant because science had advanced so very far. I had a far better outlook than my mother did. So did my siblings. Every one born alive lived.

Today, being as premature as I was is considered relatively “good” as far as a premie birth goes. My own children will be in far less danger compared to what my aunts and uncles faced in the 1950s.

I like to think about what it was like in 1964, and imagine what it will be like when this baby is as old as my mother. It’s pretty cool to think about.

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betazoidbabeazoid t1_jbt7teo wrote

I was born at 23 weeks and the only lifelong problems I’ve experienced this far are mental health related. So afaik it’s a toss up on whether that’s just hereditary or also heavily influenced by premie status.

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Mentalfloss1 t1_jbt9o51 wrote

That would be hard to discern as there are plenty of 40-weekers who have mental health issues. I'm glad you made it.

My wife worked in NICU long enough that a young dad was in with his premie and my wife was caring for it. The dad knew my wife's name and they were both flabbergasted. He had been a premie about 19 years before and my wife took care of him.

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Evignity t1_jc1h7ol wrote

This isn't really uplifting and I'll tell you why as bluntly as I can.

Outside of cosmetic surgery there's only two fields (not counting research on immortality etc) where medicine are allowed to capitalize on people for profit.

One is freezing eggs and fertilizing them for women, one is keeping early babies born alive.

Both seem great on paper, but research shows that the odds of these babies turning into people who enjoy healthy long lives is just not the case. I know that sounds insanely inhumane but as someone who was born into horrendous circumstances I've come to be one of those who do not give a shit about "parents right to a child" but rather a child's right to a good life. Even my ex who voted on the feminist-party here in Sweden (aka the most left you can get on any spectrum before going insane) instantly answered me when I asked her "What would you do if you got pregnant and the child had deformities?" - Without hesitation she said abortion. Because, especially in hippie-circles, there's tons of people who have lifelong problems. She told me she had had too many such friends attempt suicide and just live a life they never wanted that she didn't wish that upon anyone.

I'm not saying saving a life is wrong. I'm saying you aught to think about the life you decide to give someone. "What, should the parents just let the child die?!" well it depends on each case, and emotions are a huge factor for everyone...

But for me, this is almost like getting the diagnosis that your child will have a life rampant with health-problems and deciding to still go through with the pregnancy. Sure, it eases your conscience but I can't promise your child will be grateful for it.

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