23 week babies : the price of life ?

[anneasquith]

the above programme on bbc 2 tonight, did anyone watch it, i found it very thought provoking .

[BetteK]

I caught it towards the end and was shocked by the statistics and that most of the babies die but take longer to do so because of medical intervention.
Very thought provoking as you say anneasquith and so very sad.

[LoftyLottie]

Glad I didn't see it then. I have my own views on preserving life at all costs. A very emotional subject.

[VHG]

Preserving life at all costs is not a good ideal to have.

Some babies (human as well as animal) are just not meant to be, like we often say a puppy is the runt of the litter.

If you keep alive babies born too early you are setting them up for a lifetime of medical problems and often requiring lifetime support.

So the parents of these premature children often have to spend a lot of THEIR life looking after a baby and child that was not meant to survive.

My wife works with special needs children and often the ones with severe problems are those that were born early.

I am afraid we have to be hard hearted about it and just let some premature babies die.

[Bobbisox]

having seen my grandson born at 25 and half weeks I would say each child has the right to life but the ramifications for such an early birth, are massive

[LoftyLottie]

I agree with VHG. With no disrepespect Bobbi, because who knows how I would act if it were my child.

Mind you my dog was the runt of the litter and she is very fit and healthy!

A very emotive subject.

[bednobs]

i watched some of it, but it was a bit too close to watch much (before my daughter was stillborn there was a possibility they might have delivered her, but she would ahve been very small so we decided against it). The couple with the man with tattoos on his neck made me very sad - when they were trying to explain to them about not resuscitating and they kept saying "i'm not turning the machines off"
If anyone remembers, what happened to matilda (the daughter of the police pair)?

[Bobbisox]

We were lucky and I thank God each day for this but it is a very emotive subject

[anneasquith]

my head says, given all the research re the viability of a baby born at 23 weeks. and my experience of working in a neonatal unit, id say there should be a " cut off" point when resuscitation is not done...................but my heart says ive never had to look into the eyes of my baby who was born at 23 weeks gestation and alive.. it was a great piece of television, but really sad.

[bednobs]

does anyone know what happened to m\tilda?

[anneasquith]

yes matilda went home. she had an older brother about 2-3 years old. went home with naso gastric tube and o2,,, on discharge she was 5 months old .8lbs, but by due date would be one month ild,

[anneasquith]

*** old,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,very brave of you to watch bednobs.

[China Doll]

Funny... I was talking about this sort of thing in a question I answered in Society & Culture today about medicine.