The birth of octuplets in a Bellflower hospital this week was greeted by celebratory headlines around the world. "Miracle Mum Gives Birth to Eight Babies," announced the Belfast Telegraph. But, in truth, it's hard to celebrate a situation in which eight lives -- nine counting the mother -- have been placed at enormous risk.
My concern stems from personal experience. In 1997, my wife gave birth to twins who were, like these eight babies, premature. Our babies, both girls, were born at 24 weeks; a full-term birth is about 40 weeks. Each weighed less than 1 1/2 pounds. The smaller of the two, Nina, died after a 49-hour struggle. Her sister, Josie, spent four torturous months in the newborn intensive care unit, or NICU, before coming home. She is now 11 years old. Apart from a very mild case of cerebral palsy, Josie is doing beautifully. We are very fortunate.
If I learned anything from the experience, it is that extremely premature births place an enormous burden on infants, their families and society. The burden begins immediately after birth, when the children are whisked away to the NICU for what can easily become weeks or months of intensive care costing thousands of dollars a day.
Delivered by caesarean section at roughly 30 weeks gestation, the Bellflower babies ranged in birth weight from 1 pound, 8 ounces to 3 pounds, 4 ounces. It surely will be a matter of weeks, if not months -- and millions of dollars -- before they are allowed to go home.
But this is about much more than money. It is about survival and, for those who make it, quality of life. While all eight of the Bellflower infants were listed in "stable" condition, two were placed on ventilators because of breathing problems. And a "stable" diagnosis guarantees next to nothing in terms of how they will be faring tomorrow, or five or 10 years hence. Premature babies account for more than half of all infants who do not survive the first year of life. Those who do survive often encounter problems ranging from blindness and feeding problems to cerebral palsy and long-term developmental disabilities.
And it is not just the babies who pay the price. From higher insurance premiums to the rising costs of special education, all of us are affected in one way or another.
