Are you considering adopting a premature infant? Women having a normal pregnancy can delivery prematurely; but some types of drug abuse commonly cause premature birth. A new study indicates that the side effects of premature birth last long after a baby leaves the neonatal intensive care unit. Other studies have focused on the immediate risks of premature birth where this study focused on adult life of premature children. Premature birth is defined as delivery that occurs before 38 weeks of gestation. In the United States approximately, one out of every eight births is premature. In fact, the number of women delivering premature babies has increased by 30 percent over the last 20 years. Long-term disabilities occur in 60 percent of babies born at 26 weeks gestation. Some of those disabilities include chronic lung disease, blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, seizures, and developmental delays. The research team found that the number of long-term disabilities drops to 30 percent for babies born at 31 weeks.

Researchers found that women who were born prematurely have an increased risk of delivering their own babies prematurely. Researchers also found that adults who had been born between 22 and 27 weeks gestation were less likely to reproduce. The adult men were 76 percent less likely to reproduce and the adult women were 67 percent less likely to reproduce.

To Researchers looked at the health of more than one million babies born in Norway between 1967 and 1988. Mortality data was collected up through 2002 and the outcomes of educational and reproductive were collected through 2004. Premature infants have an increased risk of death for years after infancy although the risk decreases after the first year of life. Researchers recommend getting appropriate medical care and observation of your child’s growth and development. Premature infants have an increased risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.) The risk of dying between the ages of one and six for babies born between 22 and 27 weeks' gestation was 5.3 times higher then the average for boys and 9.7 times higher for girls. The Children born between 28 and 32 weeks gestation showed no deaths of girls between the ages of six and 13. However, the boys were seven times more likely to die during this period than those carried to full term.

Women face a dramatic increase in the risk of preterm delivery when they drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or abuse drugs. Scientists believe that smoking is responsible for five percent of preterm births, as it seems to cause problems with the placenta. Alcohol is another leader in the causes of premature birth as it interferes with the digestion and storage of vital nutrients the baby needs. It also causes fetal alcohol syndrome that has its own debilitating consequences that last for a lifetime. It isn’t known exactly how many premature births other drugs cause. This is because most pregnant women who consume drugs during pregnancy also drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes.

Not all premature births are preventable. However, women can prevent premature births caused by addiction by getting help as soon as they realize they are pregnant. Encourage pregnant women to seek help even if they feel embarrassed. Their baby’s life could depend on it. If you are planning on adopting the child encourage the mother and be supportive of her efforts.


Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2006