Preemies after sensational birth well

The youngest preemie could well rely on the clinic in Fulda

21/04/2011

Preemie Frieda is considered a sensation in the medical community. The little girl had seen the light of day in November 2010 after just 21 weeks of pregnancy, now Frieda could be discharged in good health from the hospital in Fulda.

Frieda is classified by experts as a sensation, because such an early birth is extremely unusual to unique. The Chairman of the Society Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care in Lübeck, Egbert Herting, told the news agency „dpa“, that the process „out of the ordinary“ be as a child in the 21 week of pregnancy „is at the limit of viability.“

Preemie birth after only 21 weeks of gestation
Although preterm births occur more frequently in Germany before the 30th week of pregnancy, experts like Egbert Herting rate little Frieda as a sensation. The preemie, who had already been born in the 21st week of pregnancy, was able to leave the Fulda Children's Hospital on Wednesday. Although Frieda was not the smallest premature baby that ever came to the world and survived, as it was significantly heavier with 460 grams birth weight than known cases in which the premature babies weighed only 280 grams. However, with a birth after the 21st week of pregnancy Frieda is one of the earliest births in the medical literature.

In Germany, premature births are increasing
Premature births have increased significantly in Germany over the last few decades, although the survival chances of premature babies have risen significantly due to the improved medical standards. For the infants and the parents, a premature birth nevertheless represents a considerable stress test, because for the time being the premature babies are always characterized by intensive, inpatient medical care. Of course, the health of the little ones can often be stabilized and they develop better than expected. However, various studies have shown that premature births can sometimes be accompanied by significant impairment of personal development for the children.

Possible health problems in premature babies
The European Newborn Foundation names attention deficits, chronic respiratory diseases, developmental delays and motor disorders as possible long-term consequences of premature birth. In addition, American studies indicate that infants weighing less than 1,000 grams, later in life more likely to have asthma (21 percent versus nine percent in the control group), motor disorders (47 percent vs. 10 percent), and IQ (IQ below 85 percent) : 38 percent versus 15 percent) suffer. Thus, all comparable studies come to the conclusion that infants are best grown as long as possible in the womb, because there are the best conditions for development. However, preemies often develop better than expected in the incubator after the first few weeks, as the case of little Frieda shows, which now weighs in at 3.5 kilos. According to the experts, around every fourteenth birth takes place in Germany before the 37th week of pregnancy (time limit for premature births). (Fp)

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Picture: N. Schmitz