The Survival of Babies Born Before 24 Weeks Challenge Abortion Threshold In The UK
*This is not an anti-abortion post. It just provides further information to prove that the threshold for abortions needs to be reviewed*
The campaign is being led by Tory MP Nadine Dorries and has been backed by 200 MPs.
The Dailymail featured 4 survival stories of babies that were born before the 24 week threshold.
Not only are their stories inspiring, but they show that a baby born at this gestation can go on to be intelligent, articulate children.
Here are a few of the stories:
Liam:
11 years ago, Liam Watkins arrived at 24 weeks weighing just 1lb 7oz. At that time he was just 5 inches long and 'looked more like a tiny purple chicken than a human being'.
After spending 3 months in the hospital, he was released home on oxygen.
Until he was four he was still quite small, but 11 years on he's completely caught up height and development.
Ellie
Ellie-Suzanne Fish arrived at 23 weeks 2 days weighing 1lb 4.7oz. At birth she was given just a 10 to 15 per cent chance of survival after being diagnosed with 2 brain bleeds.
When she was born her skin was so undeveloped that her mother Beverley, 37, said "we could see the blood running around her body".
After spending 9 months in hospital, Ellie is now home and thriving.
She has to be fed through a tube, requires oxygen and needs suction to keep her airways clear.
However, she is now able to move around, has good sight and hearing, and is learning new skills quickly.
Being born before 24 weeks is not without it's challenges. As these babies grow, they will usually have issues that will require professional intervention. Some will have poor eyesight, hearing problems, feeding and sensory issues and a heightened risk of Cerebral Palsy. With that being said, their sheer existence is miraculous. This causes preemie parents to go great lengths to develop skills that are slow to progress.
I can't help but think that expectant moms looking to terminate their pregnancies at this stage are unaware of the perfection that is, their unborn child.
Before my son was born I had no idea that a baby born so early could be perfectly developed. He had every feature that he has today, including tiny finger nails. We had to wait a few weeks for eyebrows and his ears to grow a bit of cartilage, but besides that no other detail was missing.
Today, he is an energetic beautiful boy who surprises us every day.
Not only am I grateful that he is here, but I would have sold all of my worldly possessions to have him healthy if I needed to.
It saddens me to think that there are professionals out there that don't help educate women about these facts.
If you need to make the difficult decision to change the path your life is going in - it should be done long before your baby is able to survive if they needed to.
