Panorama - Miracle Babies grow up

Did anybody see this tonight............I sat here crying my eyes out, our 3rd daughter Paige was born at 31 weeks and was cared for by Prof Neil Marlow......admittedly these babies were all born before 25 weeks, but even now 11 years on it was so hard to watch

We were told that Paige would probably have learning disabilites, but thank god she's a perfectly happy, healthy and very clever 11 year old, at the time we asked them to do whatever was necessary for her survival.............but looking back at some of those poor children it really does make you wonder exactly where the cutoff point has to be.

i was out so i missed it

glad your daughter was ok though

I watched some of it last night. It was really sad at times.

My friend has twin boys born at 32 weeks weighing just over 2lb each and they have a lot of learning disabilities.

It was very sad Holland have a cut off point of any baby born before 25 weeks will not get intensive care, so basically are left to die.

My sister who is 23 weeks pregnant with twins, is now worried sick after watching this program...........she had an anti-natal check up yesterday and all was fine, the smaller baby has now caught up, BP normal etc. so we're keeping everything crossed that she will continue this way until at least 38 weeks (which is where they would like her to reach)

thats good news for your sister that everything is OK

I saw it - It was very sad and as a parent you just want your baby to live -you don't look at the long term I think there has to be a cut off point somewhere ( don't ask me where tho' )

Good Luck for your sister

i think that there shouldnt be a set in stone cut off point as each case should be judged individually. if a baby seems as well as to be expected for its gestation and is making attempts too breathe or has a heartbeat still going then it everything possible should be done to save it. Obviousley if a baby is born dead at whatever gestation there is nothng they can do but if its born alive then it should be assisted. I once read about a woman who delivered at 25 weeks but her hospitals policy was not to interfere with babies born before 26 weeks so she was told to cuddle her baby and it would soon pass and her and her husband sat with that baby for 18hours and were begging for ghelp as the baby really fought. if that baby had been fed and put in intensive care it may well of gone on to live a long life.

Oh Katy

From personal experience - I lost twins @ 23 weeks. ( Long long time ago - don't send any sympathy messages now. ) It was a totally horrible experience. Took a long time to get over. But I did, and life picked up, I had two gorgeous healthy kids after.

I could still be struggling with one or two blind/deaf/handicapped young adults now, if it had happened in a top, innovative hospital, instead of here in the country where they cuddled me and sent me home 'to have lots more babies my darling, you're young, you'll be alright'.

Like Murphy said, I don't know how you make the decision. But I'm glad it was a horrible experience but is over for me. I feel for parents who have the pain and worry of disabled children for the rest of their lives.

I lost a son at 26weeks between my boys ......at the time we were devestated but now I look back and wonder how affected he would or could have been