COSTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF PREMATURE BABIES

The combined cost of mother and premature baby is $64,713 compared to $15,047 for an uncomplicated birth according to the March of Dimes.  The number of premature births have increased about 36% compared to the early 1980s due in part to an increase in elective premature deliveries. (http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/17/premature.babies/).  But the cost of prematurity varies widely and a case is reported of costs of $2 million with lifelong consequences to the children with the parents billed $450,000 (They had to declare bankruptcy.).*  The total cost of premature births in the U.S. is estimated to cost $26.2 billion.*

Teen mothers are more likely to have a premature baby than older mothers.*  Babies born through C-section are more likely to have respiratory distress syndrome though in a number of cases a C-section is necessary.**    Some other problems with premature birth may include cerebral palsy, developmental delay, vision problems and hearing problems.**  Delaying the birth from 37 to 39 weeks halves the mortality rate according to a study reported in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.***  Babies born prematurely have a greater risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with the probability increasing with the degree of prematurity.  A study of a million babies in Sweden showed that premature babies at 23-28 weeks were twice as likely to have ADHD as those born at normal gestation of 39-41 weeks.****  Cognitive abilities, however, do not seem to be much affected in premature births.

* http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/02/the-cost-of-premature-birth-for-one-u-s-family-it-was-more-than-2-million/; http://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_ParentingResource/preterm-birth-public-health-crisis/story?id=16519630#.Ub4kGNuF9rw
** http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/09/c-sections-can-increase-premature-babies-risk-of-breathing-problems/; http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/MaternalInfantHealth/PretermBirth.htm
*** http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/26/is-patience-the-key-to-lowered-infant-mortality-rates/
**** http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/20/study-preterm-birth-raises-the-risk-of-childhood-adhd/