The high survival rate of premature babies is one of the success stories of modern medicine. Over the past 15 years, more and more babies have survived being born earlier and earlier in their development. But the outlook is not entirely positive. As those preterm babies grow up, subtle, long-term effects of being born early are becoming apparent (see page 34). The result of this precious lost time in the womb is a largely unrecognised epidemic of social, emotional and educational difficulties. In a typical class of 30 children, four will have been born before 36 weeks gestation, and chances are at least one will struggle as a result.
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