AN EARLY START

摘要

More babies are being born extremely premature. While these babies can often face health and developmental issues, their families can also be affected by anxiety and depression. So it's vital that CPs offer support. Journalist and mum of twins born prematurely Linsey Wynton reports. One in every 13 babies born in the UK now arrives prematurely, before 37 weeks of pregnancy, and there's been a rise in those born before 23 weeks. Babies arriving at less than 34 to 36 weeks can spend weeks, or months, in neonatal care (NHS, 2018; Bliss, 2018a; 2017). In England, Scotland and Wales, almost 27,000 babies born between 33 and 36 weeks were admitted to neonatal care, as were more than 10,000 born between 26 and 32 weeks, and almost 1200 born at less than 25 weeks. In Northern Ireland, almost 2000 premature babies received neonatal care (Bliss, 2017).