World Prematurity Day – What is it?
On the 17th of November, it was World Prematurity Day. This is a global movement made to help raise awareness of premature birth and the effect that it has on people. Expecting parents dream of the day that they can hold their baby in their arms. When a baby is born prematurely, they have to go into neonatal care. This can mean only being able to see their baby in an incubator, connected to tubes. They don't go on straight away to settle down at home and do all of the things that they as new parents have been taught to do. It can mean weeks of visiting their baby in the hospital until the baby is stable enough to go home. Sadly, not all babies make it home. According to the charity 'Bliss', out of the 15 million babies born prematurely every year, 1 million of them will not survive. This is why I decided to include World Prematurity Day in this blog post about bereavement in obstetrics.
What is considered a premature birth?
A birth is considered premature when it happens three weeks or more before the due date. Premature births can lead to complications and medical problems. It is possible for babies born as early as 24 weeks to survive, but they do need specialist care. As mentioned above, some of these babies still do not survive.
Miscarriage:
Bereavement in obstetrics (for example, miscarriages) are very common, but there is a taboo around conversations about it. This is probably due to it being a difficult topic for some to understand, and one that makes people very uncomfortable. Although it makes people uncomfortable, it is still important to discuss. Recently, Meghan Markle opened up about a miscarriage she experienced this year. There has been a huge response, with some of the comments being grateful and some being unhelpful. Some people have said, “Not all grief needs to be made public knowledge!” Sadly, all this sort of response does it makes those who have experienced miscarriage or given birth to a stillborn baby feel that they cannot talk about it. Another comment states, “Meghan Markle may not see the awful comments about her, but your friends who have experienced miscarriages will.”
Complications during pregnancy, miscarriages and premature births:
It's really important that parents dealing with the above get the empathy and support that they need and deserve. This can start by sharing experiences, so that others don't feel alone.
