Preterm births are on the rise, but new medical studies show that the tiniest babies do just fine. Discussed in this article is ten year old Danny Schuster, a preterm baby who defied all odds against him. At one pound fifteen ounces he survived a mild stroke caused by a leak in blood vessels and mild cerebral palsy. Due to his tiny lungs it was hard for Danny to breath without the help of an incubator. The Schusters were warned by doctors that due to Danny's size he could face chronic problems and possibly never be able to play sports and games as other children do. Danny was considered a miracle baby triumphing as a young boy who was a great student, good at sports, and all around happy to be alive. .
Babies are meant to be carried full term, and if not serious problems can occur. Reasons that can contribute to premature births these days consist of infertility treatments, and multiple births. Premature births back in 1981 consisted of 9.4 percent of all births in our country. In the year 2001 that rate hit 11.9 percent, a large 27 percent increase in twenty years. Due to new drugs and more sufficient neonatal intensive-care unit tiny babies are able to live outside the womb. Preemies can face a lifetime of challenging health problems which include blindness, chronic lung disease, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. .
Scientists have reported that hormone treatments can subtract the number of women at risk for premature births. Just because a baby is born premature does not mean they will suffer long term learning problems. As a group premature babies have a lot of problems but realistically a lot of them actually turn out to be normal kids. Premature babies can live fully and as they grow strengthening their mental capacities. After following a group of premature babies, researchers found that in children three to eight test scores jumped eleven points. Normal children's test scores only jump four points.