I'm currently 25 weeks pregnant! What are the chances of my baby's survival if he's born now?

Question

I've had a baby before and my labor with my daughter I never got contractions every 2-3 minutes. My entire labor was like one huge contraction that just wouldn't go away and I felt it a lot in my back, well recently I've been feeling pain in my back similar to the ones that I had when I had my daughter. All I want to know is what are the chances of him surviving at this gestational age?

Answer 1

In general, the closer to the due date that a baby is born, the better his or her chances are for being born healthy. Even a few days or weeks can make a huge difference: A baby born at 23 weeks has only a 10 to 35 percent chance of surviving and greater than 50 percent chance of a long-term disability. At just 25 weeks, survival improves to between 50 and 80 percent, and the chances of a long-term disability drop to between 15 and 25 percent. At 27 to 29 weeks, survival rates are above 90 percent, and disability rates fall to less than 10 percent. Between 34 and 37 weeks, survival rates are excellent (greater than 98 percent), and chances of long-term disability are slim -- less than 5 percent.



Certain complications are very common -- almost universal -- among preemies. These include sleep apnea (when breathing stops during sleep), trouble eating (because of weak and uncoordinated muscles), and jaundice (yellowish skin because the liver isn't working efficiently). Other common problems include abdominal hernias, acid reflux, breathing difficulties, abnormal blood sugar regulation, and heart development that remains incomplete.



If your baby has any of these conditions, the medical providers in the NICU will treat them and teach you how to care for your baby at home until they have resolved. These common conditions are usually short-term complications. If your baby was very premature (before 28 weeks) he or she may have additional problems that may be more severe or take longer to overcome.



Growth and development

Premature babies usually begin life just a little behind the curve, compared to babies that are born at the expected time. They are generally smaller and may grow more slowly at first. The good news is they have plenty of time to catch up. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, most children born early eventually reach a normal size for their age in a year or two. Many premature babies also reach major developmental milestones right on schedule, Sauer says. "They may be small, but they can still sit up at six months," she says.



Your child's doctor or nurse practitioner will want to check your baby regularly to make sure he's growing and developing at a healthy pace. If your baby seems to be falling behind in his or her growth, try not to worry too much. Premature babies often grow in spurts.



A few babies who are born prematurely will remain small for their entire lives. According to a report from the University of Wisconsin, stunted growth is most common among babies who were less than 2.5 pounds at birth (which is considered a low to extremely low birth weight), who were small for their gestational age at birth, who suffered a long illness, or who were slow to gain weight in the hospital nursery.

Answer 2

My obgyn delivered a 24 weeker and he finally got to go home with very few problems. This was a huge relief for me hearing about this because my sister in law gave birth to a 28 weeker a few weeks ago. The baby is doing great. Tiny, but great. All preemies have huge health risks, and most stay in the hospital until their actual due date even if they don't develop complications, but the odds of your baby being able to survive and have a healthy future are at an all time high. Lot's of prayers go out for you and your baby. I hope that you are able to deliver closer to the due date. No parent needs that added stress of not being able to take a baby home from the hospital.

Answer 3

The farther you are away from 32 weeks the slimmer the chance of survival. Report these pains to your Dr. He may need to give you something to treat preterm labor pains. With my 2nd child I started experiencing preterm labor in my 6th month. My Dr. kept a close eye on me and gave me meds to stop the contractions and I made it to 36 weeks. My son is now a healthy 6 year old.

Answer 4

With my first son I was placed on complete bed rest at 4 months because he wanted to be born. He was born at 7months. Every time I would get up I would have contractions and had to be rushed to the hospital. They should put you on bed rest and don't stress. He has a good chance of survival with good neonatal care. God Bless.

Answer 5

I think 26 weeks is the minimum, and then many, many months of neonatal intensive care. Huge money, so many complication potentials. I have a friend who's had two like this, so far so good, but it can take years to know about developmental problems. I think it cost her insurance over a million dollars for the two.

I hope you go to term!

Answer 6

I have a friend who just gave birth 2wks ago at 24wks. The baby had a surgery yesterday, but so far she's doing really well.
Hopefully you wont have to worry about it and your son will stay put until he's due :)

Answer 7

My cousin had a rough pregnancy and they had to keep her from delivering at 5 months. She delivered around 7 months and she has a happy, healthy 5 year old boy! Good luck!!

Answer 8

my sister is a surrogate mother and gave birth to a set of twin boys on Nov. 30th of 2004. she was not due until Febuary 12th 2005. they just celebrated their 1st birthday and they r healthy. shethen gave birth to a set of twins boy and girl on January 14th of this year. and was not due until March 17th. they r about to be discharged next week. good luck

Answer 9

you need to ask your doctor these questions as they know your medical history and nobody on this site is a doctor.