premature labor

I am 24 weeks and 2 days pregnant.  I have been in the hospital for 1 week because I went into premature labor.  They say that if I make it to 27-28 weeks that the baby will have a good chance of surviving and being "normal".  I want to know what the statustics are for a baby born at 27 weeks.  What are the chances of it not having health problems, brain damage and/or other birth defects.

[Yao Sun, MD, PhD]

Babies born at 27 weeks are still considered to be extremely premature.  When we talk with parents about the long-term risks of babies born at 27 weeks gestational age, we discuss the probabilities of outcomes based on research about outcomes for large numbers of babies.  One of the most important things to realize is that no one can predict what the actual outcome is for your baby because we do not have the knowledge or technology for that type of prediction.  In addition, a baby is a growing, living being that will continue to change as they develop.

Generally speaking, the survival rate for infants born at 27 weeks or more is greater than 90%.  Of the babies who survive, somewhere around 1/3 of them will be "normal" as measured by developmental tests at school age.  Most of the children who have long term developmental consequences have "minor" problems that do not prevent them from attending school or lead active lives.  A relatively small group of infants have more severe problems such as cerebral palsy.

I hope you are able to continue your pregnancy for a much longer period of time.