In the majority of cases, premature babies grow to be normal, healthy children and eventually adults, indistinguishable from
their peers. No amount of expertise on the subject can make it possible to walk down the street identifying all those who
were born premature.
At the same time, some premature babies will have long lasting or lifelong problems. The chance that this will be the case
for any individual premature baby depends on how premature the child was born, how low the baby’s weight was at birth, and
if the baby experienced complications that are known to put them at risk for problems as children and adults.
During the last few decades of the 20th century, the survival rate of premature babies has seen an incredible increase. While
we can celebrate these saved lives and the triumph of medical knowledge, skill, and technology, the success has come at a
price for some. Many premature babies who would not have survived in the past now live with a disability of one kind or another.
Most commonly, these babies grow up with cerebral palsy, mental retardation, poor vision, chronic lung disease, and learning
disabilities. While such conditions, and others, do not necessarily mean that these children will not be able to enjoy life
and thrive in their own way, some premature babies will have severely restrictive lives that require constant care, even for
the most basic necessities. These babies face a challenged quality of life that may not improve over time.
