"I'm a neonatologist. This is what happens when a baby is born 5 months early.
I worry laws post-Roe won't reflect what infant intensive care can accomplish: It does not guarantee survival, and it often means life-long disabilities".
"a crisis, neonatologists like myself consult with pregnant women and their partners in crisis to determine their wishes and set expectations for their about-to-be-born, periviable babies. When I have these discussions, words drift from my lips to parents’ ears. Life support. Handicaps. Pain. Death. These words are absorbed inconsistently. They are remembered"
These 2 y.o. girls, 24 weeks gestation (1'5", 1'7") are happy that their mother did not take the advice of Dr. Fleishman. The are no 11 years old
I caution that providing every possible intervention may not result in survival. Only 1 in 10 babies born at 22 weeks survives to go home, and that’s after months of intensive care."
THAT is the point, isn't it? The DECISION IS BETWEEN THE DOCTOR AND THE PARENT(s).....not
a judge,not a state official,NO OTHER PERSON.....just a sacred trust between the specialist and the patient.
The extreme right has been wanting this "show down" for decades. The RELIGIOUS right has NO standing
in this extremely private and personal medical decision.....THEY do not have to foot the financial bill,so
unless the religious right steps up to the plate and.puts the money where their mouth is, they can shut the hell up.
FYI.....At 24 weeks, the likelihood of survival increases to only 68 percent. Infants born beyond 25 weeks are no longer considered periviable, as each successive week of pregnancy confers protection against death and disability,
Last edit: 14 May 2022 15:31 by homeagain. Reason: add
The doctor/patient relationship, I am glad that you acknowledge it is sacrosanct. However, the opinion of the doctor is not sacrosanct. When Dr. Fleishman couches her recommendations to the mother in terms such as ". When I have these discussions, words drift from my lips to parents’ ears. Life support. Handicaps. Pain. Death" , one wonders what she is advocating.
Fortunately, the mother if the twins pictured is a pediatric nurse practitioner and did not heed the advice that Dr. Fleishman gives.
Another issue that I have is that Dr. Fleishman is not the patient's physician, rather she is seeing a pregnant woman (or would you prefer birthing person) prior to delivery of the child. What gives her the chutzpah to interject her medical/moral opinion concerning a patient/s that is/are not yet born?
By the way I read in entirety the references that you cite. I wonder if you do, since you feel the obligation to repeat what is in the citation.
Last edit: 14 May 2022 17:02 by ramage. Reason: add'n info
68% odds...I would take that at 24 weeks,EVERY WEEK that passes is a gift. My personal preference is to have someone be "straight up" with medical information, allow ME the good,the bad and the ugly....then I can CHOOSE and have game plan A and Plan B as fall back.....THAT is how I walk thru life, an alternative plan,so I can have SOME PIECE OF MIND. Life is never a straight line and does not come with a warranty..
What makes you think that she did not know the potential complications of premies? Combined these babies went through 15 surgeries and many "experts" telling her that the kids would be better off dead.
Unfortunately I am unable to load pictures of these girls at age 11, playing soccer.
I load it, it is a jpg file but I get the message "Failed to open upload input stresm ". Don't know how to rectify the problem. The other pictures up[loaded without difficulty.
Can you help, moderators?
AGAIN,24 weeks...almost 70% odds of viability. THAT would have been an indicator to the N.P.to opt for
very best outcome......AGAIN the specialist was PROVIDING PERTINENT INFORMATION,so a sound
decision could be made.(FINANCIALLY, the N.P. was capable of taking on the debt,it appears).....SOME
do not have the means,in that case, if the woman opts for NICU,, the hospital "eats it" OR the family/woman
claims bankruptcy.
"particularly whether they want their babies to undergo the invasive interventions. In these conversations, I focus on expectations and misconceptions surrounding the delivery and stabilization process."( The
NICU is NOT an inexpensive and short visit....unless there is a tragic ending.)
Let's kill all fetuses that test positive for Downs. Sounds like Eugenics to me. And once we eliminate Downs, what do you go after next, sickle cell anemia?
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
