Brooke Baldwin tells us about a baby the size of a soda can who survives the odds.

soundoff (3 Responses)

1. Bob Smith
   

   One can do anything he/she wishes but not on Tax Payers' money. Lots single moms are milking the Medicaid, that's a shame. We should ask the father to pay for it. Don't give them Medicaid, give them birth control pills.

   December 20, 2011 at 9:08 am |
2. Melissa
   

   Or maybe we should work harder to prevent premature births. This is not a medicaid issue, this is a humanity issue. My son was born at 28 weeks, he survived and is a perfectly healthy 10 year old. I am a single mom and I am thankful that my son is perfect in every way, despite him being born so early.

   December 21, 2011 at 9:34 pm |
3. Marie "Neonatal Nurse"
   

   I have been working in this field for 20+ years. Medicine is working at preventing premature births. However, affluent mother's have premature deliveries, too. So, if the baby doesn't present with a insurance card at delivery should the medical team allow that child to die? NO!!! It does not work that way in the USA. Bob Smith may not realize that a hospital can be sued for not giving the same "standard of care" to indigent patients as to those with insurance. All babies are assessed at the time of delivery and some prove that they can beats the odds and thrive. All of the life long medical issues discussed in the interview are theoretical. They did not state this baby has a bilateral grade four brain bleed. In terms of immune system problems, initially these babies are at incredibly high risk. The fact that she has come this far tells me that she has beaten off some of the big bad bugs that kill these infants. As she grows, her immune system will become stronger. No woman knows whether or not her pregnancy will be a complicated one either. I had one daughter born at full term. I had a condition called placenta previa with second pregnancy, which could have killed me and my unborn daughter. Thankfully, I received excellent treatment at a Cincinnati area perinatal center. After spending 12 weeks in the hospital, I delivered my second daughter at 35 weeks and she was healthy enough for me to take home. So, a premature birth was avoided by the healthcare team and my compliance with strict bed rest and taking some drugs that made me feel awful. Total cost (1993 dollars) about $60,000.00 compared to the $500,000.00 it would have been had she survived an extremely premature birth. She just graduated from prep school with honor's and has completed her first semester of college. I could discuss many cases where insurance covered Mom's costs but, not the infant's. These are middle-class families who will be in debt the rest of their lives. They are not living off the public tax-payers. Before you through a flip comment out on a forum, do some research. You are not in the delivery room as a infant gasps for air, as doctors are making a life-long decisions for that "human being". I pray this child thrives and is loved by her family.

   January 8, 2012 at 10:53 pm |