Ward came prematurely in this world. In fact, premature is a very small term, when you consider that he came almost 3.5 months before his due date. He weighed only about a pound, when he came out of his mom’s womb. He was directly admitted in the NICU, also known as the neo-natal intensive care unit. He was so small that he could not even feel his mom’s touch till he was about 4 days old, and that too had to be done under the supervision of the NICU staff.
When you watch this beautiful video of this premature baby, Ward, and his miraculous transformation, you will surely be crying. This emotional video shows the transformation of an unbelievably premature baby to a beautiful and blossoming child. Ward’s journey has been quite miraculous, and God has shown his greatness in the most magnificent way in Ward’s survival. The video was created by Benjamin Scott on his wife’s birthday, to showcase the journey that his loving family has made because of the greatness of God.
With wires hanging all over him, the baby was just a handful and so tiny.
A lot of people are not aware that babies who are born when their moms are just 26 weeks pregnant do survive, but they really have to be taken care of in the most attentive manner. But because Ward was born even before that 26 weeks gestation period, his survival was a big question mark. Thankfully, God was on their side, and the faith of Ward’s parents gave them the strength to continue on. He was out of the hospital after spending almost 107 days in the NICU.
Countless number of prayers and his highly devoted parents made Ward survive through his first year of life, which in itself was a great miracle. Now, when you watch the video, you will see how the baby has transformed from being a tiny baby to an absolutely adorable, healthy and a happy one-year old toddler. He is a joyful, cherubic and cheerful baby now, without showing any signs of his premature birth.
This story proves that God is there and that He helps those who are faithful and devoted to Him. When everything else fails God’s power helps people to survive. It gives them the inner strength and the confidence to pull on, in spite of the adverse situations and circumstances.
Vital Statistics of Premature Births
A premature birth is a birth where the baby is born before the 37 weeks of gestation. It is one of the top reasons for newborn deaths and is also one of the main reasons for a number of deaths in kids under five years of age.
Preterm babies face a greater risk of disabilities, illness and death. Even their survival is quite uncertain till they are almost a year old. As per WHO, these are some of the stages of premature births:
28 weeks or before: Extremely premature
28 weeks to 32 weeks: Very Premature
32 weeks to 37 weeks: Moderate – Late Premature
When you check the international statistics, almost 1 baby out of 10 is born early or prematurely from their mother’s womb. And this number is on the rise. In the UK alone, almost 60000 babies were preterm and required specialist care while in the hospital.
A preterm baby may have a very low chance of survival, and the likelihood of his survival increases based on the stage of his preterm birth. So, babies, who are born in 23 weeks or lesser of pregnancy, have a survival chance of 0%. Babies, who are born after 23 weeks, have a chance of survival of about 15%. After 24 weeks, the survival chance increases to 55%, and it is almost 80% if the baby is born after 25 weeks.
The gestation period usually reduces with every additional baby. So, on an average, a majority of the singleton pregnancies last almost 39 weeks. The twin pregnancy cases last about 36 weeks, triplet pregnancies last for 32 weeks, quadruplet pregnancy lasts for about 30 weeks, and quintuplets are carried for almost 29 weeks. So, on an average, almost 60% of twins come out prematurely, while around 90% of triplets are premature.
Premature birth is one of the main reasons for young kids dying. Over 1 million kids die every year due to severe complications and issues related to premature births. This is mostly seen in the developing world.
Premature births – Some of the causes
About 25% of the premature births are already planned. This is because the baby or the mom suffer from some serious life-threatening issues, like kidney diseases, pre-eclampsia, or other restrictions related to growth.
20% of the premature births are because of water breakage. When the membranes get ruptured prematurely, it leads to premature deliveries.
25% of the preterm births are because of emergency cases. These might include placental abruption, due to placenta detaching itself from uterus, eclampsia, infections, or a prolapsed cord. A prolapsed cord occurs when the umbilical cord comes out of the body before the baby’s exit.
Sadly, in 40% of the cases there is no known cause.
What are the chances of survival and long-term outcomes?
In England, with newer innovations in medicines, the survival rates of preterm babies have increased to almost 80% in 2011, from being 53% in 2006.
The chance of survival increases by about 9.5% every week of the baby’s stay in the womb till 23 weeks. And, it increases to 16% per week if the child’s birth is around 25 weeks.
As per the studies conducted in the UK and Ireland, the disability level was quite high once the premature child became 6 years old.
And, as per the studies conducted for kids born before the 26 weeks gestation period, 45% of the kids had severe cognitive impairment issues, when they reached 11 years of age.
