If you are pregnant with twins, there may be many things that worry you, such as what would happen if they are born too early. Prematurity is a risk that most multiples face, and the consequences of preterm birth range from minuscule to life-threatening. More than 50% of twins, 90% of triplets and quadruplets, and virtually all higher-order multiples are born prematurely, or before the 37th week of pregnancy. The earlier the birth, the greater the risk of complications for babies.
Advances in technology have allowed babies who are premature to have a better outlook on life, thus surviving longer. Although premature births have also increased and it remains the leading cause of death in newborns and the second leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age.
The consequences of premature birth
Parents need to understand the impact of babies being premature as it can touch families to varying degrees. For some families, a premature baby will only mean a hospital stay or a short hospital stay at birth and nothing more. In other cases, however, it can mean many hospital stays and also lifelong sequelae.
What determines more or less sequelae in babies is the week of birth. Babies born close to their due date will be less likely to have have later complications because it will have had enough time to be able to develop in the mother's womb.
Most frequent concerns
The uterus is the perfect place for babies to develop. When they are born too early, their organs are not well developed and therefore are not ready to function properly outside. When a baby is born prematurely tophi its organs can be affected. The organs most affected in these cases are usually:
- Lungs. Babies born before 34 weeks will have trouble breathing on their own. This occurs because their lungs are immature and are not ready to function in the world outside the uterus.
- Brain. Intraventricular hemorrhage is bleeding in the brain that mainly affects babies born before 32 weeks or babies who have experienced stress from another premature condition, such as respiratory distress. It can cause damage to the brain or decreased drainage of cerebrospinal fluid, leading to an excess build-up of fluid in and around the brain (hydrocephalus).
- The heart. In the uterus, the ductus arteriosus allows babies to receive oxygen through the umbilical cord, bypassing the lungs. At birth, this blood vessel is supposed to close. Premature babies can develop patent ductus arteriosus, which causes abnormal blood flow between the major blood vessels that surround the heart. This can lead to heart failure.
- The intestines. The digestive system of premature babies is not ready to process food. This will lead to inflammation in the lining of the intestines or more serious infections.
- The eyes. Many premature babies develop vision problems because the blood vessels in the retina are not fully developed. More severe problems can lead to more serious vision problems or blindness. Some conditions can resolve on their own, but others require surgery or laser.
Both premature babies and twin babies can have any of these conditions, especially babies born before 32 weeks gestation. In most cases, premature babies who receive specialized medical care on time can successfully overcome these health problems and develop successfully in the future.
What to keep in mind
When the initial critical phase passes after preterm births, when the focus is exclusively on survival, the consequences of prematurity may not be fully known. Some of the long-term complications may not show up early in life and may appear early in school. Regardless of when health problems appear, medical attention will need to be obtained as soon as possible.
Premature babies may be more likely to die in infancy and less likely to have children of their own as adults. In addition, they are also less likely to finish high school or finish college.
This is usually due to medical problems that they may have prematurely in their lives, as well as a socioeconomic status that is reduced due to medical conditions and treatments that their parents must pay for. However, these data are taken from studies where their data did not include twins or multiples, and the people in the study were born more than twenty years ago and would not have had access to the medical technology that helps so many premature babies today. It is important to keep this study in perspective to take all of these factors into account.
Many babies born as preterm multiples will have disabilities that can last a lifetime. These disabilities can range from mental retardation to cerebral palsy, blindness, or deafness. Some may experience developmental delays, learning problems in school, or attention deficit. Others may simply require glasses or suffer from allergies or asthma. But it must also be borne in mind that many of these conditions can be overcome with early intervention or surgery. In fact, there will be twin babies, triplets or more who can live their lives without any consequences even if they were premature babies.
There is nothing that can predict the personal results of each baby, what is known is that the earlier they are born, being premature, the more likely they are to have developmental problems. But there is no method that allows us to predict what the consequences will be or the type of life they will have before they are born and what the consequences will be known. What is necessary is that parents ensure their babies the best care to reduce complications and that there is good medical follow-up for as long as they require it.