Recreating the Womb: New Hope for Premature Babies

A new device may transform care for extremely premature infants: After birth, they would be immersed in lab-made amniotic fluid — and kept underwater for weeks. When a premature baby is born three or even four months early, it’s immediately clear that they’re not ready to be here yet. Born at a critically low birth weight, the first challenge these very preterm babies face is surviving. Those that do survive face very serious challenges as they grow and develop. Many infants born preterm have severe, long-lasting medical complications or health problems. These premature infants present a real clinical challenge. New research hopes to help these babies who struggle to survive. In the United States, the number of infants born significantly premature (sometimes called micro preemies) has increased over the past two to three decades. Infant mortality (death) of babies born around 23 to 24 weeks is around 50 percent. For those preterm infants that do survive, the majority will have some sort of illne