Ongoing challenges

After premature babies return home the test for the family begins in earnest.

Jennifer Lam's son Lucas weighed 775 g when he was born at 26 weeks in 2012. The early birth impacted the functions of many of his organs, such as his brain, lungs and eyes, as well as his muscles.

He is prone to pneumonia, so Lam keeps her house clean and at a constant temperature and humidity. After three months of intubation in the hospital, Lucas tends to vomit easily. He can only consume small meals, but eats more frequently than other children.

Lam devotes almost all of her free time to taking care of her son. By the age of eight, Lucas lagged behind his peers in many development aspects, such as speech, walking, and especially social interactions. Now aged 12, he is relatively small compared to his peers, one of the more obvious development indicators of children born prematurely.

Lam has taken Lucas to swimming classes and social interaction lessons to improve his weakness. She has also helped him explore his strengths, such as literature, computer programming, and music, in the hope these skills can help him later in life.

Lam, who is also the vice chairperson of Preemie Parents Support Group (Hong Kong), has heard many heartbreaking stories from families with preterm children. They include cases of dwarfism, serious myopia, being wheelchair bound from an early age, and even cerebral palsy.

Although many preterm children eventually integrate well into society, a new study shows that they are less likely to gain a higher education or secure a high-paying job.

A scientific research article published by plos.org in November, analyzed data of 2.4 million babies born between 1990 and 1996 in Canada.

It suggested long-term support, including providing psychological, educational and vocational resources that go beyond clinical care to help mitigate the long-term effects of premature birth.