November 17 is World Prematurity Day. In the world, every tenth child is born prematurely, and last year in Poland there were 20,000 such births. Doctors emphasize how many difficulties premature babies and their parents have to face. But as Dr. Joanna Puskarz-Gąsowska, a pediatrician and neonatologist from the Karowa Hospital, points out, “the progress in the treatment results of our premature babies is enormous.”
In Poland, World Prematurity Day has been celebrated since 2011. The event was initiated by the Wcześniak Foundation. On this day, topics are discussed that raise public awareness of the problems of premature babies and their caregivers. Globally, on average, every tenth child is born prematurely.
Premature babies in Poland – almost 20 thousand. children per year
According to Central Statistical Office data in 2023, almost 20 thousand. children in Poland were born prematurely, i.e. before the 37th week of pregnancy. They thus accounted for 7.18 percent. all children born at that time. Of this number, 15,715 babies were born between 33 and 36 weeks of pregnancy (premature babies), 2,784 were born between 28 and 32 weeks of pregnancy (extreme prematurity), and 1,108 babies were born at the stage of extreme prematurity. , i.e. between the 23rd and 27th week of pregnancy.
As emphasized by doctors from the Clinical Hospital of priest Anna Mazowiecka in Warsaw (Karowa Hospital), the bodies of prematurely born children are not yet adapted to life outside the mother's womb, and their premature appearance in the world may have long-term consequences. Their organs are still immature – the brain, heart, intestines and lungs – and are not prepared for independent life outside their mother's body.
When a premature baby is born, doctors try to provide it with conditions similar to those in the mother's womb – it should be quiet, dark and warm. Therefore, appropriate temperature and humidity are maintained in incubators, and the access of light and noise is limited.
Parents of premature babies face many challenges
Parents of premature babies have to face numerous challenges. – Usually, during pregnancy, no one expects that the baby may be born prematurely. When this happens, parents of a premature baby face many problems, of which we are usually unaware. Entire families spend a lot of time in the ward and feel uncertain about the future. Fortunately, thanks to medical progress, we are now able to save most of the children born prematurely – emphasizes Dr. Joanna Puskarz-Gąsowska, pediatrician and neonatologist from Karowa Hospital.
The expert points out that a premature baby is lifelong and the complications associated with it may accompany a person for a long time. – Thanks to the knowledge we expand along with the development of technology, the progress in the treatment results of our premature babies is enormous, and most of our patients will become wonderful, healthy children in the future – he adds.
One of the most important needs of premature babies and their parents is to provide coordinated care for a prematurely born child. – Premature babies enter their lives with a heavy baggage of experiences and health problems that they have to face for many years. They often require rehabilitation, many specialist visits, and support from a speech therapist and psychologist. Unfortunately, access to these services is difficult, and the comprehensive coordinated care project is currently being implemented in several hospitals. It's time for it to be implemented throughout Poland – emphasizes Prof. Ph.D. n. med. Maria Katarzyna Borszewska-Kornacka, president of the Coalition for a Premature Child Foundation.
Time spent with your child is very important
As the foundation emphasizes, the time they spend together from the first moments of life is very important for premature babies and their parents. Parents are a very important part of the therapeutic team that fights for the health and proper development of premature babies. – It is important that mothers of premature babies can spend all their time in the hospital with their baby in the “rooming-in” system. This solution has been operating in maternity and pediatric wards in other countries for many years, for example in Lithuania, Ukraine, USAwhere the mother has a separate room with her prematurely born baby in the incubator. Actions and decisions are necessary that will also enable parents of premature babies to have such a solution – emphasizes Prof. Maria Katarzyna Borszewska-Kornacka.
In October Council of Ministers adopted a bill prepared at the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy introducing supplementary maternity leave for parents whose child is born prematurely. Maternity leave for mothers of premature babies can be extended from 8 to 15 weeks. – We appeal for the act to be passed by the Sejm and Senate just as quickly and signed by the President of the Republic of Poland. Parents need to be given the opportunity to regain lost time while their children are in hospital as soon as possible. They need it very much, and the act is an example of a legal act that compensates for the social injustice resulting from the loss of mines. 8 weeks of maternity leave for the mother of a prematurely born child – emphasizes Elżbieta Brzozowska, vice-president of the Coalition for a Premature Child Foundation.
Today is World Prematurity Day
Every year, the Coalition for Premature Babies Foundation celebrates World Prematurity Day in a special way. This year she prepared two surprises. The first is the song “Ruszyłem early into the world” sung by the Choir of Premature Children, created by Olga Szomańska, Marcin Kołaczkowski and Jacek Subociałło. Marcin Kołaczkowski was responsible for the script and direction of the music video.
The second surprise is the graphics created by Andrzej Pągowski. An outstanding Polish graphic artist and poster artist says: – I decided to give premature babies and their parents a lucky four-leaf clover. Its petals form four hearts, one of which is purple – because it is the color of premature babies. In the center of the clover appears a tiny, prematurely born Man. Why clover? Because apart from the miracle of birth, apart from the professional knowledge of doctors who save prematurely born children, you need luck – people, events, luck from fate, to carry the heavy burden of prematurity. Why are the petals made of hearts? Because you need love to overcome difficult times, you need faith, patience, hope, even when a child is sick, because they always deserve love. I created a combination of four hearts: for premature babies – the most important heroes of World Prematurity Day, for medical staff, for families – parents, siblings, grandparents and for the social side – organizations that help, support and work to improve the situation of premature babies in Poland – emphasized Pągowski.
On the occasion of World Prematurity Day, buildings around the world are illuminated in purple – the color of premature babies. The symbol of this day is a tiny purple sock next to nine larger ones, because one in 10 children is born prematurely.
Main photo source: Shutterstock