Premature birth: When is the baby capable of surviving?

When babies are born prematurely, the chances of survival depend on the progress of the pregnancy. The survival probability of a premature baby is 67 percent from the 24th week of pregnancy – and increases with each additional week.

When is a premature baby viable?

According to statistics, the limit of viability for a premature baby is between the 23rd and 25th week of pregnancy. Unfortunately, babies born before this age have little chance of survival, regardless of their maturity. There is also a risk of severe disability.

But not only the week of pregnancy is decisive for the chance of life, the birth weight also plays an important role. Statistically, children who weigh less than 2500 grams at birth are two hundred times more likely to die than children with a heavier birth weight.

If the children who had such a low birth weight survive, the risk of neurological damage is ten times higher than that of the comparison group. The lung maturity of the fetus is therefore also decisive for the probability of survival. This maturation of the lungs occurs from around the 24th week of pregnancy .

chances of survival of a premature baby

Completed week of pregnancyPercent Survival
23rd week53 percent
24th week67 percent
25th week82 percent
26th week85 percent
27th week95 percent
28th week96 percent
29th week96 percent
30th week97 percent
31st week97 percent
32nd week98 percent

 

Preterm birth between the 22nd and 24th week

The chance of the child surviving increases between the 22nd and 24th week of pregnancy from around ten to around fifty percent. Nevertheless, up to 30 percent of children who survive birth and the first few days after birth are affected by severe mental or physical disabilities.

Preterm birth after 24 weeks

The chances of survival of premature babies that are carried to term beyond the 24th week are increasing rapidly and are around 80 to 90 percent. For this reason, attempts are always made to maintain the pregnancy for as long as possible, at least if there are no life-threatening disorders. Doctors are encouraged to equate the treatment of premature babies with children born at term.

After birth

If a premature baby is born, the parents are usually just as unprepared as the baby itself. In order to make the situation as easy as possible for everyone, there are special intensive care units, especially in perinatal centers, which meet the needs of the little patients and their parents meet the requirements: medical equipment is reduced to the essentials, instead a concept of gentle and development-promoting care is in the foreground. Caring for the child and the family has priority. This means that the entire clinic staff tries to combine high-tech care with measures that promote the development of the baby and its integration into the young family. You can find out everything else about care after the birth in our article “This is how a premature baby is cared for in the clinic ”. You can find information on where parents can get help for the first few weeks in “ Help in the first few weeks with premature babies ”.

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