Is V-day 23 or 24 weeks?

Pdxmom73 · January 2012

Just curious???

ClaireOtoms · January 2012

I thought it was 26.

megank814 · January 2012

24 weeks is what I've always heard (:

easjer05 · January 2012

Technically, it depends on your hospital and when they will take life-saving measures. Some don't rely on gestational age at all, but weight prior to 26 weeks.

But generally in America, 24 weeks is the mark of viability. A pp mentioned 26 weeks, which is more common in Britain and the EU, but some hospitals in Britain will attempt life-saving measures on 23-24 weekers.

Keep in mind though, which you probably know, that viability is no guarantee - it's simply the statistical point at which the chance of survival is greater than 50/50. A number of babies born at 24 weeks won't survive, and of those that do many will have a number of complications.

That said, it's been marked on my calendar for awhile. I've lived through being told that my otherwise healthy child would be born and there was nothing that could be done to stop it and nothing that would be done to save him, because he was too early. I will draw a deep breath at knowing we will have a chance at life, but I am focused on 30 weeks after that, which has much better survival and complication rates.

JuliaJAG · January 2012

easjer05:
Technically, it depends on your hospital and when they will take life-saving measures. Some don't rely on gestational age at all, but weight prior to 26 weeks.
But generally in America, 24 weeks is the mark of viability. A pp mentioned 26 weeks, which is more common in Britain and the EU, but some hospitals in Britain will attempt life-saving measures on 23-24 weekers.
Keep in mind though, which you probably know, that viability is no guarantee - it's simply the statistical point at which the chance of survival is greater than 50/50. A number of babies born at 24 weeks won't survive, and of those that do many will have a number of complications.
That said, it's been marked on my calendar for awhile. I've lived through being told that my otherwise healthy child would be born and there was nothing that could be done to stop it and nothing that would be done to save him, because he was too early. I will draw a deep breath at knowing we will have a chance at life, but I am focused on 30 weeks after that, which has much better survival and complication rates.

This is well said... and I am so terribly sorry for your loss.

24 weeks is on my calendar as V Day, too... the days/weeks seem to have been craaaaaawling for me to get even this far.

I can tell you one thing, though; if something were to happen and I were to go into pre-term labor tonight, I WOULD LIE and say I was 24 weeks. My baby boy is large for his age and strong. I can already tell what a fighter he is. There is NO way I want doctors to let him die without even attempting to help him, just because of a few days. I generally hate liars, but when it comes to my baby boy, I will do WHATEVER it takes to get the doctors to save his life if at all humanly possible!

JuliaJAG · January 2012

BTW, you should check this web page out... it gives a baby's statistical chances of survival starting at week 22. It has a few other interesting facts related to viability as well, and I personally found it quite encouraging:

https://spensershope.org/chances_for_survival.htm

elli-m-f · January 2012

Mine is 23 weeks. Very relieved to have just passed that milestone

easjer05 · January 2012

JuliaJAG:
This is well said... and I am so terribly sorry for your loss.
24 weeks is on my calendar as V Day, too... the days/weeks seem to have been craaaaaawling for me to get even this far.
I can tell you one thing, though; if something were to happen and I were to go into pre-term labor tonight, I WOULD LIE and say I was 24 weeks. My baby boy is large for his age and strong. I can already tell what a fighter he is. There is NO way I want doctors to let him die without even attempting to help him, just because of a few days. I generally hate liars, but when it comes to my baby boy, I will do WHATEVER it takes to get the doctors to save his life if at all humanly possible!

It's usually not a matter of lying. If there is time, they'll do an ultrasound and assess gestational age on size. Weight is another factor as well - some hospitals won't resuscitate under certain birth weights, because outcome is so poor. The level of NICU can make a difference as well. My OB's office is attached to a Children's Hospital with a top-10 level III-C NICU. They will attempt earlier resus than other hospitals, because they have better technology and more experience.

But my hope for all of us is to get well into the third tri and be miserable about going overdue so this isn't an issue.

easjer05 · January 2012

JuliaJAG:
BTW, you should check this web page out... it gives a baby's statistical chances of survival starting at week 22. It has a few other interesting facts related to viability as well, and I personally found it quite encouraging:
https://spensershope.org/chances_for_survival.htm

That is a great link. It's fascinating to see just how important every single day is at this point. Every day in utero can means days off NICU time, and that chart is a good indicator about why that is.

gatogrrl · January 2012

I just read an article about this in the New Yorker, and I think 22 weeks is the new lower limit for viability, although obviously not so many of those babies manage to survive. There is a long-time poster on the SAHM board who had her baby at 22 weeks. At 10 weeks old now, her DD is doing very well.

It's weird to think that Pres. and Jackie Kennedy's baby did not survive at 32 weeks back in the day; you'd have to assume they had the best medical care in the world.

easjer05 · January 2012

gatogrrl:
I just read an article about this in the New Yorker, and I think 22 weeks is the new lower limit for viability, although obviously not so many of those babies manage to survive. There is a long-time poster on the SAHM board who had her baby at 22 weeks. At 10 weeks old now, her DD is doing very well.
It's weird to think that Pres. and Jackie Kennedy's baby did not survive at 32 weeks back in the day; you'd have to assume they had the best medical care in the world.

One of the biggest factors in higher survival rates is the development of surfactant to help breathing and use of steriods to improve lung maturation. Those developments just weren't available back then.

Most 22 weekers won't be resuscitated in hospitals with level II NICUs or lower, because they don't have the equipment to stabilize for transport or to maintain baby. And very few infants born that early survive without disability. Your friend is very, very lucky - I hope things continue to go well!

JuliaJAG · January 2012

easjer05:
JuliaJAG:
This is well said... and I am so terribly sorry for your loss.
24 weeks is on my calendar as V Day, too... the days/weeks seem to have been craaaaaawling for me to get even this far.
I can tell you one thing, though; if something were to happen and I were to go into pre-term labor tonight, I WOULD LIE and say I was 24 weeks. My baby boy is large for his age and strong. I can already tell what a fighter he is. There is NO way I want doctors to let him die without even attempting to help him, just because of a few days. I generally hate liars, but when it comes to my baby boy, I will do WHATEVER it takes to get the doctors to save his life if at all humanly possible!
It's usually not a matter of lying. If there is time, they'll do an ultrasound and assess gestational age on size. Weight is another factor as well - some hospitals won't resuscitate under certain birth weights, because outcome is so poor. The level of NICU can make a difference as well. My OB's office is attached to a Children's Hospital with a top-10 level III-C NICU. They will attempt earlier resus than other hospitals, because they have better technology and more experience.

That is really good to know! I don't know that that's the case everywhere, though, because in April, a friend of mine went into labor at 23 weeks and they weren't able to stop delivery... and unfortunately, they did not do anything to help her baby even though she begged them to. The baby hung on for several hours anyway, so of course she's left wondering if she'd be holding her little one still if the doctors had treated her as though she were viable. I hope that's a terrible, tragic exception and that most hospitals/NICUs will treat even a pre-24-week baby assuming weight and all other factors are favorable, as you said.

But my hope for all of us is to get well into the third tri and be miserable about going overdue so this isn't an issue.

Hear, hear!! (or is it "here, here"? I've never figured that out!!)

pnkfaerie · January 2012

JuliaJAG:
easjer05:
Technically, it depends on your hospital and when they will take life-saving measures. Some don't rely on gestational age at all, but weight prior to 26 weeks.
But generally in America, 24 weeks is the mark of viability. A pp mentioned 26 weeks, which is more common in Britain and the EU, but some hospitals in Britain will attempt life-saving measures on 23-24 weekers.
Keep in mind though, which you probably know, that viability is no guarantee - it's simply the statistical point at which the chance of survival is greater than 50/50. A number of babies born at 24 weeks won't survive, and of those that do many will have a number of complications.
That said, it's been marked on my calendar for awhile. I've lived through being told that my otherwise healthy child would be born and there was nothing that could be done to stop it and nothing that would be done to save him, because he was too early. I will draw a deep breath at knowing we will have a chance at life, but I am focused on 30 weeks after that, which has much better survival and complication rates.
This is well said... and I am so terribly sorry for your loss.
24 weeks is on my calendar as V Day, too... the days/weeks seem to have been craaaaaawling for me to get even this far.
I can tell you one thing, though; if something were to happen and I were to go into pre-term labor tonight, I WOULD LIE and say I was 24 weeks. My baby boy is large for his age and strong. I can already tell what a fighter he is. There is NO way I want doctors to let him die without even attempting to help him, just because of a few days. I generally hate liars, but when it comes to my baby boy, I will do WHATEVER it takes to get the doctors to save his life if at all humanly possible!

I was 22 weeks 3 days and the hospital wouldn't do anything before 23 weeks and he was over a pound and half in weight...He was measuring 24.5 weeks and they still didn't care...They found a way to get a hold of my chart (even though it was at a different place because I went to L&D) They said it didn't matter because his gestational age was 22 weeks. They didn't do ANY intervention. I got to hold my son as he passed away.

JuliaJAG · January 2012

pnkfaerie:
JuliaJAG:
easjer05:
Technically, it depends on your hospital and when they will take life-saving measures. Some don't rely on gestational age at all, but weight prior to 26 weeks.
But generally in America, 24 weeks is the mark of viability. A pp mentioned 26 weeks, which is more common in Britain and the EU, but some hospitals in Britain will attempt life-saving measures on 23-24 weekers.
Keep in mind though, which you probably know, that viability is no guarantee - it's simply the statistical point at which the chance of survival is greater than 50/50. A number of babies born at 24 weeks won't survive, and of those that do many will have a number of complications.
That said, it's been marked on my calendar for awhile. I've lived through being told that my otherwise healthy child would be born and there was nothing that could be done to stop it and nothing that would be done to save him, because he was too early. I will draw a deep breath at knowing we will have a chance at life, but I am focused on 30 weeks after that, which has much better survival and complication rates.
This is well said... and I am so terribly sorry for your loss.
24 weeks is on my calendar as V Day, too... the days/weeks seem to have been craaaaaawling for me to get even this far.
I can tell you one thing, though; if something were to happen and I were to go into pre-term labor tonight, I WOULD LIE and say I was 24 weeks. My baby boy is large for his age and strong. I can already tell what a fighter he is. There is NO way I want doctors to let him die without even attempting to help him, just because of a few days. I generally hate liars, but when it comes to my baby boy, I will do WHATEVER it takes to get the doctors to save his life if at all humanly possible!

I was 22 weeks 3 days and the hospital wouldn't do anything before 23 weeks and he was over a pound and half in weight...He was measuring 24.5 weeks and they still didn't care...They found a way to get a hold of my chart (even though it was at a different place because I went to L&D) They said it didn't matter because his gestational age was 22 weeks. They didn't do ANY intervention. I got to hold my son as he passed away.

That is terrible! I am SO sorry for your loss!!

FyreFlyeRush · January 2012

At 24w, it's 50%. At 26, 80%. But, after 27, it's greater than 90%, and that's the age I'm holding on to.

Pdxmom73 · January 2012

Thanks for all the responses! I like the statistics of 27 weeks much better than 23 or 24 weeks! As I am sure we all do! I am not having any problems and don't expect to but one never knows.

I am sorry for those of you with 2nd tri losses. I can't even begin to imagine. My only loss was at 10 wks and that was hard enough. T&P for healthy full terms babies for all of us!

easjer05 · January 2012

JuliaJAG:
pnkfaerie:
I was 22 weeks 3 days and the hospital wouldn't do anything before 23 weeks and he was over a pound and half in weight...He was measuring 24.5 weeks and they still didn't care...They found a way to get a hold of my chart (even though it was at a different place because I went to L&D) They said it didn't matter because his gestational age was 22 weeks. They didn't do ANY intervention. I got to hold my son as he passed away.
That is terrible! I am SO sorry for your loss!!

I am sorry as well, I know how horrifying it is.

For clarification of anyone reading, whether or not a hospital will take any action prior to an identification of gestational age as 24 weeks is individual to the hospital based on a number of factors, such as level of NICU or transport to a level III NICU, availability of equipment and experienced doctors and sometimes simply policy.

Even if measurements are higher (Gabriel too measured well above 21 weeks, that kiddo had looooong limbs), the gestational age and development doesn't really change - just as two 3 years olds may be different sizes, but developmentally on par. Lung development between 22 and 24 weeks is very different, as is lung development between 24 and 26 or 30 or 32 weeks. Without a lot of luck and very good physicians, the lungs are simply too underdeveloped for an attempt to save the baby. And such attempts might be more painful than simple comfort measures, and the survival rates are so low and the rates of survival without mass disability are so low that quality of life concerns are a valid issue as well.

Of no relief or comfort to parents, many of us want some chance, when we know our babies at this point.

My hospital might try resus on a 23 week newborn who weighed over a pound because they have a level-III C NICU and are equipped to handle such a thing. The hospital across the street from my home will not, because they are not equipped to do so. 23w6d is a different policy than 24w0d. Period. I know of other hospitals that will transport a mother in labor before 26 weeks if they can't get it stabilized quickly because they are not equipped for micro-preemies.

Every day right now is a blessing in terms of survivability and hope. That is why it is important to take things seriously and not worry about being a troublesome patient.

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