Improving prospects

Three years ago, Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong established a cross-discipline medical team to provide comprehensive support for families with babies delivered at 23 to 25 weeks.

In August, the team said it had assisted over 20 parents. The assistance included helping them delay the delivery date, monitoring the overall situation, deciding emergency plans, and in some cases helping parents recover from the sorrow of losing a baby.

Before Rourou's delivery, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital had saved five babies born at around 22 weeks over a three-year period.

Despite medical advances, the risk of premature births is on the rise due to an increase in the maternal age and the use of assisted reproductive technologies.

The ultimate goal is not to set records on the age of saving premature babies, but to try and ensure they have healthy development, experts said.

Zong Haifeng, deputy director of Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, called for special financial support for families with premature babies, such as single-parent ones, that face money difficulties. He also hopes more professional and affordable care services for premature babies can be provided, and parents have more channels to seek help and ease their mental stress.

Many young couples are just starting out in life and have small savings. But the birth of a premature baby brings big challenges, which are prolonged, demanding, and costly, Zou pointed out.

In serious cases, the hospital costs can exceed 1 million yuan, and there are also follow-up examinations, and training and childcare expenses. In some complex situations, even two or three carers may not be able to manage at home.

Lam Hung-san, professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's pediatrics department, urged the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to strengthen follow-up assessment of all premature babies so doctors can better monitor their development. He also called for reducing the waiting time for rehabilitation treatment. Sometimes it can last for six months to a year, which denies the children the best time for treatment.

Given the pressure of caring for premature babies, it's often usual for one parent to quit their job. He suggested that the government consider recurring support measures such as tax rebates.

Lam also called for more guidelines and assistance for children born prematurely to have a suitable education to lay a good foundation for their future employment.

Without support, young parents and their children may be overwhelmed by their difficult circumstances, which could deter other young people wanting children, he cautioned.

Jennifer Lam, from the parents support group, called for greater attention to be paid to parents' mental health.

Unprepared for the early arrival of their babies, young parents are often haunted by fear of receiving bad news and the pain of being unable to provide adequate support.

They can find themselves overwhelmed by anxiety about their child's development, and left feeling guilty about their child's slow learning.

Lam said for her, the encouragement given by other parents of premature babies is even more valuable than that of family and friends. She urged more parents of these children to join activities organized by related associations, which could ease stress and improve mutual support.

While some children struggle to keep pace with their peers, some others born prematurely, including Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, have been recognized for their genius and contributions to science. Lam hopes that society does not put a label on premature babies or set limits for them.

As Rourou's mother Huang Wei emphasized, "no foot is too small to leave a footprint", Lam believes these little feet will eventually carve out their own paths.