Early birth can mean future problems

AROUND 40% of babies born very prematurely go on to suffer serious physical or mental problems later in life, according to research unveiled yesterday.

The problems involve babies born up to 17 weeks early, after just 23-25 weeks in the womb, and weighing only about one pound.

Until relatively recently, most of these children would have died soon after birth, but advances in neo-natal care over the past 20 years mean that more are surviving.