There's been some back and forth about whether Nils Bergman's techniques are workable with the small premies we see here. I imagine the truth is somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, the babies of his that survive are... survivors. We're geared to saving the ones who can't save themselves. On the other hand, we've never really tried his techniques. Wouldn't it be great to start with 39 weekers, then try 38, 37, and so on?
When I heard him speak at ILCA, the comment that impressed me the most was his mentioning that his Kangaroo Mother Care premies "have round eyes." They are alert and interactive with their surroundings. As a non-medical person, I have to go by what I see in pictures, and I've always seen slightly squinty-eyed premies - dazed or drowsy-looking at best. It's the look I have when I'm tired, or sick, or withdrawn, or guarded. If I'm happy, healthy, and fully involved, my eyes are rounder. I didn't know premies were capable of those round eyes; it was a shock to think that many of them might have been but instead spent their early months almost continuously withdrawn.
So we're back to the same old issue: in working to save the weaker ones, we know we sacrifice quality of life for the stronger ones. But where do we draw the line, offering this care for this one, that care for that one? How many of our premies would do vastly better using Nils's techniques? How many would die? And I'm back to wishing we'd at least try it, starting with the 39 weekers...
Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC Ithaca, NY USA
www.wiessinger.baka.com
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