Do premature babies have a shorter life expectancy?

No. My family has a tendency to give birth early usually only a month or two. My brother was 3 months premature. You could see through his skin. He's 62 and healthy as a horse. My oldest brother is 69, my middle brother is 67. Both 1 1/2 month early. Grandma said she was early. She passed at 99. read more

For awhile, all that could be done for premature babies was to stick them in an incubator and hope for the best. This often resulted in brain damage, disabilities, and quite possibly an early death. Medical technology has advanced so much in recent years that I think it's impossible to say what the long term effects of prematurity will be. read more

(MORE: Extremely Premature Babies Still at Risk of Health Issues as Youngsters) The fact that the effects of premature birth last into adulthood is concerning, since they are not only at a disadvantage in some cognitive functions, they even have a reportedly higher risk of death in early adulthood as well. read more

So if your baby is born prematurely but is able to overcome the health obstacles of their first year of life, then your baby is not necessarily more likely to have a shorter life because of their prematurity. read more