Why don't 8-months premature babies survive while 7-months do?

I think there seems to be a misunderstanding what it means to be "8 months premature." That means that out of a 40 week pregnancy, the baby was born 8 months (roughly 32 weeks) early, meaning that they had only been developing in the mother for 8 weeks. An infant born 8 months early would not survive. read more

I assume that you mean babies born at 8 months rather than 7 months gestation. babies born 7 or 8 months too early (1 or 2 months gestation) never survive. they are referred to as miscarriages, and it is heartbreaking. read more

Now if you are referring to a baby born at 7 months, many babies survive at this stage. The lungs are not fully developed and the mother, in most cases, is given a steroid shot to speed up the development of the baby's lungs, if labour cannot be stopped by medication. read more