{"id":306238,"date":"2024-02-03T15:29:16","date_gmt":"2024-02-03T21:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=306238"},"modified":"2024-02-02T15:28:32","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T21:28:32","slug":"woman-severe-disability-delivers-baby-28-weeks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/woman-severe-disability-delivers-baby-28-weeks\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman with severe disability safely delivers baby at 28 weeks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A new report<\/a> showed how a woman with severe disabilities leading to breathing problems, was able to safely carry and deliver a baby at 28 weeks.<\/p>\n

Researchers wrote<\/a> in the American Journal of Perinatology about the case, involving a woman with Type II spinal muscular atrophy<\/a> (SMA). SMA is a genetic disorder affecting the muscle neurons; the muscles do not respond to the nerves properly, and therefore, shrink (or atrophy) with time. As SMA progresses, it can affect breathing and swallowing.<\/p>\n

There are four different types of SMA, classified by the age at which it develops. Type II develops between six and 18 months, and typically, people with Type II SMA are usually able to sit on their own, but cannot walk<\/a>. Despite this disability, most children who develop Type II SMA still have a normal life span… though respiratory challenges can be an issue.<\/p>\n

That was seemingly the case with the woman in the research paper, who had severe breathing problems throughout the pregnancy. By 28 weeks, they advanced to the point that she needed to undergo a c-section, but both she and baby survived and are doing well, thanks to the work of a multidisciplinary team.<\/p>\n

The paper<\/a> noted that, due to her complex medical history, doctors encouraged the woman to have an abortion, but she refused.<\/p>\n