Outline
Thesis Statement: It is well known that premature babies require an abundance of specialized care that technology has enabled humans to perform, but are humans possibly harming these tiny babies by keeping them alive?
I. Introduction
A. In 2007, the U.S. reached its all-time high of 4,316,233 premature births. Of these four million births, there are different stages of prematurity that babies are born, all being caused by a multitude of complications and actions.
B. It is well known that premature babies require an abundance of specialized care that technology has enabled humans to perform, but are humans possibly harming these tiny babies by keeping them alive?
C. No matter what they cause may have been, no matter what the cost or controversy may be, premature babies require excellent, around-the-clock care, often provided for them in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
II. What defines premature birth?
A. Premature births are defined as births that occur before the 37 week of gestation, but can be broken down further into more specific categories.
1. The first, least severe stage is referred to as “late preterm” and consists of babies born between 34-36 weeks of gestation.
2. The second stage, moderately preterm, includes babies born between 32-34 weeks of gestation.…show more content… They describe level one as taking care of healthy babies after their birth while their mothers recover. Now, unlike in the past, women are able to deliver children with a minimal hospital stay, leaving this level of caretaking nearly obsolete. Next, level two deals with intermediate care for slightly premature or ill babies. The last level, level three, requires a baby’s stay in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). These patients are usually born extremely small or sick and require high technology