Machine could keep a baby alive outside the womb How will the world use it?
17 days ago
- #Artificial Womb
- #Neonatal Care
- #Premature Birth
- Beth Schafer's son was born extremely premature at 23 weeks, highlighting the fragility and challenges of such early births.
- Artificial wombs are being developed to provide a lifeline for extremely premature babies, with prototypes already tested on animals like fetal lambs.
- The FDA is considering greenlighting the first clinical trials for artificial wombs, targeting babies born between 22 and 24 weeks of gestation.
- Premature birth is a leading cause of infant death in the US, with survivors often facing severe complications like chronic lung disease and neurological damage.
- Artificial wombs could revolutionize neonatal care but raise ethical, legal, and emotional questions about parenthood and the definition of life.
- AquaWomb, a Dutch startup, is developing a 'womb-like life support system' that mimics the conditions of a natural womb, including temperature and fluid environment.
- The technology aims to bypass the lung crisis in premature babies by keeping them submerged in fluid and connected to an artificial placenta.
- Parental bonding is a key focus, with prototypes including features like access ports for touch and a 'uterus phone' for auditory connection.
- Parents in grief support groups express mixed feelings about artificial wombs, ranging from hope for saving future babies to fears about coercion and ethical dilemmas.
- The debate around artificial wombs touches on themes of biology vs. technology, care vs. coercion, and the emotional vs. physiological needs of parents and infants.