Although I realize that everyone can have their own opinion about the lengths parents and medical staff go to in regards to micro preemies, you should be cognizant of every angle before you form that opinion.
Let me start by saying that if you have never been in a nicu parents shoes, consider yourself lucky. It's a club that nobody wants to be a member of. You have not had to sit and watch your baby thru a clear plastic isolate and feel absolutely helpless and devastated.
Who are you to cast judgement over decisions someone, who is not you, made for their child? Does that impact your life? Not so much.
I found this documentary years ago and actually corresponded with the family after I cried my eyes out only 30 seconds in. I had a 25 week 0 day micropreemie a year after Nicolas was born. If you switch my sons name with Nicolas', you wouldnt have to change a thing in the doc. We paralleled each other right down to the horrific phone call about baby rupturing his bowel. My son IS Nicolas.
Here is the part most of you negative Nancy's don't seem to realize... every baby has different outcomes even though the story is the same. My son was d/c after 119 days and 6 surgeries. He was 2 lbs and 14 in at birth. His lowest weight was 1 lb 10 oz. . We were prepared by staff (even though my husband and I were firefighter/emts at the time so we already had a solid medical understanding of the risks) for the worst case scenario. Blindness/rop from prolonged oxygen usage. Deafness from the antibiotics. C/P from a traumatic birth. Learning disabilities. Developmental delays. Speech problems. Cardiac/lung issues. GI issues caused by ruptures/the illiostomy (my sons was reversed right before he came home). Basically, there was a very high chance we would be in this family's shoes. For us, that worst case never showed up but it did for Nicholas. My son came home with ZERO medical issues and equipment. No oxygen, no apnea monitors. NOTHING. That's unheard of, especially so many years ago. Do you want to know an update on my son? Just graduated high school right on time. He is currently pursuing his EMT/fire science degree to follow in his dad and I footsteps. The only way you would ever know he was a micropreemie is by looking at his surgical scars and the PDA clamp still in his heart.
So if your theory is that keeping these micropreemies alive is a cruel waste of money/resources, educate yourself. If it was up to you, my son wouldnt be alive. I wouldn't wish the NICU/micro onto my worst enemy. If you have ever thought "what would I do in that situation" be thankful because you're imagining it vs living it.
I transitioned from a street paramedic to NICU RN because of our experiences there. I needed to "pay it forward" and put the survivors guilt to good use and help save other micropreemies and sick neonates. Over the years I have watched countless preemies go home and term babies die. It doesn't make sense. EVERY. SITUATION. IS. DIFFERENT. It speaks volumes to me if you forned your opinions after seeing only 1 families story, take your negativity elsewhere. I can't wrap my head around the "selfish" and "muchhausen" accusations... also, if you are planning on using big words like "munchausen", google it so you actually understand the disorder. Go look it up then put "by proxy" at the end. It's actually been renamed "Factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA)". You cant even get your insults right like a bunch of keyboard cowboys.
Also, that waste of resources/$ is really none of your business. My son was double covered since my husband and I weren't married yet and we worked for the same agency. My sons policies were under the same insurance company. We didnt even have so much as a $10 copay. They paid out almost 1 million to the hospital and specialists and I don't lose a bit of sleep over that. They fought it but had no leg to stand on. They couldnt weasel their way out of the amount. The resources/$ used on my son didn't come out of anyone's pocket so you have no grounds to complain about it.
