The Real Costs of Prematurity

With the continuous rise in the number of babies born prematurely each year, it is imperative that we understand the magnitude of the expense and the opportunity in reducing the number of babies born too soon, as well as the benefits of breastfeeding those babies whose premature birth cannot be avoided. It is estimated that the average cost of each of the more than 500,000 premature babies born each year is almost $50,000. ¹ Compared with the almost $5,000 for each of the 24 million diabetics treated each year, ² the immediate cost benefit by avoiding just one premature birth should be obvious.

As a society we exhaust a lot of resources responding to patients with diabetes, congestive heart failure, ³ asthma, ⁴ etc. On average, we generally know the short- and long-term, medical and non-medical costs associated with these diseases. We have yet, however, to even estimate the non-medical expense that each premature baby will cost the educational system, the justice system, ⁵ or even national security ⁶ when we fail to respond to them with the most effective forms of treatment and management, beginning with breastfeeding. ⁷

The real cost of prematurity has yet to be determined. What we do know, however, is that its incidence can be reduced and that breastfeeding all newborns provides the best opportunity to minimize the occurrence of developmental concerns associated with physical and mental health, as well as the societal concerns we face from having individuals who are underdeveloped and ill prepared to respond to some of the most basic demands of an ordered, productive, and dynamic society.