Subsequent pregnancy following the birth of an extremely low birth-weight infant

Of 103 mothers who delivered an extremely low birth-weight (ELBW, less than 1,000g) infant, 29% were primiparous; 51% of those who were multiparous had at least one previous miscarriage or perinatal death. The 41 (40%) mothers who decided against subsequent pregnancy were significantly older than the remaining mothers. Mothers were also significantly more likely to decide against subsequent pregnancy if their ELBW infant had survived. The outcome of subsequent pregnancies within 3 years of the ELBW birth was ascertained; 28% ended in miscarriage, 3% in stillbirth, 1% in neonatal death, 21% in a surviving preterm infant and 51% in a survivor born at term. Mothers diagnosed to have cervical incompetence had a significantly higher risk of a subsequent preterm birth. During the study period, 87% of mothers who became pregnant subsequent to their ELBW infant gave birth to at least one surviving child. Of the subsequent livebirths, 36% were less than 2,500g, 11% were less than 1,500g and 5% were less than 1,000g. Significantly more mothers whose ELBW infant had died conceived again within 1 year compared to those whose ELBW infant had survived. The necessary time for recovery from bereavement may be cut short by the subsequent pregnancy. The psychological problems as a result of unresolved mourning which mothers experience and their effects on subsequent children need to be further studied.