I know that it is physically possible because when my daughter was born she had to go to the neo-natal intrensive care unit for a week and while she was there they had a boy that was born by caesarian (however you spell it...LOL)at 6 months, as a result of an serious injury to his mother in a house fire, but all the medical professionals stated that while the child did survive the birth, there was an extremely high liklihood that the child still might not survive or perhaps would have serious mental problems. I never heard any more about how the child did, but yes, it is possible to be born at 6 months.

Well if she was 3 months early, that would make her mother 6 months or 26.4 weeks. (Approx)
The survival rate in 1929 @ 26.4 weeks would be highly unlikely.

Odds of a Premature Baby's Survival by Length of Pregnancy
These are statistics for today's medical treatments -- NOT 1929.

From the March of Dimes:

Length of Pregnancy Likelihood of Survival
23 weeks 17%
24 weeks 39%
25 weeks 50%
26 weeks 80%
27 weeks 90%
28-31 weeks 90-95%
32-33 weeks 95%
34+ weeks Almost as likely as a full-term baby

My MIL claims to have been born 3 months early--that would have been in the mid-20's. She was a very truthful woman, and I have no reason to doubt her. She said her mother was told she probably wouldn't survive, but she did. She did have some learning issues (IMO), was a relatively small woman and had some other problems, but lived well into her 80's.

People back in the 'old' days, didn't have the high-tech equipment we have, but they did, in many cases, have a lot of instinctual knowlege that helped them survive and care for their families in situations we modern folk don't think we could handle.

Not knowing the woman you're studying, I can't possibly guess whether or not she's telling the truth, but I'm glad my MIL survived being born severely premature, because I can't imagine life without my husband being in it.

I agree with pudge. We all know that babies are prematurely born at all stages of the pregnancy. The question is, could a baby born 3 months premature survive with the technology available in 1929. I think it would be miraculous. But then again. I believe in miracles.

It would be unusual but not impossible. It's also possible that she was born 2 months early and it was thought she was 3 months early or that the story has gotten exaggerated over time. It would still be unusual for a 7 month baby to survive but much more likely.

I have a friend in her mid-80's now, who makes that same claim. She was the youngest of 10 siblings, placed in a box behind the stove and not expected to live. Her life story is one of such hardship...living in mining claims in the deserts of California with no medical care or and limited food etc...it is amazing that she did survive. She still is "a tough old bird" and until recently could work as hard as any man doing almost anything. The "need" to survive must be extraordinary in some cases. JMHO Nanny

A full term pregnancy is 40 weeks gestation, so if a child were born "3 months early" that could be 28-29 weeks, not 25-26. I think it is highly possible that a baby born then, at that time, could survive. It all depends how mature the lungs are. Size really doesn't matter as long as the lungs can function.

I agree with superblues. I am an NICU nurse and have seen survivors that small that didn't need respirators. You can read history books of some fed with little spoons or eyedroppers to start. Her mother could have even been wrong on her dates and she also could have been small for her gestational age when she was born, making people think she was born earlier than she actually was gestationally. Often 28-29 week gestation babies did better than those born at 32 weeks. Life can surprise you.

"born three months before projected"

When a woman is pregnant, her "due date" is written as EDC which stands for Estimated Date of Confinement. Yes, estimated. And the method of determining that date is to take the date the last menstrual cycle started, count back three months, and add seven days. Very scientific, isn't it.... Women ovulate 14 days before the onset of their next menses, but unless your cycles are on-the-dot the same number of days each and every month, you can be "off" when trying to determine when you got pregnant. And, it's not that uncommon for women to have what they think is a period even after they've become pregnant, thereby putting the EDC out of whack.

There are times that babies were said to be born "early" when the date of conception needed to be adjusted or confused.

I think it's possible.

I would guess it is an exageration or alteration of facts, whether by her or by her family.

My MIL amazingly got older and older *after* she died... when her family was no longer afraid to tell the truth.

Thanks. Always interesting.

I remember back when any babies who arrived before the ninth month of marriage were "premature"....was this person the first-born in the famly???

Possible. When I got pregnant with my first, the doctor did two calculations-One based on my last menstrual period , and the Second a sonogram which showed the fetus was "five weeks old". I delivered her naturally exactly two weeks before the "due date". Doc told me 38 weeks is not premature, tho she did weigh under 6 pounds. (5 lb, 14 oz). So I guess three moths premature is "possible". If she was the first born, I might think her mother "fudged" a little, either on her marriage date or the birth date.

My Great Grandmother was born in the 1880's. Supposedly she was so tiny at birth that her Mom could slip her wedding band over the baby's hand and wear it like a bracelet. She lived well into her 90's.

As for "term" pregnancies a wise old woman once told me that, "After a couple is married the first baby can come anytime, but, after that it takes 9 months." ;-)

Ron

I should have mentioned that this person was a first born, but was born (in a first-class hospital for 1929)a couple months after her parents' first wedding anniversery, which wedding event was covered by local newspapers (the family was socially prominent). So that doesn't enter into the story.

From the responses, unquestionably such event might have happened; whether it did in this specific case would be unknown.

The Dionne quints were 25 weeks and there were FIVE of them, amazing that they all survived and it was a home delivery.

My cousin was born in 1973 at 6 mos. gestation and weighed 1" 11 oz. This was in northern Maine where there was no large hospital, just a small local one. The doctor actually tossed her into a basket and later went in to tell my aunt and uncle that she didn't make it. They were not surprised since my aunt had already had several miscarriages. They discussed adoption and were pretty much resigned to it.

Later the doctor came in and surprised them with the news that the baby girl indeed was alive, but it would be very touch and go. No there was no NICU at the hospital. She was in intensive care, and just cared for and watched by the nurses. Three months later, the 4 pound baby girl came home on Father's Day. She's 38 years old now and an extremely smart medical transcriptionist with not one mental or physical problem. Completely amazing consider that that would be an unusual outcome even now.

My mom was premature, in 1917, though I don't know by how much. Mom weighed just a couple of ounces over 2 pounds and was born at home. My grandmother was there alone (of course not expecting baby to appear yet). I've always thought it was a miracle she survived. Baby clothes were far too large and they found doll clothes for her to wear. She was so fragile that my grandparents were afraid that her skin would tear, so they carried her on a pillow. She wasn't able to suck, so they fed her sugar water on a tiny bit of fabric which they would dip in the water then place in her mouth. We have her baby clothes and they are extremely tiny. She lived into her upper 80s and had no ill effects from her premature birth.

About 30 years ago, I worked with a man who claimed to have weighed only 1 lb at birth because he was so premature. He was about 40 to 45 at the time. There was no reason for him to have made up a story like that. Anyway he was just fine both physically and mentally. I guess the bottom line is that some make it and some don't, sophisticated medical care or not.