How we handled our son's birth at the limits of viability after an unexpected pregnancy

Abstract

In this paper, Dirk-Jan and Hiske, the parents of an infant born at 24 weeks of gestation, provide an insight into their experiences of their sons's birth and making decisions at the limit of viability. They were faced with the risk of an extremely premature birth at 22 weeks of gestation. The delivery miraculously stalled, and the limit of viability moved closer. The couple received prenatal counselling about the treatment options after birth, which were initiating intensive care treatment or comfort care. Together with physicians, they made the decision to initiate intensive care treatment if the infant was born in the grey zone. Different values were considered important in their lives during the decision-making process.