CHOC Children's Featured on KABC

(The following is an excerpt of the story “Facilities, Equipment Help ‘Preemie’ Babies” by Denise Dador of KABC in Los Angeles.)

About 12 percent of babies in the U.S. are born prematurely. Babies born as early as 24 weeks, who weigh less than 1 or 2 pounds, are at very high risk of death during their first few days.

One local hospital has dedicated an entire unit just to this fragile population of patients.

All the patients in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Children’s Hospital of Orange County arrived way too early.

“He was born at 25 weeks, but my water had broke at 21 weeks,” said Rebecca Odami, mother of a “preemie.” 

*Read the full story and see the video segment on the KABC-TV Web site.