Monstrous bodies, ax murderers and psychopaths - Sebastian Fitzek entertains and shocks millions of people with his thrillers. In his private life, six years ago, the Berlin author experienced a situation that challenged his own nerves: the birth of his son Felix, who was born eleven weeks too early. "It was incredibly thin and small and weighed only 1,000 grams - as much as a tetrapak of milk," recalls the 48-year-old.
"We were so fortunate at the time that Felix survived the whole thing so well, we would not have needed that luck if we had informed ourselves correctly before," the father of three children recalls. As ambassador of the association The Premature Infant, he wants to encourage as many expectant parents as possible to find out about suitable hospitals at an early stage - just in case.
"We had not thought at all, but chose a hospital for the birth, which has no neonatology," says Fitzek. These wards specialize in neonatal diseases. His wife and he had been completely careless, so Fitzek. Then burst the amniotic sac in the 30th week. Afterwards, the emergency doctor had to make long calls to find a hospital that would accept babies born before the 32nd week of pregnancy.
Highest risk group: Under 500 grams, less than 24 weeks young
Normally, pregnancy lasts 40 weeks. If a baby is born before the completed 37th week of pregnancy, it is considered premature. This is the case according to the association The premature child in almost every tenth child in Germany, about 65,000 per year. The rising age of mothers, but also hypertension, smoking and stress are considered possible causes. Also, multiple births increase the risk. "Why my wife's bladder burst so early, we still do not know," says Fitzek.
His son was still considered unproblematic with his weight. "Under 500 grams and less than 24 weeks young, this is the absolute maximum risk group," says Christof Dame, Deputy Director of the Department of Neonatology at the Berlin Charité, Campus Virchow-Klinikum.
Children born less than 24 weeks have a 60 percent chance of survival. "Of those who survive, one third develop well, another third with moderate disabilities, and another third survive with severe disabilities," said Dame, whose clinic treats about 180 children a year, weighing less than 1500 grams.
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"Choosing the right clinic can have a huge impact on how the premature baby develops in the future," says the physician, who also treated Felix's son Felix.
"One nurse noticed in the nocturnal gloom that Felix's skin was marbled," says Fitzek. The doctors diagnosed an emerging renal vein thrombosis and were able to treat it in time. "Above all, we owe this to the sister, who had such an incredible experience," said Fitzek. Fortunately, other common complications such as stroke or cerebral hemorrhage did not occur in his son. "He has no consequential damages and is an absolute fighter."
The urgent appeal of the 48-year-old to expectant parents: "Make sure neonatology is around you and see how many children are treated there each year, the more, the better.
Get advice from gynecologists and obstetricians
But where do parents find such information? The Internet portal Perinatalzentren.org lists more than 200 fertility and premature birth centers that exist throughout Germany. However, from the point of view of the neonatologist Rainer Rossi of the board of the German Society for Perinatal Medicine, the many data are difficult to understand for medical laymen. "Also, the statistics in the performance reports of the hospitals are really complicated to read," said Rossi. He recommends consulting with gynecologists and obstetricians.
Whether it takes so many centers in Germany at all or a concentration would be less useful, discuss doctors, health insurance companies and clinics for years controversial. "In Germany, we have a perinatal center for about 4,000 births, while in Sweden a perinatal center supplies about 20,000 births," says Rossi.
In Sweden, the results for premature babies are better than in this country. "Surely you can not just copy everything, but look what you could do in Germany," says Rossi. In some clinics in Germany, the required experience is not always guaranteed around the clock due to insufficient birth and premature birth rates as well as a shortage of personnel.
Sebastian Fitzek wants to process his experiences in the preemie ward possibly in a book. "It's a meeting place for all kinds of people, it's about life and death, you're in an emotional state of emergency," says the author. "I would have liked the research a little less intensively."
