The smallest can weigh not much more than 250g and be held in the palm of an adult’s hand. The skin of extremely premature babies – born at perhaps 22 or 24 weeks instead of 40 – can be translucent, allowing their organs to be seen. They are, as one medic puts it, “on the cusp of viability”.
Other babies have arrived at full term but suffered problems during their birth, such as a catastrophic loss of oxygen and/or blood to their brain. Or they may have a serious medical condition that was picked up during antenatal care, such as spina bifida or a congenital heart problem. So their care in NHS neonatal units, such as the one the serial killer nurse Lucy Letby worked in, is both urgent and gentle, dramatic and heart-rending.
