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Stressed-out office workers putting babies' health at risk

By Yang Wanli (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-31 07:52

A nurse at Peking University Third Hospital takes care of a premature infant. WANG JING / CHINA DAILY

Office workers are increasingly delivering their babies early, according to experts, something they attribute to pressure at work and environmental factors such as pollution.

Pediatricians from Peking University Third Hospital, one of the city's most famous obstetrics hospitals that specializes in the care of pregnant women with complications, warned the problem is getting worse.

"Premature delivery is usually most common among older pregnant women who are aged more than 35 but more young mothers have also suffered from the problem in recent years," said Pu Meihua, general director of pediatrics at the hospital.

Pu said white-collar workers in high stress jobs who work long hours and meet tight deadlines are especially at risk of failing to reach full term with their pregnancies.

An unnamed doctor who had earlier worked for three years as a nurse in Beijing said medical workers are among those at risk because of their long working hours. She said nurses rarely get to enjoy weekends or holidays and typically work for more than eight hours a day.

"Even two days of rest in a month are extravagant hopes," she said.

About 2,500 babies were born at the hospital last year. Between 20 percent and 30 percent of the births were premature.

Citywide, premature births now account for about 10 percent of deliveries.

Feng Zhichun, president of Bayi Children's Hospital, said in his blog that more than one-third of babies delivered at that hospital were born prematurely.

He also suggested that the number of premature babies in Beijing was growing at a rate of 5 percent a year.

"With heavy burdens from work and life, modern female office workers are more likely to suffer from endocrine disorders, which may lead to premature delivery," said Tong Xiaomei, director of pediatrics at the hospital.

"Compared with small cities, the premature delivery rate in metropolises has grown in recent years. Environmental pollution is another factor that leads to premature delivery."

According to Tong, female office workers suffer from a lot of stress, especially younger employees. Many of those young female office workers are choosing to wait until later in life to have babies so they can develop their careers.

"But the problem is that the premature delivery rate will double or even triple when they are aged over 35."

Thirty-two-year-old Zhang, an editor who has been married for five years, said she plans to stop working completely if she becomes pregnant in a bid to reduce the stress on her unborn child.

"Our working hours are not fixed. Sometimes, I get back home very late. It would be unhealthy for my baby and I couldn't accept something that might threaten its life," she said.

Tong said many more women are now receiving fertility treatment because they have had difficulty conceiving a child. She said the treatment was another reason why so many pregnancies are failing to go to full term.

Ye Ronghua, director of the obstetrics department at the hospital, said babies born during the period between 28 and 37 weeks of pregnancy are considered premature. Most babies are born after a 40-week pregnancy.

"Premature babies have a higher risk of being infected with diseases because their immune system is weaker," said Tong.

According to Tong, more than 90 percent of premature babies born at the hospital survive their early birth. The youngest premature baby last year was only 27 weeks old and weighed 780 g.

Zhang Lihua, general director of pediatrics at the Beijing Obstetrics Genecology Hospital, said pregnant women wanting to maximize their chance of having a full-term pregnancy could take more exercise and listen to music to release pressure.

"Do not hesitate to see a doctor if you find anything uncomfortable, such as periodontitis. Some small diseases can lead to premature delivery, which may bring bigger troubles to your baby," she added.