Parents of premature newborns call for government support amid limited diaper production and availability

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Parents of premature newborns call for government support amid limited diaper production and availability

Published: 17 Jun. 2025, 15:36 Updated: 17 Jun. 2025, 18:56

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Si-hyeon, a premature newborn born to Shin Min-jeong, 34, in a neonatal intensive care unit [SHIN MIN-JEONG]

With the rise in premature births due to factors like maternal aging and fertility treatments, demand for specialized diapers for premature newborns is growing — but limited production and availability continue to burden parents and raise calls for government support.

On March 4, Shin Min-jeong, 34, gave birth to her second daughter, Si-hyeon, nearly 90 days before her due date of June 6 — at just 26 weeks of pregnancy. The fetus, which had been actively kicking in the womb, suddenly became still about three months before her expected delivery.

Doctors couldn’t identify the cause but told Shin that her amniotic fluid had decreased drastically. Just three hours after a routine checkup, she underwent an emergency C-section. Si-hyeon weighed around 600 grams (21 ounces) at birth.

Babies like Si-hyeon, born before 37 weeks of gestation or weighing less than 2.5 kilograms, are classified as premature and must wear specialized diapers until they reach average newborn size. However, limited supply from manufacturers often causes difficulties for parents.

While neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) at major hospitals typically stock premature baby diapers, many parents struggle to find them for use after discharge or at postnatal care centers.

"Diapers are a necessity, but the limited options on the market made me feel like my choices were restricted," Shin said.

A mother surnamed Park, 37, who gave birth last August at 34 weeks to a 2-kilogram baby boy, also recalled her experience.

A diaper made especially for premature babies by Yuhan-Kimberly [YUHAN-KIMBERLY]

“The care center asked me to prepare premature diapers earlier than scheduled, but it was a weekend, so I had to urgently buy them through a secondhand marketplace,” she said.

Using regular diapers on premature babies can lead to leakage and skin problems, and even allow external contaminants to enter through wounds and cause sepsis. These babies also struggle to regulate their body temperature or maintain posture, necessitating specially designed diapers — typically 20 to 30 centimeters long — until they reach standard weight.

However, there are almost no domestic companies that produce diapers specifically for premature babies.

Only one Korean company, Yuhan-Kimberly, currently produces them. In 2017, the company developed the product after receiving an email from a NICU nurse asking for smaller diapers. Before that, parents often had to cut or fold regular diapers.

Yuhan-Kimberly halts its factory production lines every two months to manufacture these special diapers, which are then donated to NICUs nationwide or offered for free on its online store.

“The product requires delicate manufacturing and yields low profit due to its size and market limitations,” a diaper company employee explained.

Experts say government action is needed as the proportion of premature births continues to rise. The percentage of premature births rose from 6 percent in 2011 to 9.2 percent in 2021, according to a 2023 report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Statistics Korea estimates that roughly 10 percent of babies born this year will be premature or underweight.

A nurse looks after a prematurely born baby at a neonatal intensive care unit at Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital [CHUNGNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY SEJONG HOSPITAL]

One of the main reasons is maternal aging. The share of mothers aged 35 and older increased from 27.6 percent in 2013 to 36.3 percent in 2023. Older mothers are at higher risk of complications such as hypertension, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, which often lead to early delivery.

Multiple pregnancies, due to more common fertility treatments, are another factor. Implanting multiple embryos raises the chance of twins or triplets — and with limited nutrients, those babies are more likely to be born prematurely.

Premature birthrates are 8 percent for singletons, 53 percent for twins and 92 percent for triplets, according to CHA Medical Center.

“Government subsidies are needed to help offset the production costs of these diapers, especially since expecting companies to take a loss isn’t realistic,” said Lee Byoung-kook, a pediatrician at Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital.

“We should encourage socially responsible companies through incentives like favorable loan conditions, bond issuance or impact investing so they can recoup costs from producing specialized goods,” said Kang Kyeong-hoon, a professor of business administration at Dongguk University.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM SEONG-JIN [[email protected]]