HYDERABAD: Doctors at Niloufer Hospital performed a life-saving intervention and saved the life of a preterm baby, which had contracted pneumonia and was born to a couple after 15 years of marriage. The couple from Hyderabad, who had conceived twins, had initially gone to a private hospital, but unfortunately lost one of the twin children.
“They headed to Niloufer hospital with the second twin who, at the time of delivery, weighed only 1.2 kg and was only 28 weeks old. As the mother was five days into delivery and had little support and guidance on lactation, we had to make use of the milk bank to support the child,” said Dr Swapna L, Associate Professor, Neonatal Department, Niloufer Hospital.
The hospital initiated protein and infection control therapies as the child was vulnerable to diseases, had contracted pneumonia and was on ventilator support. “The kangaroo mother care therapy and other interventions were done, by which the infant’s weight rose to 1.8 kg, and it could be discharged after two months,” Dr Swapna said. In recent weeks, the hospital has dealt with three such cases of babies weighing below 1 kg at birth, who were then being made to gain weight.