Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital: First time successfully raising a premature baby born more than 24 weeks

With a history of infertility, Ms. NTN (34 years old, Nghi Loc) had to apply assisted reproductive measures. Fortunately, on the first time performing IVF, Ms. NTN had twins. Happy with the joy of preparing to become a father and mother for the first time, Ms. N. and her husband tried to take care of the pregnancy as much as possible.

However, after more than 24 weeks of a peaceful pregnancy, Ms. NTN had to be hospitalized in an emergency with signs of premature birth. The ability to keep the fetus in the mother's body was no longer possible, and she needed to deliver immediately. Ensuring a safe delivery was very difficult... the lives of the two babies were threatened as soon as they were born.

The hospital has provided special care and treatment for premature and low birth weight babies. Photo: Hoang Yen

The “not so bright” conclusion of the urgent consultation between obstetricians and neonatal resuscitation doctors ofNghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospitalmade N. and her husband feel like they were on fire. The couple could only put all their trust and hope in the doctors and nurses.

On the morning of November 25, 2022, two extremely weak newborn babies, one boy and one girl, were born after 24 weeks and 5 days in the womb, weighing only 600g and 700g. They were named after their mother, NTN 1 (girl), and NTN 2 (boy). After birth, the two babies did not cry, had no reflexes, and had slow heart rates.

With close coordination and preparation in advance, neonatal intensive care doctors were on duty in the delivery room, immediately resuscitated and intubated the two babies and quickly transferred them to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with specialized equipment.

With many years of experience in the field of neonatology and having successfully raised many premature and low birth weight babies, specialist doctor 2 Truong Le Thi - Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit affirmed: “This is a particularly difficult case. Extremely premature babies (under 28 weeks of pregnancy) and low birth weight babies (under 1,000g) have many potential neonatal risks such as asphyxia, respiratory failure, cerebral and pulmonary hemorrhage, intestinal necrosis, infection, metabolic disorders, hemolytic jaundice…”.

After more than 3 months of treatment, the premature baby has developed stably, weighing 2.4 kg and can breastfeed on his own. Photo: Hoang Yen

Dr. Truong Le Thi said: “We had to apply many synchronous measures at the same time, such as incubator, mechanical ventilation via endotracheal tube, Surfactant injection, total parenteral nutrition, antibiotics, vasopressors via umbilical vein catheter, and at the same time, umbilical artery placement to continuously monitor blood pressure. The two babies also had blood tests, X-rays, etc. to screen for diseases.”

"However, due to being born extremely prematurely and underweight, the baby boy's health was extremely weak. After 2 days of struggling, his condition rapidly deteriorated and he could no longer survive. The life of the remaining baby girl was the last hope we had to try to preserve for the small family of the mother NTN," Dr. Thi shared.

With all their love, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit closely monitored the health condition and cared for the baby girl, mother NTN. With a special treatment regimen, doctors simultaneously applied modern methods with equipment for fragile newborns. In addition, the light, noise, and infection modes were strictly controlled.

After more than 3 months of meticulous care 24/7, the child's condition gradually improved positively. Each milestone of the child's progress was a joy for the department and the family. After more than 3 months of treatment, the child developed steadily with a weight of 2.4 kg and could breastfeed on his own.

On March 6, the baby was discharged home amid the joy of his family and the staff of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Photo: Hoang Yen

On March 6, the baby was discharged home amid the joy of his family and the staff of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Dr. Tran Van Cuong, Deputy Director of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit congratulated the family, gave gifts, and wished the baby well.

“When my baby was first born, I was so worried and scared that I didn’t dare let my wife go to the hospital to see her. I didn’t dare believe that my daughter could live. Many times I saw my little girl “on the verge of death” in the incubator… Now that I can hold my baby in my arms and watch my wife breastfeed, I think it’s a miracle.” – Mr. PVH - Ms. N’s husband shared.

Care and treatment of premature and extremely premature infants remains a major challenge in the field of neonatal resuscitation due to the high rate of complications and mortality; high risk of respiratory diseases, infections, and life-threatening conditions. The life of NTN's baby girl not only requires modern equipment and special protocols, but more importantly, the coordinated and scientific preparation of the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Department./.