Premature newborn survives after 83 days of intensive treatment in Barwani hospital

Barwani: A premature newborn, one of the triplets delivered by a woman, weighing just 500 grams at birth survived after 83 days of intensive treatment at special newborn care unit (SNCU) of district hospital in Barwani and was discharged on Tuesday. The other two newborns had died shortly after the birth.Assistant nodal officer SNCU, Dr Laxman Awasya told TOI that on Jan 7, Urmila developed sudden labour pain. Doctors at Nisarpur (Dhar) diagnosed a high-risk triplet pregnancy and referred her to Barwani hospital."All three babies were delivered normally. The first and third newborns died shortly after the birth due to extremely low weight and critical condition. The surviving male baby, weighing only 500 grams, was admitted to SNCU," he said.During the initial phase of treatment, the baby's weight dropped to around 400 grams, raising serious concern for parents, who are daily wage labourers. The divisional medical team closely monitored the infant and ensured timely interventions."The newborn battled multiple complications, including respiratory distress syndrome, circulatory shock, necrotising enterocolitis in the third week, prolonged hypoglycaemia, and late-onset sepsis in the sixth week," Dr Awasya said, adding that all conditions were managed successfully through protocol-based intensive care.The mother's consistent Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), involving prolonged skin-to-skin contact, also played a crucial role in recovery.After nearly 12 weeks, the infant showed steady improvement, achieving full feeds, stable vital parameters, and breathing without oxygen support. The baby's weight increased to about 1.23 kg. "The newborn was discharged in stable condition," said SNCU in-charge Dr Roop Singh Bhadle.