The arduous journey to save the life of a premature baby

At the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Dong Nai Children's Hospital, many extremely premature newborns with a high risk of death have been miraculously saved by doctors and nurses.

Two premature baby boys are cared for by their grandmother and mother using the “skin-to-skin” method at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Photo: Hanh Dung

To achieve that happiness, in addition to the professional qualifications and high skills of the medical team, we must mention their dedication, love, and dedicated care for small creatures.

Never give up

Ms. Tran Thi Mai Ly (residing in Phu Vinh commune, Dong Nai province) shared: Her pregnancy was not smooth. In the first 3 months, the fetus threatened to miscarry so she did not dare to do any heavy work. When the fetus was 24 weeks and 6 days old, she went into early labor and gave birth. Her son was tiny, only 900g, so weak that his life was as fragile as a thread.

After being born at Dong Nai General Hospital, the baby was given CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) support right in the delivery room. This is a modern technique that helps the lungs expand early, reducing the risk of respiratory failure. The baby was then urgently transferred to Dong Nai Children's Hospital for further intensive resuscitation.

Specialist II Huynh Thi Thanh, Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, said: “Treatment of extremely premature babies requires the coordination of many modern techniques and the utmost patience of the medical team. We apply the method of pumping surfactant using a non-invasive technique (Lisa) to help expand the lungs physiologically, reducing lung damage. The baby is given non-invasive ventilation, intravenous feeding, and then gradually trained to breastfeed, only 1ml of milk at a time but regularly every day.”

During more than 70 days of treatment at the hospital, the baby went through many critical stages. From pneumonia, pulmonary bleeding to apnea due to an immature brain... But thanks to the patient and dedicated care of the medical staff, the baby has steadfastly overcome everything. Up to now, the baby weighs nearly 2kg, feeds well, has rosy skin, and moves flexibly. This is the case of the most premature baby ever successfully treated at Dong Nai Children's Hospital.

As for the family of Ms. HTVA (living in Phuoc Tan ward, Dong Nai province), the joy was doubled when both premature boys (26 weeks) were successfully cared for and treated. From 950g at birth, after nearly 2 months of intensive care, the two boys gradually gained weight to nearly 2kg, and their health progressed well.

The miraculous survival of an extremely premature baby boy, weighing only 900g, is a testament to the remarkable development of Dong Nai pediatric medicine. The baby will continue to be monitored for up to 2 years after discharge to assess hearing, vision, movement and psychology...

The devotion of "second mothers"

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Dong Nai Children's Hospital receives hundreds of premature births each year, many of which weigh only 600g-1kg. In recent years, thanks to investment in modern equipment and specialized training, the quality of treatment at the department has improved significantly. The survival rate of premature babies at the department has increased compared to the period before 2020.

Specialist II Doctor Huynh Thi Thanh said: “Taking care of a premature baby is like raising a fragile life in an incubator. Every breath, heartbeat, and drop of milk is meticulously monitored. Just a small mistake can put the baby in danger. Therefore, in addition to professional knowledge, nurses and doctors must have a patient and loving heart.”

Head nurse of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Tran Ton Nu Anh Ny shared: At the department, babies are cared for using the "skin-to-skin" method, which means the mother holds her baby in her chest to transmit warmth, breath and heartbeat, helping the baby stabilize body temperature, reduce stress, and gain weight better. When the mother holds her baby, the mother's body temperature is like a magical source of energy that helps the baby recover faster. Some babies only need 3-4 days after being held skin-to-skin to be weaned off the ventilator.

From the treatment experience, Dr. Thanh said: The causes of premature birth are very diverse. It can be due to amniotic infection, early amniotic fluid leakage, the mother has an underlying disease (diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease), or the mother does heavy labor, prolonged stress. In particular, many unfortunate cases occur because the pregnant woman is subjective when there are abnormal signs and does not go to the doctor early.

To reduce the risk of premature birth, Dr. Thanh recommends that women should have a pre-pregnancy health check-up to detect potential diseases early. Regular prenatal check-ups on schedule, at least 8 times during pregnancy to monitor the development of the fetus. In addition, it is necessary to keep a comfortable mentality, avoid heavy work, avoid staying up late, especially in the first and last 3 months of pregnancy. Supplement with proper nutrition, especially iron, calcium, folic acid and necessary vitamins. When there are abnormal signs such as: lower abdominal pain, bleeding, amniotic fluid leakage, weak fetal movement, you need to go to the doctor immediately for timely intervention.

“No one wants to give birth prematurely, because a child born early faces countless challenges. But if that unfortunately happens, parents should believe that with the advancement of medicine and the efforts of the medical team, the chance of survival for premature babies still exists,” Dr. Thanh emphasized.

Hanh Dung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202510/hanh-trinh-gian-nan-gianh-su-song-cho-tre-sinh-non-d051701/