Link of hope

Tiny "warriors"

Looking at the two children An Sinh and Huu Thinh playing happily in the yard, it is hard to imagine that more than 3 years ago, these twins had to face "death's door", when they were born when their mother was just over 24 weeks pregnant.

Recalling the memories of those days on the brink of life and death, Ms. Bui Thi Thien in Thai Thuy commune (Le Thuy) is still very emotional. Having some difficulties in having children, after 3 years of marriage, she and her husband decided to do IVF in 2021.

More than 3 years ago, when they were born, An Sinh and Huu Thinh only weighed approximately 700 grams.

Ms. Thien recalls: “When the pregnancy was over 24 weeks, I went for a routine check-up and the doctor discovered signs of premature labor so he ordered me to be hospitalized. At that time, the obstetricians said they only wanted to hold on for two more days to get injections to mature the lungs, because being so premature, I was afraid it would be very difficult. After lying down for more than a day, I went into labor. At that time, there were many doctors and nurses in the delivery room who had prepared incubators, oxygen tanks, etc. Later, I found out that there were also doctors and nurses from the obstetrics and pediatrics departments to welcome the babies.”

The two babies were born one after the other, the baby girl weighed only 730 grams, and the baby boy weighed only 670 grams, with extremely fragile bodies. “At that time, the doctor discussed with the family that they needed to prepare mentally because the two babies were too weak, afraid they wouldn’t be able to keep them...”, said Nguyen Van Hoang, the babies’ father.

From then on, for three months, the two tiny “warriors” together with their parents and the doctors and nurses at the Pediatrics Department “fought” all the diseases in a serious condition. “The Covid-19 epidemic situation was quite tense at that time, so family members were not allowed in, only my husband and I took care of the children. Many days, I was so tired from holding the children that I fell asleep, the two children stopped breathing, the monitor rang without me knowing. The doctors and nurses stimulated the children to breathe again, then proactively gave them milk... The uncles and aunts took good care of the children. My husband and I are very grateful for what we have today!”, Ms. Thien shared.

The Obstetrics and Pediatrics team at the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital in Dong Hoi performed resuscitation on an extremely premature newborn.

The twins of pregnant woman Bui Thi Thien are one of the difficult cases in recent years that the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Departments have closely coordinated to care for and successfully treat.

At the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Pediatrics Department currently has many children receiving special care. The room with all kinds of machines and tangled wires is a place filled with worries and hopes for the little creatures fighting for their lives every minute, every hour.

Ms. Luu Thi Dung and her children in Quang Tien commune (Quang Trach) spent more than 2 months in this treatment area. Pregnant with twins, she was predicted to give birth prematurely and was admitted to the emergency room when she was more than 28 weeks pregnant. “When I learned that there was a risk of premature birth, and then when I had an emergency cesarean section, my children were born weighing just over 1kg, weak with many illnesses, I was very worried. But fortunately, with the advice, guidance, and dedicated care of the doctors and nurses in the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Department, I felt more secure. Now my health is stable, and my children have been discharged from the hospital. Thank you, the doctors and nurses here!”, Ms. Dung confided.

The “handshake” holds life…

“Please invite the Pediatrics Department to the operating room to receive the 26-week-old baby” - similar calls from the Obstetrics Department are often connected to the Pediatrics Department when there are difficult births that affect the health, even the life, of the newborn baby.

Premature babies will receive special care with the best conditions.

“When receiving the call, the spirit of the neonatal team was ready as if entering a battle. Immediately, the emergency box was checked to ensure all equipment was ready; a transport incubator and an incubator in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit were turned on to ensure continuous warmth; the self-generated CPAP system (non-invasive respiratory support measure) was started for use as soon as the baby had the first spontaneous breath, keeping the fragile alveoli from breaking or collapsing,” shared Dr. CK II Pham Thi Ngoc Han, Head of the Pediatrics Department.

After stabilization on the resuscitation table, the child is taken from the operating room and delivery room to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit under conditions that ensure survival factors.

Previously, the Obstetrics Department had developed a separate, individualized treatment regimen for each pregnant woman, in order to optimize the health of the mother and baby before birth in cases of high-risk pregnancies. At the same time, it provided prognoses for births to inform the Pediatrics Department for necessary coordination. For cases of acute fetal distress, premature births, and malformed children, the Pediatrics team was always present in the delivery room, ready to coordinate with the Obstetrics Department for timely resuscitation.

For babies in incubators, all care requires high concentration and extreme care and tenderness.

Dr. Tran Thi Son Tra, Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Deputy Director in charge of professional affairs at HNVN-CBDH Hospital, said: “We have built a seamless, rhythmic and effective coordination process between the two departments. Obstetricians provide timely and accurate information about pregnancy and the condition of the child, helping the Pediatrics Department prepare an appropriate care plan. The Pediatrics Department provides continuous support from before to after birth, helping to build a continuous chain of care from when the child is in the womb until birth, ensuring that “special” children after birth will receive special care, safety, health and the best conditions.”

The professional coordination process between the two Departments of Obstetrics and Pediatrics at HNVN-CBDH Hospital has been increasingly improved over the years, contributing to saving the lives of many premature, extremely premature, and low birth weight babies under 1,000 grams, helping to minimize the risk of long-term complications, bringing joy to many patient families.

“When we receive pediatric patients from the Obstetrics Department, we have to be careful, highly focused, ensure every detail is accurate, and be extremely gentle and caring, because the patients are so young. We also regularly attend training courses to update our knowledge of emergency resuscitation, improve work efficiency, and be able to save more children,” said Ms. Le Thi Hong Nhung, a nurse in the Pediatrics Department.

Huong Le

Source: https://baoquangbinh.vn/suc-khoe/202504/mat-xich-noi-lien-hy-vong-2225951/