Miracle baby: Woman weighing 160-kg gives birth to a healthy baby after 14 years of marriage

Simmora Dsouza with her new born and Dr Mangala Patil

Simmora Dsouza, a 33-year-old woman working in an international BPO, was unable to conceive due to her history of hypothyroidism along with menstrual irregularities and morbid obesity.

Her weight shot up to 185 kgs a few years back for which she underwent a bariatric surgery. In one-of-a-kind operations in Mumbai, Dsouza gave birth to a healthy 3.2 kg baby after 14 years of marriage. The delivery was done via cesarean section by Dr Mangala Patil, consultant obstetrician, and gynaecologist from Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road.

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Obesity and pregnancy are considered as a high-risk pregnancy as they invite risk for the baby and mother which affects the pregnancy output. Obese women in pregnancy face challenges and complications such as preterm delivery, abortion, recurrent pregnancy loss, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, convulsions and low birth weight babies, remarks Patil.

In high-risk pregnancies, a patient needs surgical intervention and has a high chance of cesarean section. During delivery, the patient can have postpartum hemorrhage and can need a blood transfusion. The patient may need an intensive care unit. Post delivery there are chances of DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) due to morbid obesity.

The obese patient should go for weight reduction before conception through a proper diet plan, and lifestyle modifications and if having thyroid disorder, hypertension, diabetes or heart disease, the patient should go for medical treatment to optimise the condition, thus improving the outcome both for mother and baby.

Morbidly obese patients are unable to reduce weight through diet and exercise and are in a rush for weight loss (Bariatric) Surgery is an option. The patient wanted to conceive so she underwent bariatric surgery, which helped her reduce her weight from 185 kg to 130kg.

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The team who performed the surgery was led by Dr Mangala Patil & Dr. S N Agarwal, neonatologist Dr Nitu Mundhra, Endocrinologist Dr Harsh Parekh, and experts of the Anaesthesia team Dr Devendra Deshmukh, Dr Farzeen Qureshi and Dr Monal Shah. Both, the mother and baby are in good health following the successful delivery.

Patil added, "Being a high-risk pregnancy patient needs more frequent follow-up and regular ultrasonography along with proper diet and exercise, the patient was following everything. Normally average weight gain in the pregnancy is 11kg, in this case, it was 30kg.

"Our dream of having a baby seemed unattainable for years. After 14 years of marriage marked by struggles with obesity and thyroid problems, I almost gave up hope. I had tears of joy in my eyes after I held the baby for the first time and welcomed him to this world. I am on top of the world after embracing motherhood. I am forever indebted to Dr Mangala Patil and her team for giving me and my baby a new lease of life," concluded the patient Mrs. Simmora Dsouza.