Mumbai micro preemie thrives, goes home

Mayuri Fernandes with Ezekiel, born after 24 weeks of pregnancy

A child born after only 24 weeks of pregnancy was saved and discharged on Monday, after a three-month stay at the hospital. The child, medically termed micro preemie, was delivered on August 13 after his mother Mayuri was diagnosed with urinary tract infection which led to preterm delivery.

Christened Ezekiel, doctors at PD Hinduja Hospital call him a fighter. "Micro preemies are extremely difficult to manage as they are fragile and the chances of survival are bleak," said Dr Avinash Desai, neonatologist, under whose care the child was treated.

Doctors said Ezekiel weighed only 600 gms at birth at the Khar Hospital and was then shifted to the Mahim facility for the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). "He successfully managed to beat the odds. He was discharged this week with a weight of 1.5 kgs," said Dr Desai.

Ezekiel is one of the smallest preemies born in the 24th week of gestation to survive. "We named him Ezekiel, meaning the strength of God. Before the c-section, my husband and I were counselled on the survival of the child. We didn't have any hope. But after his birth, they told us his vitals were normal," said Mayuri Fernandes, the mother and an IT professional.