Pune doctors save life of 550-gram baby battling through 100 days in the NICU

In a remarkable achievement doctors in Pune have successfully saved the life of a 23week premature baby boy weighing only 550 grams at birth and complications like breathing difficulties The baby delivered after premature rupture of membranes at a private hospital in Kondhwa required immediate life support The NICU transport team also known as ldquoNICU on wheelsrdquo retrieved the extremely premature newborn in a specialised neonatal ambulanceAfter 100 days of care the baby was discharged at 37 weeks weighing 22 kgs breastfeeding well and showing a healthy developmental progressThe couple who were expecting their first child and eagerly looking forward to parenthood had to face a challenge They never imagined that their joyful journey would suddenly turn into fear and uncertaintyOne evening the wife experienced unusual discomfort and within hours her water broke Since she had no prior chronic illnesses no thyroid or diabetes concerns and her antenatal checkups had been normal so far she was in the lowrisk pregnancy category This unexpected complication came without any warning signs adding to the shock and anxiety for the coupleTerrified and in pain the husband rushed her to a nearby private hospital Upon evaluation the obstetrics team confirmed that Rima had gone into extremely preterm labour at just 23 weeks of pregnancy Her condition progressed rapidly and the team performed a spontaneous vaginal deliveryThe baby boy was born weighing only 550 grams requiring urgent and specialised neonatal intervention due to his extreme prematurityRecognising the critical condition of the newborn the doctors immediately contacted Motherhood Hospital Lullanagar in Pune Within minutes the specialised NICU on Wheels ambulance arrived to take care of the baby and mother Led by Dr Prashant Laxmanrao Ramtekkar consultant ndash Paediatrician amp Neonatologist at the hospital the neonatal team carefully stabilised the micropreemie placed him on a ventilator and transported him with the highest level of precision and monitoringDr Prashant shared ldquoWhen we received the call we knew this baby needed immediate and advanced support to survive Babies born at 23 weeks and weighing under 600 grams fall into the micropreemie category and face extremely high risks mdash including breathing failure brain bleeding infections and feeding difficulties Our NICU on Wheels team reached the hospital stabilised and intubated the newborn and transferred him safely The first few hours were critical but timely action made a tremendous difference in his survivalrdquoHe added ldquoThe baby had underdeveloped lungs severe breathing difficulty and required ventilator support from the first minute of life We administered surfactant to help lung maturation and continued ventilation for seven days after which he was shifted to noninvasive support like CPAP and HFNC He also developed lateonset sepsis This caused his blood to fail to clot properly making the situation very critical Treating such babies is extremely challenging because every organ is immature We carefully managed fluids to prevent heart issues like PDA Patent Ductus Arteriosus is a small blood vessel in a babyrsquos heart that normally closes soon after birth monitored brain scans performed ROP screening and ensured hearing development Each milestone he achieved felt like a victoryrdquoldquoFor extremely premature babies nutrition is as important as breathing support The baby was started on total parenteral nutrition and later transitioned to expressed motherrsquos milk through a feeding tube Gradually we increased feeds as he tolerated them Kangaroo Mother Care was introduced early which helped him gain stability bond with his parents and grow physically and emotionally By the time of discharge he was breastfeeding well gaining weight and all his screenings for brain eyes and hearing were normal The baby was discharged at 37 weeks of life weighing 22 kgs and was accepting breastfeeding well The total NICU stay was 100 days This shows a promising longterm outcome We have advised regular followups to monitor his growth and developmentrdquo highlighted Dr RamtekkarIndia records one of the highest burdens of prematurity in the world with about 13 per cent of babies born preterm and over 3 million preterm births in 2020 alone These newborns are extremely vulnerable and require immediate specialized care to survive and thrive Thatrsquos why timely intervention skilled neonatal support and a fully equipped hospital with advanced NICU systems are essential With the right expertise and rapid response even the tiniest babies get a real chance at lifeldquoWhen I saw my baby for the first time just 550 grams my heart just sank Every day in the NICU was an emotional rollercoaster where even the smallest milestone felt like a big victory I held on to hope each time he opened his eyes and breathed a little better The team of doctors and nurses at Motherhood Lullanagar became our biggest strength through the toughest days Today watching him breastfeed and grow feels like witnessing a miracle and I am grateful to the entire team for giving my son his chance at life the mother concluded