Premature baby fights back after critical surgery, gives hope to parents

After weeks of uncertainty and anxious hospital rounds hope is slowly returning to Ganesh and Asmita More who were desperately trying to save the life of their premature baby boy Weighing only 11 kg at birth and requiring medical intervention since then the infant is now off the ventilator gaining weight and responding positively to treatment mdash thanks to medical care a critical surgery and the generosity of strangersThe baby born on June 29 faced a tough battle from his very first breath as he suffered from a severe intestinal condition that required emergency surgery exploratory laparotomy with wedge anastomosis immediately at the time of birth ldquoWe didnrsquot even get a moment to process his arrival We were told he needed to go into surgery immediately to repair part of his small intestinerdquo recalled GaneshDoctors at the hospital successfully performed the procedure and monitored the infant around the clock In the initial weeks the baby could only be fed one ml of milk twice a day due to his fragile state and the intestinal operation ldquoBut with intensive care the scar from the intestinal surgery has healed well allowing the child to now consume 20 ml of milk twice a dayrdquo said one of the doctors from the team who are continuously taking efforts to make a medical miracle happen ldquoThis milestone might seem small to others but for us itrsquos everythingrdquo Ganesh said with a heavy voiceMajor milestonesAnother crucial sign of progress is that the baby who was on ventilator support for a prolonged period has now been completely off the machine for the past five days This has brought immense relief to the family as doctors believe itrsquos a strong indication of his respiratory system stabilising and maturing ldquoWe began with keeping him off the ventilator for 15 minutes twice in the day increased it to an hour then to four hours then 12 and now he is breathing on his own completely for the last five daysrdquo said the doctorThe infantrsquos weight has also seen a significant increase mdash from the worrying 1100 grams at birth to 1532 grams now ldquoWersquove been tracking every gram and each gain gives us new strength to carry onrdquo said Ganesh ldquoItrsquos been a roller coaster ride but these positive developments are what keep us goingrdquoKindness of strangersMeanwhile the cost of neonatal intensive care surgery and extended hospital stay has pushed Ganesh to the brink With a limited income and mounting bills the young father had no choice but to turn to the public for help Through a crowdfunding initiative Ganesh managed to raise Rs 25 lakh over the past few weeks ldquoI was hesitant at first Asking for money isnrsquot easy But the kindness of people mdash many of them complete strangers mdash has been overwhelmingrdquo he said The donations helped cover a major portion of the medical expenses giving the family breathing space during a time of great emotional and financial strainHospitalrsquos generosityIn a heartening gesture the private hospital also decided to waive off Rs 2 lakh from the overall bill recognising the familyrsquos genuine struggle and the critical nature of the infantrsquos care The gesture has not only reduced their burden but also strengthened their faith in the medical community ldquoWe are beyond grateful for this supportrdquo said Ganesh ldquoWithout this help I donrsquot know what we would have donerdquoWhile the babyrsquos journey is far from over and further monitoring and care will be necessary doctors remain cautiously optimistic ldquoHis vitals are stable he is feeding well and we are seeing consistent weight gain These are all very good signs Once the baby starts taking direct feeding instead of taking milk through a tube and gains over two kilograms in weight he will mostly be ready to be discharged But that will take some more time Itrsquos very difficult to predict a nearexact date of dischargerdquo said the doctorGanesh continues to spend every available moment by his sonrsquos side ldquoWersquove gone from watching him fight for every breath to now seeing him eat and gain weight We still have challenges ahead but we finally feel like wersquore moving in the right direction he said