Call it a miracle or a massive overlook on the part of the hospital, but a family was able to save their newborn in the nick of time. Yes, you read that right!
In a harrowing story that not only highlights the sad state of affairs in many government hospitals, but also of the lack of proper training of the staff members. What you're about to read may shock you!
What exactly happened
In the Bundi district of Rajasthan, a woman gave birth to a baby girl in a government, however, she did so in the absence of a doctor. Yes!
While delivering, the 25-year-old mum, Durgesh Rathore was reportedly assisted by a male nurse, who told her that she gave birth to a stillborn and must therefore, rush the dead body to a burial ground.
Unfortunately for the family, who were completely unaware of the medical condition of the baby, the baby was actually born prematurely, and was just about 22-24 weeks. She reportedly weighed only about 350 to 400 grams. This further prompted them to believe the medical nurse.
Following the advice, the family then rushed the body to the nearby burial ground. But just as soon as they reached, they felt the baby's heart beat and even saw her open her eyes and cry out loud.
Doctors state their reason for declaring the baby dead!
That's when they rushed her back to the hospital, demanding a doctor to see her. When media questioned the Deputy Hospital Superintendent, Dr O P Verma, he shared that at the time of her birth the newborn was "motional less, with no cry or respiration.”
He also added that there were two Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANMs) on-duty, who handed over the newborn tp the family and specifically told them to “to take care of her by themselves as there was no movement and respiration with the body.”
But why wasn't the newborn breathing?
As per the doctor, since the newborn was born premature, her lungs were barely functioning making it difficult for her to breathe. Dr Verma also stated that "her survival is hardly possible," along with admitting the fault on the part of the hospital.
Although now an enquiry has been ordered, what remains to be noted is the incapability of the staff to understand that the child was born premature. One must remember that premies need special care and assistance at all times, till they are ready to be released from a neonatal intensive care unit or NICU.
3 things to know if your baby is born premature
If a baby is born premature, he must be kept in what is commonly called the neonatal intensive care unit or NICU. And while at first the place might scare new parents with its tubes and high-tech nursery, rest assured your baby will come out healthy and stronger once through there.
So here are a few things you must know about such a unit.
- Benefits of NICU: If your baby is born prematurely or suffered complications during delivery or is showing any signs of health issues during the first few days of birth, they will be kept in NICU based on the doctor's recommendations.
- Equipments attached to the baby: This depends on the health problem your baby may have. However, there are five primary equipments used in an NICU such as monitors and alarms to respond to the baby's needs immediately, isolettes and warmers to monitor the baby's body temperature, phototherapy machines to treat jaundice and respiratory equipments as well as machines and tubes to be used as IVs.
- Care of your newborn: There are specialised personnels who care for the babies in the NICU and these include neonatal nurse practitioner, nurses on shifts, a neonatologist, a respiratory therapist and a nutritionist among others. Basically, there are a lot of specialists who are responsible for your baby in the NICU.
Read: Karan Johar: My children were born two months premature and worryingly underweight!
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[All images courtesy: Instagram]
