newborn of ABC

A newborn born earlier than he is supposed to and admitted in the nursery where he has crossed the 15 day of his life. He shows the sign that he can achieve the normal baby life after getting treatment here. He is still 1500gm and was born at 31weeeks of gestation. Once he has reached his feeding up to 15mL every 2 hourly but when started 20mL 2 hourly he could not tolerate it and stopped one feed tried to continue in 15mL and 10mL but he could not tolerate and became lethargic. So he was undergone full septic work up and antibiotics upgraded to meropenem and ofloxacin since high prevalence of enterobacter resistant to cefotaxime here. We kept him in intravenous fluid stopping oral fluid for 2 days and again started from 2mL every 2hourly and rest with intravenous fluid. Today he is able to tolerate 5mL every 2 hourly. It’s good sign he is trying to resume his healthy life and I am expecting to hand over him to his mother.

It’s good thing he is getting better for these 2 days but still he has challenges ahead.

His father, a lower class working man not being able to afford the drugs needed to treat his baby. Every time we sat for discussion about his baby, he comes with tears in his eyes says what he has done for that day to get money for his child. Mother is willing to undergo breast feeding but she is now in Sertraline and Haloperidol and those drugs come in category C for pregnancy and lactation according to US Food and Drug administration. Category C Drugs are to be used with caution if benefits outweigh risks. Animal studies show the risk and but human studies are not enough. Mother is so anxious to feed breast milk to her baby that she is ready to abandon the drugs she is taking. She is stable with the drugs and can communicate well. If she stops taking she may not be able to take care of baby.

When I meet them today to discuss about the baby’s condition, the baby’s father showed towards his wife pointing towards her ears. She was jewelries less. She used to come with heavy golden jewelries in her ears earlier now she appeared with bare ears. Those jewelries were gift from her husband on their first anniversary. They sold those jewelries for their premature precious baby. Haataka maila sunaaka thaila ke garnu dhanale…(money and gold are like the dirts of hand they can be washed away in no  time).

 I was moved with his gesture, I hardly cry. Nothing is superior than the life. Life is precious especially baby’s life. Their flawless, cuteness, lovely nature and their pure soul attract everyone. They cannot die and they should not die in this age. They have to grow and show the people how good they are indeed.