Baby discharged after birth at 25 weeks
Ansie de Coning’s baby has miraculously recovered after spending 116 days in the neo-natal ICU unit at Kingway Hospital in Amazimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal, since she was born about three months before her expected arrival.
De Coning was delighted as baby Carla came home, in Athlone Park, on Thursday. Carla, weighing just 580g, was born on April 13, much earlier than the expected July 28, South Coast Sun reported.
“I had a perfectly normal pregnancy. On the day of Carla’s birth, which was at 25 weeks, I was planning to go to hospital to book my bed. In the morning, after I dropped off my son at school, I realised my water broke, and so I drove straight to the hospital,” said De Coning.
After a check-up, she was told she was 4cm dilated and that all her amniotic fluid had leaked. De Coning had no indication that anything was wrong prior to her rush to the hospital.
“On Saturday, I was at the mall, everything was okay. I had a bit of backache but no contractions. The only time I crunched forward in pain was on Monday when I arrived at the hospital,” added De Coning.
She was taken to the maternity ward, where Carla’s heartbeat was monitored.
“I was told I had to undergo an emergency C-section. I realised it was too early.”
The reason for Carla’s early arrival is unknown. At birth, Carla was so tiny her eyelids had not yet opened.
“Everything was traumatic and intense, but I was at peace because I knew she was going to make it,” De Coning said.
A team saw to Carla’s care round the clock in the neo-natal ICU unit, among them nursing sister Darlene Bremner.
“Our biggest fear was bleeding on the brain as the blood vessels are so small. We had to carry out a number of ultrasounds of the brain, especially after setbacks. We lost her a few times, but she pulled through after each episode,” said Bremner.
Carla was on a ventilator for 90 days, and her organs were kept stabilised with life-supporting drugs.
“From day one, she was tube-fed breast milk, which at the beginning was 1ml every three hours. As she continued to progress, we increased her intake. On Monday, July 13 Carla “became wireless”, as all her life-supporting tubes were removed. She was breathing on her own and was waking up every three hours for her feed.”
Having steadily picked up weight, she now weighs 2.52kg – more than four times her birth weight.
For the first three months, Carla will be in isolation to prevent infections or complications.
– Caxton News Service
Read original story on southcoastsun.co.za
