Premature babies celebrated at Mediclinic Limpopo
Mediclinic Limpopo celebrated World Prematurity Day on November 17 in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with unit manager sister Dorcas Mbodi and staff.
POLOKWANE – The day is observed annually to raise awareness of preterm birth and the concerns of preterm babies and their families worldwide.
Two couples shared the experience of the arrival of their premature babies to Polokwane Observer. Tebogo and Mashita Ramotshela said they were overwhelmed by their healthy newborn baby who weighed 2.51kg.
“As a first-time mother, I’m so excited for our gift. We are blessed to have him and that’s why we decided to name him Keatlegile which means ‘blessed’,” she said.
Malerato and Gillian Mrubula-Ngwenya, a same-sex couple, welcomed their daughter who weighed 1.545kg. The couple said they had mixed emotions about the whole experience.
“It is such an exhausting part of our lives because we have to come to the hospital every day to see the baby, feed her and make sure that everything is okay. All of this is overwhelming, but we know that it’ll be worth it in the end,” Gillian said.
She named her child Dimpho-Lerato which means ‘gifts’ and ‘love’. “This is my first biological child and I’m still adapting as a new mom.
“With the help of the nurses in the hospital, my baby’s stay and my visits are always pleasant. I appreciate each one of them for making us feel at home,” she said.
Dorcas shared the hospital admits many premature babies in a year and that they receive extra care.
“We give the moms tutorials on how to care for their preterm babies. We promote that they should be breastfed instead of giving formula-milk and if the mom does not have enough milk, we have alternatives in the hospital to give the baby so that they grow accordingly,” she concluded.
