Miracle baby defies odds
Habibah, meaning 'my beloved', was born at 24 weeks, weighing 980 grams.
Born three months premature, little Habibah Kamran Saif has been described as a true miracle child, who wanted to survive so badly, she fought against all the odds.
Safiyyah Saif (24) of Umtentweni, who’s married to Kamran, gave birth prematurely to Habibah at Port Shepstone Regional Hospital during last year’s level 5 lockdown.
Habibah, meaning ‘my beloved’, was born at 24 weeks, weighing 980 grams.
She then, dropped to 700 grams making her so tiny that she could fit in the palm of her mother’s hand.
Habibah overcame many complications, such as level four bleeding on the brain which caused her to have repeated apneas (pauses in breathing longer than 20 seconds).
She also contracted staphylococcus (an infection caused by bacteria commonly found on the skin or in the nose) and had to spend 10 days in isolation.
Safiyyah had to face the possibility of losing her first-born, alone, with no family support as visitors were not allowed in the hospital due to Covid-19 regulations.
Safiyyah had been dropped off at the hospital and went into labour, for three days, finally giving birth to Habibah on Mother’s Day (May 10, 2020).
“I had never been to hospital and it was a daunting experience not having my husband and family around to help me, especially when I was told I might lose my first-born,” she said, tearfully.
“The entire experience has made me stronger as I had to deal with so many challenges and the fear of losing a child,” she said.
The mother and micro-preemie baby (babies born weighing less than 1kg or before 28 weeks gestation) spent a total of three months in hospital.
Safiyyah said that when she was allowed to take Habibah home she saw major changes.
“She became a completely different baby and the kangaroo care method I used helped to stimulate my tiny girl’s heart rate and breathing,” she said.
Safiyyah’s mother, Debbie Holl said it was an extremely stressful time for the family.
“We couldn’t be there for Safiyyah and could only correspond on the phone. But this journey has taught us so much about premature babies and the difficulties mothers can go through,” she said.
Miraculously, Habibah survived against all odds.
“The doctors sent us home, saying they couldn’t do much more for her. They said she wouldn’t be like a regular child her age but today she is running around without a problem, able to crawl, walk and sit,” said Safiyyah.
Due to Habibah being born so premature, she has had to undergo two eye operations.
But the happy little girl with big, beautiful brown eyes loves to read books and is adored by her parents and family.
At the age of 15, Safiyyah made the decision to convert to Islam. She comes from a Catholic background and it took her family a long time to accept her decision to change her faith.
“Safiyyah is a very staunch Muslim, and as a family we now have a wonderful respect for each other’s religions,” said Debbie, who thanked the Muslim community for its incredible support during this time.
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