Survival of the 'Fittest'
Survival of the 'Fittest'
Survival of the 'Fittest'
The city recently welcomed the smallest baby in India, Born at just 27 weeks of pregnancy, it is very difficult for such babies to survive and lead a normal life. She is a beneficiary of advancements in neonatal and perinatal sciences, which help babies with life-threatening conditions to survive
"Birth is the most difficult stage of one's life, a day of highest risk", says Dr Tushar Parikh, neonatologist and ln-charge of Neonatal ICU at ONP Tulip where baby Sayali, the smallest surviving baby in the country was delivered. At 495 Gms, Sayali Pawar is said to be the smallest surviving baby in the country. She was born premature at just 27 weeks of pregnancy to Shaila & Laxman Pawar who belongs to a lower middle class family from Parner, Ahemadnagar. Shaila is an example of progress medical science has made today. Shaila Pawar, 36 has had a history of 13 unsuccessful pregnancies with 3 abortions & 3 intrauterine deaths. The doctor Couples, Sandeep & Smita Deole from Narayangaon who were managing the pregnancy identified that she would get sudden abrupt elevation in her blood pressure during pregnancy, which is called pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH).
Dr. Parikh tells us that an extensive survey conducted in Mumbai shows that out of 13,900 cases; seven to eight per cent pregnant women suffer from PIH. He says that the source of PIH can be traced to the placenta. "PIH can be called a Placental disorder', which affects the mother as well as the fetus. Placenta is the interface between the mother and the fetus and is a temporary organ which transfers oxygen and nutrients from mother to the fetus. It also allows release of carbon dioxide and waste products from the fetus. Placenta is 2/3 fetal and 1/3 maternal tissue."
What can be a possible solution to overcome PIH? In Dr. Parikh's Opinion, the only solution is to regularly monitor blood pressure of the mother & the growth of the fetus. "This is a global problem and there is no full proof answer to prevent or treat it. In case of PIH, what the doctors can do is control the BP with medication and monitor the growth of the fetus, if anything is abnormal then the doc needs to intervene, he informs that the problem usually arises if the pregnancy is either too early or too late and if this problem arises once, it is likely to show up later on as well. Both the maternal and fetal side is affected in PIH. On the fetus side there is Malnutrition, growth is slower, weight is less and oxygen supply is also considerably less, these conditions may cause death. The maternal side suffers brains dysfunctions, problems in the liver and retina as well. He says, "Shaila was beginning to show symptoms of retina dysfunction and hence we had to operate at the earliest."
Premature babies have to face a lot of problems after birth. Dr. Amita Phadnis, Director of ONP Tulip Hospital & Dept. of Pediatrics & Neonatology says, "Babies born this small have extremely poor function of all body organs which include heart, brain, kidneys, Intestine, skin, adrenals etc & all of them need support for survival of the child."
The 1 question that will remain foremost is what the chances are of leading a normal life for these babies in the future. Dr. Parikh says, "As compared to normal babies, these infants do have a smaller chance of leading a normal and a healthy life. But that does not mean that all the babies cannot lead a normal life. There is no guarantee that the baby will be completely healthy in the future. It is a 50-50 situation. If there are any abnormalities or anomalies, they can be detected in the first few weeks after birth itself".
"Asphyxia, infection and premature birth are the three main reasons which cause death in preterm babies. There is a lot of potential in Human life and we have to give the best chance for survival," he concludes.
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