When Ridhima Ajmani, nicknamed as cherry was born on February 27th, her weight was 375g, which is less than a tin of baked beans. She was under constant medical support from the day she was born and now she is claimed to be South Asia’s smallest surviving baby.
Cherry was born prematurely at just 25 weeks of pregnancy. She suffered from multiple complications including jaundice, feeding difficulties and chronic lung disease. A healthy newborn is supposed to weigh between 2.7 kgs and 3.5 kgs. Figures state that babies born weighing less than 500g have less than 50 percent survival chance. When born, cherry was only 20-cm in length and could fit in one’s palm. Cherry was placed in a ventilator after she was born, for 15 weeks. It took her 38 days to reach the milestone of 500g. Cherry’s mother Nikita reportedly had four abortions before becoming pregnant with Cherry. It is believed that she had placental insufficiency, a rare yet serious complication of pregnancy, which occurs when there isn’t enough blood flow between the mother and placenta. Since the blood flow between Nikita and her baby was poor, doctors feared Cherry would be unlikely to survive. Without a healthy placenta, the baby struggles to survive in the womb and is unable to receive enough oxygen and nutrients. The complication can lead to low birth weight, premature births, and even defects. As Cherry’s parents came to know that doctors in Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Hyderabad specialize in premature births, the couple then traveled there hoping to save their baby. ‘I was told to keep a positive frame of mind right from the time I came to the hospital, but given my past experiences, I was scared and worried’ cherry’s mother Nikita said. ‘I told doctors to save my baby at any cost.’ she added.
Director of Intensive Care Services at Rainbow Hospital, Dr. Dinesh Kumar Chirla said that the risks at the birth were high. “The initial three to four-days post-birth are very crucial as babies are most fragile during this time. In this case, there were many health challenges like the drop in oxygen and BP levels,” he explained.
Cherry has been discharged after 128 days in the hospital and had started breathing without any support. She now weighs 2 kg and doctors expect her to lead a normal life like any other baby.
The doctors claimed that Cherry is South Asia’s smallest surviving baby. Dr. Ramesh Kancharla, chairman and managing director of the Rainbow Group of Hospitals said ‘We were able to send baby born with birth weight as small as 375g home because of our advance perinatal center. Close to 20 years of hard work has gone into developing such expertise to save small babies. Dr. Kancharla also praised the ‘committed’ team that helped to deliver Cherry and described those who helped as instrumental.
Source: 1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5974605/Baby-born-weighing-tin-baked-beans-India.html
2. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5974605/Baby-born-weighing-tin-baked-beans-India.html.