Saving a Preterm Baby and her Mother’s life

Fakeeh University Hospital successfully saves life of a mother & baby

Through strategically located emergency facilities, and the support of expert doctors, a preterm baby and her mother’s life were saved

Fakeeh University Hospital’s robust Emergency, Women’s Health and Child’s Health (Neonatal) departments were able to save a preterm baby and her mother’s life through immediate intervention and lifesaving smart technology. This feat was achieved through the strategic location of all emergency departments, designed consciously while the hospital was conceptualized to ensure ease of access.

Rana, a 25-year-old Egyptian mother and UAE resident, was brought by ambulance to the emergency department at the Fakeeh University Hospital. She was unconscious and convulsing due to a complication of high blood pressure, which can be attributed as Eclampsia in pregnancy.

The mother was first stabilized in the emergency department by the skilled emergency care team of doctors and nurses who work tirelessly ensuring the safety of lives during potentially fatal situations such as these. She was then transferred to the operation theatre for an emergency C-section due to complications. This is where the Women’s Health and Child’s Health (Neonatal) specialists at Fakeeh University Hospital pulled into action to takeover, and the delivery was executed to save the mother and bring newly born baby Layan safely into the world. Layan was born prematurely at 31 weeks of gestation with a weight of 1.4 kg.

Layan, being premature and due to her mother’s condition, started facing issues soon after birth. The doctors noticed that she was born apneic, which can be identified through the cessation of breathing (without breath and with a low heart rate). To offset this, she was intubated and stabilized, before being transferred to the NICU. As the hospital’s neonatal team helped Layan, Rana was shifted to the ICU, for close observation and recovery.

The road for the new parents, Rana & Ayman, and their baby Layan who was born over 7 weeks early, has not been easy. After Rana was stabilized and discharged, they frequently visited Layan in the NICU, and with the constant care of Fakeeh University Hospital’s NICU specialists and nursing staff, the parents were able to take their unexpected steps in their parenthood journey with total comfort and support at every step.

In addition to Fakeeh University Hospital’s emergency response, both parents were trained in handling the preterm baby and educated in terms of risks, breastfeeding, and more. Baby Layan’s recovery was also supported by the clinic’s rooming-in facility provided at Fakeeh University Hospital.

As the case was unique and the child and mother were placed separately after delivery, it was important to room-in both. This enables bonding and faster recovery through skin-to-skin contact. Rooming-in helps the mother and the child to stay together the entire time the baby is in NICU, so that they can establish a bond, start and maintain healthy breastfeeding. Generally, when the baby and mother are separated right after birth, their bonding needs an enabling and stable environment. Only then can the baby breastfeed on its own, and both of them can remain healthy.

“At Fakeeh University Hospital, a key pillar of motherhood is creating a bond with the baby through an early stage, this can be achieved through breastfeeding and nurture. This is why we made sure to room-in both mother and baby, under our observation. We are happy to announce that both mother and child have been discharged and the baby have overcome the challenges” says Dr. Rima Mounla, Lead Consultant Neonatologist, Child’s Health, Fakeeh University Hospital.

The case was complex due to the unseen blood abruption in the mother’s uterus, which is a side-effect of Eclampsia, an uncommon condition in pregnant women. The entire team of doctors and nurses at the Emergency, Women’s Health & Child’s Health departments worked incessantly and through the hospital’s advanced technology saved two lives.

“We work tirelessly to ensure the safety and happiness of our patients, At the end, we had a positive outcome of an emergency case” said Dr. Jayacy Jayankar, Specialist Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Women’s Health, Fakeeh University Hospital. She further insists on the importance of regular antenatal check-ups for expectant mothers to minimize unexpected risks and complications.

Both baby and mother have had an unforeseen experience which was managed effortlessly by the team through a 4-week hospital stay, Layan was then discharged at an acceptable weight of 2KGs.