Baby born at 28 weeks defies long odds and astonishes doctors

• The little fighter was discharged after having spent his initial 124 days in the hospital 

Abu Dhabi: Rawan Ibrahim Mahgoub Elbashir, 31, a pharmacist by training, was seven months pregnant when she was informed by her doctors of the plan to take her up for an Emergency Cesarean Section owing to abnormal doppler and fetal distress - a sign that the baby is not well and is not receiving enough oxygen through the placenta.

Abdelsalam Anwar Abdelsalam Elamin, her husband, working as PRO in a local company, feared the worst as the Sudanese couple was terrified of the fact that she had premature delivery earlier and this time she might lose her unborn child. Lugaine, their daughter was also born prematurely at an age of 32 weeks.

Dr. Eman Sadek, Specialist Obstetrics & Gynaecology, at NMC Royal Women’s Hospital, explained the complications, ”Little Mohamed was born with extreme prematurity with extreme low birth weight, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), Anaemia, electrolyte imbalance, Grade 1 intraventricular hemorrhage – all being the life-threatening conditions. The majority of infants born this early do not survive.”

The new mother Rawan recalls, “It all started when my pregnancy was less than 20 weeks. After being seen by the hospital’s fetal medicine expert, I was informed to have abnormal uterine doppler which can lead to the same previous condition of pregnancy-induced hypertension and premature delivery.”

The brilliant fighter, Mohamed Abdelsalam Anwar made his appearance on March 19, 2021, by emergency c-section, weighing only 380 gms and measuring 27 cm long at 28 weeks gestation.

Dr. Eman added further, “Rawan was first seen in our hospital during her pregnancy in the first week of Jan 2021 at close to 18 weeks and at that time she was already on medicines because of the previous history of pregnancy-induced hypertension and Cesarean section at 32 weeks. She was constantly monitored and fetal distress was detected when her pregnancy was just 28 weeks with insufficient blood flow to the uterus and placenta putting the baby at serious risks leaving us with no other option but to take the her for emergency cesarean section.”

Dr. Aditya Rakhecha – HOD and Consultant Neonatology and his team swung into action to save the little baby who had to undergo many screenings with a multi-disciplinary team including cardiology, pediatric surgery, Ophthalmology, etc. 

Care of preterm babies

“Care for preterm babies requires input from multiple disciplines. In the case of Baby Mohamed, the cardiologist assessed and managed him for patent ductus – a condition when the baby is having an extra blood vessel before birth and just after birth.  This is quite common in extremely premature babies and can affect multiple organs. He was screened for the immaturity of the retina by an ophthalmologist which can cause permanent blindness if not diagnosed and treated timely. He had hernia surgery by the pediatric surgeon.”, explained Dr. Aditya.

“At birth, he only had a feeble heart rate without any spontaneous movement or breathing and needed immediate resuscitation. With the resuscitation, the baby’s condition improved. After being artificially ventilated, he became active, with good heart rate and skin colour.”, Dr. Aditya continued.

Low birth weight babies

WHO defines low birth weight as babies with birth weight less than 2.5kg, Very low birth weights with birth weight less than 1500 gms, and Extremely low birth weight as birth weight less than 1000 grams.

“Mohamed had an incredible journey in the NICU. He stayed for 124 days in NICU and could well be the smallest baby discharged from a private hospital, weighing only 380gm at birth. Babies less than 500gm rarely survive but he fought off various complications and progressed well in NICU.”, said a joyous Dr. Aditya.

Around the world, an estimated 15 million babies are born too early -- before 37 weeks gestation -- every year, according to the World Health Organization. Myriad factors can contribute to premature births, including mother’s age, her health, and her access to prenatal care. Women who have pregnancies in quick succession are also at risk of giving birth early. Some researchers have even associated the problem with climate change.

The hospital’s spokesperson said that they see about 200 low birth babies every year and over the past 6 years they have successfully looked after more than 150 babies with very low birth weight and successfully discharged more than 50 babies with extremely low birth weight.

Michael Davis, CEO of NMC Healthcare said, “I am delighted for little Mohamed and his family. This young fighter braved all odds as his army of doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical staff stayed focused on their mission of saving his precious life. I am grateful to the parents who were an integral part of this complex multi-disciplinary team delivering hope and care to the baby and most importantly, supporting one another.”

Cognitive development of the low birth weight babies

Dr. Aditya remarked, “In general, low birth weight babies tend to have a lower cognitive development score. However, the advancement in neonatal and obstetric care have improved the cognitive development in low birth weight babies over the years, with latest studies suggesting a 2 fold increase in the development score in low birth weight babies.”

Abdelsalam the father of little Mohamed said, “It was an indescribable, incredible feeling. It was amazing and satisfying to watch him grow while he was in the NICU. I waited eagerly to hold him in my arms home and take him home.”

Rawan, the little fighter Mohamed’s mother said in the end, “It was a long journey, but due to Allah’s miracles and mercy, everything went well. I was prepared that Mohamed will stay in Neonatal ICU (NICU) for the whole year, but thanks to the excellent team that it all ended much sooner.”

The baby was delivered 12 weeks before the regular due date, was discharged on July 21, 2021, after having spent over four months in the hospital under the careful observation of the NICU team headed by Dr. Aditya. At the time of discharge, the baby weighed 2.69 kgs.

To a question to Dr. Eman on how to avoid or diagnose early such issues and conditions, she said, “A regular antenatal visit to the Obstetrician can help diagnose such issues with the pregnancy early on."

-Ends-

About NMC Health

NMC is one of the leading private healthcare operators in the Gulf Cooperation Council ("GCC") with an international network of multi-specialty inpatient and outpatient clinics and hospitals, specialised maternity and fertility clinics, and long-term care homes across nineteen countries. NMC also ranks as one of the top two in-vitro fertilisation operators globally. The NMC Health Group is recognised as a leading provider of long-term medical care in the UAE through its subsidiary ProVita. NMC has a total capacity of 2,207 licensed beds across its network

NMC Health Plc was placed into administration by the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts of England and Wales on 9 April 2020 and Richard Fleming, Mark Firmin and Ben Cairns of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators. On 27 September 2020 a number of the entities of the NMC Healthcare Ltd were placed into administration under Abu Dhabi Global Market Regulations. Richard Fleming and Ben Cairns were appointed as Joint Administrators. For full information regarding these appointments please redirect to this web page: https://nmc.ae/  

For more information:
Anurag Kashyap
VP Marketing and Corporate Communications
NMC Healthcare Ltd.
Phone +971565061147
Email Anurag.Kashyap@nmc.ae 

© Press Release 2021