Rumaisa Rahman,baby girl born to Abdul Rahman and Mehjabeen of Hyderabad,was born with a birth weight of only 450gms.
She was born on 21st December,2004 with a rare achievement,that of a baby with lowest birth weight in the world.
Rumaisa and her Twin sister,Hiba was saved from the face of death by doctors from their mothers womb.Hiba weighed 670gms.
Rumaisa's mother contracted pre- eclampsia when the pregnancy reached only 25 weeks.
When the BP of the mother rose uncontrollably; there was no option left than take out the babies as soon as possible.
Although a premature baby,Rumaisa condition is now stable,says the doctors.
This doesnt mean that all the babies born with low birth weight are walking towards better health,then that notion is indeed
wrong.According to the census,45 babies out of 1000 are born with low birth weight.Out of this 80% of them succumb to death.
Maybe because the health care in kerala is far better,only 11 out of 1000 kids are born as underweight is it possible for us to provide a
better care to such children.
The children born with weight less than 2.5kg are considered as low weight babies out of that those below 1kg are considered as risk
prone.
the two ways by which a newborn's birth weight decreases are..
1.Stunting of growth of the foetus within the uterus.
2. premature birth
Development of the foetus within the uterus depends on various factors like, mothers health, the condition of uterus and placenta,
genetic condition of the foetus etc. these three factors contribute to a healthy baby.
If any of the above factors turn negative, then the chance of a growth retarded baby results. Babies in such a dangerous condition
should be given special care immediately after the delivery.
In some cases, prematurely born babies also have low birth weight, but these infants may not usually suffer from retarded growth.
Health of mother
There is a relation between mothers health and that of the low weight babies. These are some of the complications of mother which may
result in the babie's low birth weight
1.pregnancy after 35 years old
2.first delivery before 16 years of age
3.repeated pregnancy without a gap of even 6 months.
4.if there is a hereditary of mother of low weight
5.If there was a history of continuous abortions.
If ever the mother's weight is so low, she must achieve the necessary body weight well before pregnancy because the baby's food mainly
depends on the nutrients they get from the mother through the placenta.
Diseases affecting the mothers also lead to low birth weight in babies.High blood pressure,heart diseases,incompatibility of the blood
vessels even some antibodies produced by the mothers body affects the newborn.
Inside the uterus
It is often said that mother's uterus is the safest place on earth.But it may not be always so.If ever the condition of the uterus is
not favourable,the baby's health will be in danger.The condition of the uterus,the position of the placenta ets contribute to low weight
of babies.It also happens in a condition called placenta previa,where placenta is located above the uterus.
If the pregnancy is multiple, one or more kids may suffer from low birth weight.
If there is some serious problem with the mother's uterus, the foetus may not get enough food and oxygen. Low birth weight is also
commonly seen in delayed pregnancies as well as in mothers with a history of abortions.
Some times tumours may grow inside the uterus. This type of growth lessen the space for the foetus to grow freely thus resulting in low
birth weight.
Unhealthy foetus
In 5% of babies with low birth weight, occurs due to the incompatibility of chromosomes. Babies born with disabilities also suffer from
low birth weight.
Virus infection like rubella of a pregnant mother also affects the babies resulting in low birth weight.
How can it be detected earlyscanning must be done without fail at the 3 important stages of pregnancy. The accurate weight of the baby on each stage can be found
out only through scanning. the low weight of babies can be detected months earlier by this.
If under development of babies is detected, "colour doppler" can be used to find out the blood flow to various organs of the foetus.
It is usually seen that when a baby is born underweight, parents run around to find specialist centres for the treatment. Since the hours
after birth is very important, this should be arranged beforehand.
This type of children can be given proper treatment only when the gynaecologist and paediatrician work hand in hand. hospitals with
neonatological care units and specialist doctors should selected before hand. Mothers with history of premature deliveries as well as high
blood pressure, diabetes etc. should be taken special care of.
Careful protection
90% of the low weight babies can be saved if proper care is given immediately after delivery. Since they take longer time to get
acquainted with the world outside, special care should surely be given.It is better to care the baby in the hospitals itself until they
attain minimum 1kg.
Since the respiratory system remains under developed, these type of kids may suffer from difficulty in breathing. If so, the hospital
should be well equipped to give oxygen as and when required. Another risk factor appears when the temperature of the baby lowers
suddenly. This happens since the fat layer below the skin is less.
The baby should be always kept warm. In western countries the babies are kept under the warmth of the mother itself. If the lowering of
temperature is uncontrollable, baby should be placed in the incubator to provide artificial warmth.
The baby should be fed breast milk only as far as possible. It should be noted whether the baby is fed every 2 hours and that the passage
of urine corresponds to the feed.
Jaundice is also commonly seen in this type of children and are also prone to infections.
It is better that only few paper handle the baby and the surroundings should be kept clean.
Different stages of growth
Even if the baby is saved, he/she should be continuously monitored until they reach high school level. Doctors should be immediately
consulted if any problems are seen.
It is usual for children with low birth weight, to suffer from problems affecting eye sight as well as hearing. If such problems are
known before hand, treatments can be taken to resolve it.
Some premature babies also suffer from low intelligent level than normal kids. some may even suffer from conditions like cerebral
palsy.
Attention deficit disorders, l earning disorders etc can be detected only when the child is admitted into the school. If such problems are
seen, they should be admitted to special schools and encouraged to presume the fields of their own choice and likes.