The National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology announced on June 7 that they successfully delivered a premature baby born at 26 weeks that weighed only 500 grams.

Vu Ba Quyet (middle) delivers the baby to her family after three months

Vu Ba Quyet, director of National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said it was a miracle that the baby survived.

"A 3-kilo infant already feels delicate, let alone the 500-gram baby. She was as small as the palm of our hands," he said. "In some premature cases, we didn't dare to let the families see the newly-born babies to avoid shock. We only let the families see them when the babies get bigger."

Le Minh Trac, director of the Centre for Neonatal Care, said the baby's mother had been treated for infertility for years. 

It took a long time for her to get pregnant but unfortunately, she showed signs of labour at only 26 weeks.

"The baby's breathing was very faint, her heartbeat was sporadic and her respiratory system wasn't completed. Her thigh was as small as an adult's little finger and to nurture those veins was not a simple task," Trac said. "But the baby is thriving after three months and now weighs 2.7kg," Trac said."

According to Quyet, the hospital successfully saved and raised premature babies since 2010 and the success rate is on the rise. 

The survival rate of babies that weigh less than 1kg in 2011 was 18% and 27% in 2017. As of June 2018, this rate was 31%.

Delivering premature babies in Vietnam costs VND300m (USD13,200) and is paid by health insurance.

Each year, 5,000 babies who are born before 30 weeks of pregnancy or weigh less than 2kg are transferred to the hospital. 

It takes many steps to successfully raise a premature baby including respiratory failure prevention, incubators and jaundice treatment.

Dtinews