Kwek Yu Xuan was born at almost 25 weeks of gestation and weighing 212 grams , little more than an apple. Her hasty arrival in the world and her low weight made her survival very difficult, but after a year in hospital, this baby from Singapore has been discharged.
He was born by cesarean section four months earlier than expected
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“Baby Yu Xuan weighed only 212 grams, barely the weight of a large apple when she was born by emergency cesarean section in June last year. After 13 months in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Yu Xuan has been discharged. It is he is probably the lightest baby in the world to have survived a premature birth “
With this photograph published on Instagram, the National University Hospital of Singapore (NUH) has just announced the case of little Kwek Yu Xuan, the premature baby born with less weight who has managed to survive .
Wong Mei Ling, 35, had to undergo an emergency cesarean section four months before her due date after being diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a serious illness that can put the health of both mother and baby at risk.
It happened on June 9 of last year, and although the doctors knew from the first moment that they would have a great premature in their hands, they were surprised by the low weight with which it came into the world : 212 grams.
Her extreme prematurity (24 weeks + 6 days) and her very low weight meant that she had a “limited probability of survival” -according to the hospital-, but fortunately, the little girl did not suffer serious infections or bleeding, something that would have considerably worsened her prognosis. .
Little by little, and thanks to the multiple treatments and care that she has received in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Kwek Yu Xuan has overcome stages and after almost 14 months in hospital she has finally been discharged .
You should continue your care at home
Yu Xuan is now 13 months old, weighs 6.5 kilos and is 61 cm tall. His health is still delicate , but doctors believe that his respiratory capacity and heart function are strong enough to continue recovering at home, along with his parents and his four-year-old brother.
The baby has chronic lung disease and pulmonary hypertension , two conditions commonly associated with extreme prematurity. For this reason, her parents have been trained to use the medical equipment that their daughter needs to breathe.
Yu Xuan also has a serious eye disorder called retinopathy , but thanks to laser surgery in October last year, her vision is improving.
“We are happy for the little fighter and her family, and proud of the care provided by our team. Our best wishes to little Yu Xuan as she continues to grow, prosper and beat the odds every day” – we read in the statement made by the hospital.
Both the costs for the year of hospitalization of the baby and the medical care she will need at home have been covered thanks to donations from anonymous people through a Give.asia crowdfunding petition, launched by the couple’s friends.
In total, this family has raised S $ 323,000 (more than 200,000 euros), of which $ 200,000 went to pay the hospital bill and $ 50,000 to pay for outpatient treatment at home. The parents intend to donate the rest to other families who are going through a similar situation.
The premature baby born with the lowest weight in the world
It is believed that Yu Xuan could be the premature baby born with the lowest weight in the world who manages to survive , a condition that until then was attributed to little Saybie, born in California in 2019 with 245 grams of weight and just over 23 gestation weeks.
In 2018 we also knew the case of a Japanese baby born with 24 weeks and 268 grams, who was discharged after six months hospitalized.
With a higher weight but with fewer weeks of gestation, we recently met little Richard Hutchinson, who is currently considered by the Guinness Book of Records as the most premature baby in the world to survive, since he was born with only 21 weeks and five days of gestation .
Their situation of extreme prematurity, added to the low weight with which they arrive in the world, considerably increases the risks, but fortunately, thanks to advances in science, more and more babies are managing to get ahead. The survival rate of those born before the 28th week of gestation is 65%, and 95% for those born after, placing our country in the world elite in this field.
VÃa |The Straits Time, Today Singapur, BBC
In Babies and More | Every year 15 million premature babies are born in the world
