Meet the youngest preemie born within just 24 weeks in Andhra Pradesh

(Representational image)

New Delhi: Premature births come along with their own set of problems for the babies. Physical, cognitive and their overall health also sometimes takes the toll and health risks become more prominent as they age.

However, the survival of premature babies is also doubtful in some cases, as was the situation in this case.

In a medical breakthrough, a baby born within a mere 24 weeks survived childbirth, making it one of the youngest premature babies in Andhra Pradesh.

The baby boy was conceived through IVF at the Vizag IVF Centre and weighed only 650g at birth, compared to the average/normal weight of 2.5kg to 3kg.

According to a leading daily, even by western standards, the chances of the baby's survival were minimal. But, with round-the-clock medical care and state-of-the-art infrastructure at the hospital made it possible.

The mother of the baby opted for IVF, but unfortunately, the baby was born nearly four months earlier than the due date – that is within 24 weeks of gestation – on September 8, 2017.

Because of this, the mother suffered from membrane rupture and could not continue with her pregnancy at that stage.

The baby’s lungs and some organs were functionally immature, which stunted his development and he was shifted from the Vizag IVF Centre to the MyCure Hospital. He was also prone to severe infections besides having extremely low immunity.

The preemie was put on ventilator support for 18 days, intravenous nutrition was administered for two weeks and care was taken to ensure proper development of the organs.

After two-and-a-half months at the hospital, the baby was discharged.

According to some estimates, India’s In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) clinic market is worth more than $400 million.