“Both the baby and mother are healthy“, Often, we hear this sentence from doctors and take it for granted, thinking everybody has the same experience of childbirth. John Selvaraj, too, wanted to hear this from his doctors. Unfortunately, he had to witness his wife and baby in distress. 

Selvarubi and John Selvaraj are from Bengaluru. John works as a delivery agent, where he delivers goods (not e-commerce delivery) from shops. Selvarubi is a homemaker. The family is solely dependent on John for his income, and with a meager income of Rs. 13,000 to Rs. 15,000 per month, he has to support his family.

 Their joy knew no bounds when Selvarubi became pregnant. The couple went for their regular health check-up, and everything was going smoothly. During the 30th week of pregnancy, they received a piece of dreaded news. Doctors informed them that Selvarubi must undergo a cesarean as she has a low-lying placenta. Usually, the placenta is attached to the top or side of the inner wall of the uterus. However, in some cases, the placenta attaches itself to the lower area of the uterus and ends up covering a bit of the cervix. With no savings or insurance, John managed to arrange money for the C-section delivery. During the 30th week, a baby boy was born on January 26, 2023, in Rangadore Memorial Hospital, Bangalore. As this was a preterm delivery, the baby came with several health complications, including respiratory distress, low birth weight, and sepsis. The birth of a baby is such a joyful occasion for the parents. In John’s case, his baby and his wife were both in danger. Selvarubi was going through a hemorrhage and had lost almost 2 liters of blood when she was rushed for an emergency hysterectomy. She was slowly recovering from the surgery. The baby had to be shifted to the NICU to pull him out of danger.

 The NICU is a highly advanced technology, and there is a high cost associated with a NICU stay. With an income of about Rs. 15,000 per month, John was scared about how to cover the cost of his wife’s surgery and his baby’s NICU stay. Rangadore Memorial Hospital, being one of the partner hospitals, immediately got in touch with the Neonates Foundation of India to support the parents during their NICU stay. The NICU support gave a new lease of hope for the baby.

 The baby was to be discharged after a 45-day stay at the hospital. On the day of the discharge, the doctors decided to keep the baby and mother for one more day at the hospital for observation and for the mother to get comfortable taking care of her baby. The baby was given to the mother at night, and after feeding, he started to turn blue and was immediately admitted to the NICU again for stabilization. The baby was diagnosed with “reflux,”, where the acid reflex was causing breath-holding spells, with the infant appearing pale or blue and struggling to breathe. But this little one is as strong as his mumma. Nobody would think that a tiny little being could display so much grit and determination to live. He fought like a warrior and recovered with the help of the doctors and nurses.

After a lengthy stay of 46 days in the hospital, the baby was discharged. Both the mother and baby are healthy. John Selvaraj is forever grateful to Team NFI and Team Rangadore for the timely care and support that gave his newborn a chance to live.