After 5 pregnancy losses, Hanoi mother welcomes 750-gram baby girl

5 pregnancies, 5 losses

Le Thi Linh already has a six-year-old daughter. For years, her family had hoped to welcome another child, but their attempts had repeatedly ended in heartbreak.

Linh had experienced five pregnancies, all ending in premature births when the pregnancies were only 18 to 27 weeks along. 

Understandably, her family was deeply worried when she became pregnant again.

During her latest pregnancy, doctors performed a cervical cerclage at 12 weeks to reduce the risk of premature birth.

However, on May 17, when she was 21 weeks and one day pregnant, she was admitted to hospital at an extremely high risk of preterm delivery.

At the time, her cervix was short, the amniotic sac was bulging, and the fetus was estimated to weigh only around 400 grams. The baby's chances of survival would have been very slim if delivered at that stage.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Sim, deputy general director and director of the fetal medicine center at Phenikaa University Hospital in Hanoi, who directly treated Linh, decided to try to prolong the pregnancy to give the baby more time to develop in the womb while closely monitoring the mother's safety.

During her 32-day hospital stay, both mother and baby were continuously monitored.

Doctors closely tracked uterine contractions, bleeding, the risk of infection and the baby's condition.

Linh experienced vaginal bleeding several times during the final eight days before delivery, making her condition increasingly dangerous.

She required transfusions of 16 units of blood products, with a total volume of approximately 5.1 liters.

The medical team faced a difficult balancing act: prolonging the pregnancy by even a day could give the baby more time to develop, but keeping the pregnancy going could not come at the expense of the mother's safety or life.

750-gram baby girl spends 80 days in incubator

On June 18, when Linh was 25 weeks and five days pregnant, her uterine contractions became stronger and the baby's head descended. The medical team decided to remove the cervical stitch to allow delivery.

The baby girl weighed just 750 grams at birth.

But the family's ordeal was not over. While the neonatal team rushed to resuscitate the baby, Linh developed postpartum hemorrhage caused by uterine atony.

Obstetricians, anesthesiologists and other medical staff immediately joined forces to treat the emergency. Thanks to timely intervention, Linh recovered from the life-threatening condition and her uterus was preserved.

Dr. Sim said the baby could not breathe on her own at birth.

Doctors performed intubation and administered medication to accelerate lung development. The decisions had to be made quickly and in close coordination.

The first three to five days were particularly critical, as the baby faced risks of brain and lung hemorrhages and unstable blood circulation.

However, she continued to make progress with each passing day.

The baby was subsequently transferred to the neonatal ward for intensive treatment and care. 

Born weighing just 750 grams at less than 26 weeks of gestation, she required close monitoring and specialized support.

Over the following 80 days, doctors continued to monitor and care for her at the hospital.

By September 6, she weighed 2.6 kilograms and was well enough to be discharged and go home with her mother.

Two months later, her weight had reached 5.2 kilograms. She was healthy and responding well to interaction.

The successful efforts to prolong the pregnancy and care for the premature infant offer hope to families facing high-risk pregnancies and extremely premature births, highlighting the importance of timely medical intervention and specialized care.