Mrs. Shreya Singh Jitan delivered a healthy baby boy (2.8 Kgs) today at 5.35 pm. She was with us in the hospital for 3 months (since Feb, 2011). She had presented with a pregnancy of six months (26 weeks - 600 gms) with a very short cervix and funnelling of internal os with bulging membranes (mouth of the womb was very short and open with the membranes bulging into it). This meant she would deliver very soon. At this stage one can put a stitch on the cervix called as a rescue cerclage of the internal os but due to the funnelling and bulging of membranes the water bag could easily burst, infection chances and a premature delivery are extremely high. Results with these cerclages are not very promising at such a stage. Maybe we could pull on for a few days only. The baby being extremely small (600gms) would have to spend many weeks in the ICU and dangers of prematurity like respiratory distress syndrome (breathing problems), hemorrhages (bleeding in the brain), feeding problems are possible and good outcome cannot be promised.
As against this we counselled her and her family, offered her a conservative management a stay in the hospital, antibiotics, head low position, uterine relaxants, Inj Betnesol inj (2) and vigilant care from the team which could carry on the pregnancy as far as possible.
We had done a similar plan for a patient Mrs ABC, last year and were successful. Since we are in a hospital with an excellent NICU team we were assured of the fact that we could do our best in case of a premature delivery. Our team of doctors headed by Dr Suchitra Pandit, Dr. Vinay & Dr. Preetha Joshi (baby doctors), Staff nurses, Radiologist Dr.Shefali Sardar, our junior doctors Jatinder, Deepali, Dimple were all very vigilant and offered reassurance at every visit. The family was told about the entire plan and they were very supportive.
We scanned her every fifteen days. The cervix got shorter & uterine pain was there but with medication we could avert labour.
It was only when we crossed 34 weeks ( 8 months) that we breathed a sigh of relief as lungs by then are mature. On 20th May, 2011 she was term and she was in early labour on 21st May. Short and sweet labour, a vacuum delivery - 2.8kgs baby boy.
What was very rewarding was the cooperation from the patient, the entire family. The family agreed and believe me as each week passed by we would pray that we sail through another week successfully.
View Doctors
