Kochi : Aster Medcity today organized a unique heartwarming get-together for all the extremely premature babies born at Aster Medcity over the last one year. These little marvels came to attend this special ‘Little Wonders’ program with their parents. Also present were Dr. Harish Pillai, CEO Kerala, Aster DM Healthcare, Dr. V. Narayanan Unni, Chief of Medical Services along with the Neonatology, Pediatrics and Obstetrics teams. The evening was graced by cine actress Nazriya who shared a few moments with the babies and their parents.
Dr. V. Narayanan Unni, Chief of Medical Services, Aster Medcity said, “A baby, who is born extremely prematurely after only 24-28 weeks of pregnancy, faces a lot of challenges. They require admission in the Neonatal ICU (NICU) for 8 to 12 weeks where their progress is continuously and closely monitored by neonatologists and a specialized team of medical and nursing support staff.”
Extremely premature babies are very susceptible to even the so-called harmless microorganisms and during their stay in the NICU, they are watched minutely for any problems like breathing and feeding issues, body temperature and signs of infection. Some babies may not be able to breathe or feed normally and require various supports to sustain life. The Neonatal ICU at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Child & Adolescent Health at Aster Medcity is manned by a team of internationally and nationally trained Neonatologists, Paediatricians, Paediatric Intensive Care Doctors and Paediatric/ Neonatal Nurses working 24/7 to ensure that these babies are taken care of till they leave the hospital all ready for their new life in the world outside.
It was an emotional evening for the doctors and nurses at Aster Medcity. There were many moist eyes in the audience as the parents of the ‘little wonders’ shared their thoughts and experiences with the medical team.
Dr. Harish Pillai, CEO Kerala, Aster DM Healthcare said, “The period the baby is in the NICU is a very stressful time for the parents. The emotional support that they get from the doctors and the other NICU staff helps them pass through this difficult time and builds a unique bond between the parents and staff. We are glad that this ‘Little Wonders’ get-together gives us the opportunity to see how our little babies, whom we fondly call NICU graduates, are doing and hear their experiences from their parents!” .
