Da Nang (VNA) – Doctors at the Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children have successfully saved and cared for an extremely premature baby girl weighing just 720 grams at birth, the daughter of a Singaporean couple visiting Vietnam.
After more than three months of intensive treatment and specialised neonatal care, the infant was discharged from hospital on June 22 in stable condition. She is now breathing on her own, feeding well and weighs 2.655 kilograms, the hospital said on June 23.
The baby's mother was admitted to the hospital on March 16 while 25 weeks and four days pregnant with her first child. The Singaporean tourist had travelled to Da Nang with her husband and planned to return home before giving birth. However, shortly before their scheduled flight, she developed serious health complications and required emergency medical treatment.
Doctors diagnosed her with severe preeclampsia, accompanied by multiple fluid accumulations, low blood sodium levels and suspected heart failure. Medical teams initially sought to prolong the pregnancy through intensive treatment to give the fetus more time to develop.
Despite nearly two weeks of close monitoring, the fetus later showed signs of severe distress. Faced with life-threatening risks to both mother and child, specialists from the hospital's obstetrics and paediatrics departments decided to perform an emergency caesarean section on March 27.
The baby girl was delivered at 27 weeks and one day of gestation, placing her among the most vulnerable groups of premature infants. Immediately after birth, she received respiratory support and intensive neonatal care before being transferred to the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Dr. Huynh Thi Le, head of the hospital's Neonatal, Emergency and Intensive Care Department, said babies born this prematurely often face multiple serious complications because their organs are not fully developed.
During her 87-day stay in intensive care, the infant underwent a range of advanced treatments and monitoring procedures. After overcoming the most critical stage, she was successfully weaned off mechanical ventilation and transitioned to non-invasive respiratory support.
Doctors carefully managed her nutrition using breast milk to ensure healthy growth while minimising digestive complications. Medical assessments showed no signs of intraventricular haemorrhage, while screening for retinopathy of prematurity produced encouraging results.
As her condition improved, the baby received Kangaroo Mother Care, involving prolonged skin-to-skin contact, and gradually learned to breastfeed while achieving developmental milestones appropriate to her corrected age.
Before returning to Singapore, the baby's father sent a letter expressing his gratitude to the hospital's medical staff for their professionalism, dedication and support throughout the family's difficult journey.
Hospital representatives said the successful outcome highlights the effectiveness of close cooperation between obstetric and paediatric specialists and reflects the growing capabilities of neonatal intensive care in Vietnam./.
