In a landmark achievement that the doctors themselves call a miracle, apair of in-vitro twins born 14-18 weeks premature have been nurtured tonormal health at the Central Obstetrics & Gynaecology Hospital.
When the babies were delivered on December 5 last year, the girl and boy weighed just 500g and 600g, respectively.
After more than three months in the hospital, the twins have gained weight and can be fed by bottle.
OnMarch 10 when they were released from the hospital, the girl GiangThien Bao, weighed 2.3kg and the boy, Giang Thien An, 2.2 kg.
DeputyMinister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien hailed the achievement, saying itis the first time that Vietnamese doctors have saved the lives of babiesborn weighing just 500-600g.
The twins' mother,29-year-old Ho Thi Hai Yen of northern Thai Binh province, was givingbirth for the second time. Her first child was also born in-vitro.
Nguyen Ngoc Loi, director of the centre that takes care ofpremature-babies in the hospital, said Yen was hospitalised with astomach ache in November and gave birth in December after just 24 weeksof pregnancy.
At birth, the twins were very weak, with severerespiration failure, weak heartbeat and other reactions, Loi said.Doctors did not have much hope for their survival, but decided to dotheir best to try and save them.
The babies were immediately transfused with many medicines and put on a respirator, because they could not breathe on their own.
Fifty days after their birth, the babies were able to breathe normally.
Because of their premature birth, the babies were fed through their umbilical cords in the first days.
"But it was a miracle that after just 16 days, the babies could be fed via normal digestion systems," Loi told reporters.
Caringand feeding the babies was a very hard, delicate work. It took threehours to get just one ml of breast milk into each baby. And the feedingwas done eight times a day. After 12 days, the babies started gainingweight.
Doctors called this another miracle, because theinternational average for under 1kg-babies to begin gaining weight is17-18 days after birth.
After three months, the twins reached the same weight as babies born normally.
Doctor Vu Ba Quyet, Director of the Hospital, said that even aftertheir release from the hospital, the twins would be closely monitored bythe doctors so that any abnormality could be detected immediately.
"The case is a scientific achievement for Vietnam's health sector," Quyet said.-VNA
When the babies were delivered on December 5 last year, the girl and boy weighed just 500g and 600g, respectively.
After more than three months in the hospital, the twins have gained weight and can be fed by bottle.
OnMarch 10 when they were released from the hospital, the girl GiangThien Bao, weighed 2.3kg and the boy, Giang Thien An, 2.2 kg.
DeputyMinister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien hailed the achievement, saying itis the first time that Vietnamese doctors have saved the lives of babiesborn weighing just 500-600g.
The twins' mother,29-year-old Ho Thi Hai Yen of northern Thai Binh province, was givingbirth for the second time. Her first child was also born in-vitro.
Nguyen Ngoc Loi, director of the centre that takes care ofpremature-babies in the hospital, said Yen was hospitalised with astomach ache in November and gave birth in December after just 24 weeksof pregnancy.
At birth, the twins were very weak, with severerespiration failure, weak heartbeat and other reactions, Loi said.Doctors did not have much hope for their survival, but decided to dotheir best to try and save them.
The babies were immediately transfused with many medicines and put on a respirator, because they could not breathe on their own.
Fifty days after their birth, the babies were able to breathe normally.
Because of their premature birth, the babies were fed through their umbilical cords in the first days.
"But it was a miracle that after just 16 days, the babies could be fed via normal digestion systems," Loi told reporters.
Caringand feeding the babies was a very hard, delicate work. It took threehours to get just one ml of breast milk into each baby. And the feedingwas done eight times a day. After 12 days, the babies started gainingweight.
Doctors called this another miracle, because theinternational average for under 1kg-babies to begin gaining weight is17-18 days after birth.
After three months, the twins reached the same weight as babies born normally.
Doctor Vu Ba Quyet, Director of the Hospital, said that even aftertheir release from the hospital, the twins would be closely monitored bythe doctors so that any abnormality could be detected immediately.
"The case is a scientific achievement for Vietnam's health sector," Quyet said.-VNA
