Abu Dhabi: A baby boy born to an Emirati couple at only 27 weeks gestation is doing well at the hospital, parents and doctors said.
Baby Hamad weighed just 1.2 kilograms at birth but is now gaining weight and able to feed normally. His grateful parents are even hoping to take him home by the end of the month.
“I have had a premature delivery before, and never really expected it to happen again. But I thank God that my son is well, and cannot wait to take him home with me,” Wadha Beloushi, Hamad’s 35-year-old mother, told Gulf News.
Although she says this with a smile, Al Beloushi’s story is a testament to her strength.
Married at the age of 19 years, Al Beloushi gave birth to five healthy children — two boys and three girls. She was a working mother, and truly enjoyed her personal and professional responsibilities. So when she became pregnant in 2015 with a sixth child, a girl, Al Beloushi was very happy.
But this time, the delivery was not easy, as Al Beloushi had two previous deliveries via caesarean section. Baby Noura was born premature but she recovered well. But to take care of her premature baby, Al Beloushi finally decided to become a stay-at-home mother.
Then a few months later, Al Beloushi found she was pregnant again.
“This pregnancy was extremely difficult, and nothing like the earlier ones. At just 20 weeks gestation, I was in excruciating pain, and had to be hospitalised. I didn’t think either of us (Baby Hamad and Al Beloushi) would make it,” Al Beloushi says.
Based on international studies, babies born below 21 weeks of gestation have no chances of survival. In contrast, the chance of survival increases up to 90 per cent for babies born after 27 weeks.
Dr Sausan Abdul Rahman, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi, said Al Beloushi required strong painkillers to help her continue the pregnancy.
“I have been seeing Al Beloushi for many years, and this time, she had a very difficult journey. She was experiencing tremendous contraction-like pain after just five months of pregnancy. But because she did not want to harm her baby, she was asked to continue the pregnancy for a while longer till the baby could survive outside the womb,” Dr Abdul Rahman said.
Al Beloushi was hospitalised for more than a month at a public hospital, and eventually discharged. Then, at 27 weeks gestation, the pain became unbearable again.
“We decided to deliver the baby via caesarean section, and were happy to note that Hamad did well outside the womb. He was admitted to the newborn intensive care unit and is now growing steadily, even breathing and feeding on his own,” Dr Abdul Rahman said.
“I visit Hamad at the hospital every day, and even though I have six other children at home, I find myself in tears when I have to leave him at the hospital,” Al Beloushi said.
Al Beloushi says that she and her family are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Hamad at home.
“My eldest children already help me tend to Baby Noura, and are waiting to hold and play with another sibling. I know it will be a challenge raising two young babies who are less than a year apart. But with the grace of God and the tremendous support of my older children and husband, we can do it,” Al Beloushi said.
