Vadodara baby survives Covid-induced scare, goes home

Narsinh in his mother’s arms after being cured

After spending three weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) - where he was sent minutes after his birth - on high-flow ventilator support, Narsinh, a Vadodara newborn diagnosed with multi-inflammatory syndrome-neonates (MIS-N), left the hospital with his mother on Saturday.

While the infant managed to survive the deadly disease, many newborns, unfortunately, could not sustain their fight for long. The infant has been tagged a ‘fighter' by the NICU staff. mid-day in its article ‘Expectant mother? Mask up, especially in the last trimester!', dated October 7, had highlighted the growing number of newborns succumbing to Covid-related ailments despite their mothers displaying no symptoms.

Narsinh and his three elder sisters, Kavya, Janki and Tulsi

Dr Rajesh Parikh, an obstetrician and gynaecologist who runs the Madhuvan Maternity and Eye Hospital in Vadodara, Gujarat, had said, "Four newborns from my maternity home were unfortunately diagnosed with Covid-related MIS-N and three have already succumbed. The fourth, a three-kilogram baby (Narsinh) who was delivered full-term on September 27, with no distress or problem at the time of birth, suddenly showed persistent grunting and had to be shifted to the neonatal ICU."

Also Read: Mumbai: Expectant mother? Mask up, especially in last trimester!

A tweet by Dr Parikh on the newborn's condition in late September has gone viral and is also being discussed by medical experts. The infant was then shifted to a bigger setup, Kashiben Gordhandas Patel Children Hospital in Vadodra, where he was being treated by well-known paediatrician Dr Jainish Bhandari.

Fighter

It was an emotional moment for the entire team comprising Dr Kiran and Dr Ambali and the nursing staff at NICU of Kashiben Gordhandas Patel Children Hospital, as the mother took the child in her arms and they walked out of the hospital on Saturday evening.

Dr Jainish Bhandari

Teamwork

Dr Jainish Bhandari said, "There are times when even a doctor's best efforts can't fetch you the desired outcome. But when on some rare occasions, such as this one, with the help of a lot of hard teamwork and a little bit of divine help, we are able to save the lives of kids that seemed impossible, that is what makes ours the most satisfying profession in the world."

‘Prayers do results in miracles'

Dr Rajesh Parikh, at whose hospital the infant was born, was happy on learning about his discharge. He said, "Medical science is still a work in progress but sincere and dedicated teamwork of doctors and paramedical staff with a generous dose of good wishes and prayers do result in miracles. This is the result I wanted and it happened. I cannot be happier for the parents and child and the awareness it created. May all newborns have the same fortune."

Early Diwali

For the parents, the child's recovery was a blessing from above. The boy's three elder sisters Kavya, Janki and Tulsi, aged seven, five and two respectively, were also excited to welcome their brother home.

Dr Rajesh Parikh, an obstetrician and gynaecologist

His father Radhesh Dabhi, 32, a chartered accountant by profession, said, "Diwali has come a week ahead of time for our family. It was only because of Thakurji's blessings that we got our son back. The Mahabharata war lasted for eighteen days; similarly, for exactly eighteen days my Narsinh was fighting his battle with MIS-N and finally emerged safe from the jaws of death. He came home on the 19th day."

"During the birth of my three daughters, none of them had any complications or required hospitalisation, and even though the fourth delivery was normal, my Narsinh suddenly developed a breathing issue and had to be rushed to the NICU. Even his mother could not even see him after the delivery," he added.

Asked if he or his wife, Neeta, 29, had any symptoms, Radhesh responded in negative. "We had even taken vaccines. My wife was fit and all her health parameters were normal, other than a minor cough," he said.

Tip to stay healthy

"I will advise others to give up eating junk food. It is a practice at our house to offer food cooked at home to Thakurji first as prasad," he said.

What next

Radhesh said the family would visit their native village in North Gujarat soon. "I have not thought about any plans for any of my four children. All I want is that they should be devotees of Thakurji and do seva. If they can inculcate this habit from childhood, I am sure that they will take care of us (their parents) when they grow up."

27
The day in September when the infant was delivered