On August 15, he was found in a Chennai gutter, wailing, his
umbilical cord wound round his neck. If he is alive today, it’s because of the unusual generosity of lactating mothers who donated their milk for the abandoned baby.
But it was Geetha who first came to his rescue. After finding him in the drain, she rushed him to the government children’s hospital, Institute of Child Health. The baby was severely underweight, at just 1.9 kg.
“The baby had a number of health complications. Tests showed that he had a severe bacterial infection in the blood. He was moved to the hospital’s intensive care unit for further care,” said Dr R Jayanthi, dean of Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. The children’s hospital is managed by the general hospital.
For the next two weeks, the baby was put on high-spectrum antibiotics and monitored round the clock by a team of doctors and nurses. Breast milk from the hospital’s milk bank was processed, pasteurised and fed through a tiny cup. Doctors said his weight gain was slowed down by the bacterial infection.
At discharge, he weighed 2.17 kg. “He has gained normal body weight and if he continues on exclusive breast milk, he will be healthy,” said children’s hospital director Dr A T Arasar. “We will be sending the required quantity every day,” he said.
At 10 am on Tuesday, health minister C Vijaya Baskar handed over the baby boy to social welfare minister V Saroja. The whole ward cheered. The loudest were the nurses who had kept vigil over the baby as he fought against all odds to survive. “Hope he finds a good family to take care of him. Hope they care for him just like we did,” one of the nurses said as Saroja handed the baby to the child welfare committee. The baby will now be at a home and be put up for adoption soon.
Geetha, who rescued the baby, has named him Sudanthiram.
That means liberty.
The boy has been named Sudanthiram, or liberty
