‘Warrior girl’ who fought Covid from mother’s womb is hale and hearty

Nagpur: Kahira is the name Jeetendra and Neelam Khandale have selected for their newborn girl, who celebrated her first month birthday earlier this week. The name means ‘a warrior princess’ in Arabic, which is what she is.
“This small bundle of joy is nothing less than a warrior for us. Her mother was hospitalized with severe Covid for almost 49 days, with 22 days on an invasive ventilator. She was given every possible drug, steroid, and medication during this hospitalization. We were least hopeful for a normal baby after such heavy medication. But thanks to the doctors and the almighty, we were blessed with her,” said Jeetendra, who works as an engineer in Mumbai.
Neelima was 26 weeks pregnant with her second child when she got infected with Covid-19, during the worst phase of the second wave in mid-April. It was difficult even to get a hospital bed for her at one point. Finally, she was admitted at Alexis Hospital where pulmonologist Dr Manoj Pethe and gynaecologist Dr Rashmi Shinde took charge.
“Her lungs were fully white. She required tracheostomy and ventilator support. In the later phase, she suffered from several infections. Prolonged hospital stay, severe Covid pneumonia, heavy medication — everything was against the baby’s normal growth,” said Dr Pethe.
“We were least hopeful about Neelima’s baby. Our focus had always been on saving the mother first. Her condition was so critical that we treated her as if she was not pregnant,” said Dr Rashmi. Neelima was admitted with 70 SPO2 and severe symptoms of Delta infection.
“We don’t have the genome sequencing of this case, but the way her condition deteriorated in just 2 or 3 days was the biggest indicator that it was a Delta virus infection. She took almost a month and a half in the hospital to recover,” said infectious disease specialist Dr Nitin Shinde. In that particular phase of April-May, Delta patients with prolonged hospitalization hardly survived, he said.
Finally, Neelima was discharged from hospital while still on oxygen support. Regular weekly follow-up of the baby’s growth was maintained. “As she completed 37 weeks, we performed surgical delivery. A pleasant surprise to all of us, the baby was absolutely fine with all her reflexes. Her weight obviously was a bit less, but she cried normally, stayed with her mother for four days in the hospital, and was discharged,” Dr Rashmi said.
Now, the mother and baby are both doing well since almost a month. Family members have selected the name Kahira for the baby and are now preparing to have a decent naming ceremony.
DEFEATING COVID BEFORE BIRTH
29-yr-old woman, 26-week pregnant, had severe Covid
Mother went on ventilator; doctors thought she would not survive
Mother and baby fought 49-day-long battle in ICU
Mother was given a lot of medicines on ventilator to ensure her survival
Finally, she was saved, but doctors were sceptical about the baby’s growth
Last month, the mother delivered healthy baby girl