Raising A Preemie
“Despite her pneumonia diagnosis, Diana now weighs 6.6 lbs! I’m pleased with her progress. FAME is dedicated to supporting Diana, her mother, and families like theirs, as premature babies are more likely to have chronic health issues.”
Baby Diana* is five months old. She is admitted to FAME’s inpatient ward with her mother. She struggles to breathe and is wheezing. Diana is no stranger to FAME; she was born here prematurely at 28 weeks gestation, weighing only 2.4 lbs. She spent one month in the special care nursery in an incubator and was 3.1 lbs when she was discharged to go home.
“When I got pregnant with my first child, my husband was very excited and asked several people what hospital they thought would provide the best prenatal care. FAME kept coming up repeatedly, so we decided to come here. And I’m glad I did because Diana was born very early and needed a lot of medical attention to save her. FAME was very good at providing this care.” said Diana’s mother.
Diana’s mother explains that Diana has been thriving and reaching all her growth and developmental milestones before this visit. She has taken advantage of the many follow-up clinics that FAME has offered her post-discharge, which are crucial to catching any motor or cognitive development delays. The sooner interventions are implemented, the better chance of minimizing any long-term deficits.
“A few days ago, Diana had a high fever and difficulty breathing. She also had difficulty feeding and was restless. Because she was born premature, we are always on high alert for any problems. So I quickly took a bus to Karatu and brought her to FAME.”
Diana’s mother made the 30-mile trip to get her to FAME, where Diana was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia and put on antibiotics. Using a nasal oxygen cannula, she is connected to an oxygen concentrator machine to help her breathe and she is expected to make a full recovery.
In the next five years, FAME will build a dedicated pediatric team to run pediatric programs around wellness and growth tracking, early intervention and prevention. This will enable us to serve more babies with conditions like Diana’s. Donate today to support our growing pediatric team here.
“Since we have been here, she has been doing well. The medicines at FAME are working! I’m happy and grateful to FAME for taking good care of sick people like my daughter.”
*While the patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share her photos and story with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME Medical