‘Palm sister’ China baby born small as hand, light as 2 cans of soup, survives 112-day intensive care, mother hopes she will be a doctor
- Infant born at 25 weeks, with arms size of adult finger, cannot drink milk
- Faces a range of health dangers, gets nearly four months of critical hospital care
A premature baby in China who was born weighing just 650 grams has been discharged from hospital after more than 100 days of intensive care.
The tiny infant was dubbed “Palm Sister” because her body is no longer than the palm of an adult’s hand, mainland news outlet The Cover reported.
She weighed about the same as two cans of soup and her arm was the size of an adult finger.
The baby, whose name is Xiyue, which means “joy” in English, was born in November last year when her 37-year-old mother was less than 25 weeks pregnant.
Doctors at a hospital in Deyang, in the southwestern province of Sichuan carried out a caesarean section on the mother, surnamed Wang, due to the critical situation of the fetus, according to the report.
Like other premature babies, Xiyue faced particular health risks, including septicaemia and meningitis. As a result, medical staff created a personalised care plan for her.
They strictly controlled the light, humidity and noise in the incubator where the baby was placed and touched her gently because premature babies are exceptionally sensitive to external stimulus.
Nurses tried to draw as little blood as possible from Xiyue. Usually, about 4ml of blood is taken from normal weight newborn babies during check-ups, but only 1ml or less could be taken from Xiyue because she had such a small amount of blood in her little body.
In the first few weeks after her birth, the infant was not strong enough to drink her mother’s breast milk, so nurses used cotton buds dipped in the milk and applied it to her lips and in her mouth.
They also helped the baby with swallowing training every day.
It was two months before Xiyue was finally able to drink milk and breathe by herself.
At the end of February, when the baby had been in hospital for 112 days, doctors said she was healthy enough to go home with her parents.
During her long hospital stay, little Xiyue had successfully battled a range of health hazards such as poor blood circulation, infection, bleeding, digestive issues and jaundice – a condition that causes discolouration of the skin.
By the beginning of March, doctors said the infant weighed nearly 3,000 grams and could drink as much as 59ml of milk at a time by herself.
“My baby is bigger and whiter now,” her mother said.
Wang and her husband were deeply grateful to everybody at the hospital.
“Thank you for your hard work on my daughter. You’ve saved her life,” the couple said, while bowing to the doctors and nurses.
Wang said she hopes Xiyue can be a paediatrician when she grows up so she can help other premature babies.
The story has hit 6 million views on Douyin and received cheers from people online.
“I admire those doctors and nurses,” said one person.
“Xiyue Sister, I hope you grow up healthy and happy,” said another.
