Oh Dear!....
This is plain Child Abuse and child neglect!
In the previous post, I shared a story about how a baby died due to negligence on the part of the parents who didnt go to the hospital when the child was critically ill, on instructions of the child's grandma. Little did I know their case was 'small', compared to what I'm about to tell you guys.
So, this baby was brought to the ER. The baby was about 4weeks. On presentation, the baby was very very very very yellow.
I didn't make a mistake by typing 'very' 4times. This baby looked like the sun was inside the body. The eyes, face, palms, feet and the entire skin were yellow.
When they brought the baby in, the baby was having a seizure and the eyes were permanently gazing at us and not blinking . The mother was hysterical and crying all over the place.
Mere seeing the baby, I could guess the baby was jaundiced, in fact, severely jaundiced. I haven't seen a baby looking so yellow. The doctors were baffled. It was obvious the child had Kernicterus. It is a very rare case whereby bilirubin level becomes so high that it breaks the blood-brain barrier and enters the brain to cause brain damage, that was why the baby was having a fit and seizures.
A doctor asked the mother if the child did phototherapy at all and she said no, that although the doctors told her at the hospital she delivered, that the baby had a high bilirubin level and would need to be under phototherapy for some days, her mother advised her to bring the baby home that they just wanted to waste money and that the sun would cure it because her friend said so.
The doctors immediately tried to get a IV line and the baby was given injections to stop the seizure and reduce the fever. The baby was placed on oxygen because the respiration was fast. The oxygen level was poor also and the baby had a bad fever too. The baby's blood was collected for urgent crossmatching and S.B (serum bilirubin) so as to know the level of damage and to get blood ready for transfusion. Babies with a very high bilirubin level may need a 'blood exchange transfusion'. During this procedure, the baby’s blood is removed little by little . Then it’s replaced with matched blood from a donor.
After a few minutes, the baby stopped breathing. That was how CPR commenced. The mother was there, as well as the 'doctor grandma'.
For many minutes, the CPR continued. The mother was uncontrollable. The baby was suctioned, bagged, given chest massage, the oxygen was increased and adrenaline was given. The baby didn't respond. One by one, the doctors left and two stayed to deliver the bad news.
I didn't wait to see the mother's reaction because cases like this gets me angry so I quietly left their cubicle but I could hear the mother crying and calling the baby to wake up.
The grandma just stood there speechless.
When she was asked about the father of the baby, she said the father of the child travelled out. I'm sure he would have been so excited to come back home so he could see his bundle of joy. It was their first baby. I hope he forgives the wife because this is beyond normal. I'm not sure if the mother of the baby told the father that the baby had jaundice.
I know of mothers who refuse to stay back at the hospital for phototherapy after the birth of their babies because they feel they would overstay and miss the naming ceremony. Such stupidity. Yes, sunlight helps to prevent and reduce jaundice, but not when the bilirubin is so high.
Mothers, be wise please. What's wrong in doing your best for your own child? I'm just here thinking of how the father would react. I hope he doesn't send her away because its their first child.
I don't understand why or how grandmothers tend to be so highly respected, even when the life of the child is hanging. Is this the new trend?
I don't understand why or how grandmothers tend to be so highly respected, even when the life of the child is hanging. Is this the new trend?
This is annoying & heartbreaking, & I'm tired of reading about babies dying because of sheer stupidity of parents.
ReplyDeleteNot just the parents o. The grandmas 😠😠it's tiring
DeleteMy baby had mild case of measles and my mother in law was prescribing some track medicine one thing one thing like that!
DeleteI just told hubby to go buy calamine lotion sharply .This child is a miracle child that decided to stay despite the fact that she almost died in my womb! I also just had a miscarriage and I ain't playing with my child @all Abeg!
Even going to the hospital now ,I always seek 3 opinion before doing anything !
Rip baby. What an irony some are desperately seeking to have a baby those who have them easy can't take care of theirs. Quiet sure if she had waited some years she won't be listening to any grandma she would have stayed back to avoid stories such as this.
ReplyDeleteQuite
DeleteChaI so sad.
DeleteSeriously, if they sweat like some of us did before getting pregnant, they won't be stupid.
DeleteEayah painful
ReplyDeleteMy first baby had jaundice. The doctors didn't notice after I put to birth. I remember asking one doctor if he thinks my baby had jaundice because his eyes seemed a little yellow but he said no. So I was discharged. My mum came a week later for omugwo and said this baby had jaundice. That's how I went back to the hospital and did the phototherapy thing. Everyday drawing blood from the child made me feel really bad but then we kept at it. After 4 days, my mom who is also a nurse asked me to start unripe pawpaw therapy that's cutting unripe pawpaw in tiny bits and putting inside bottle, put water and leave it over night and finish up and make another that I'll drink next day . I was on exclusive breast feeding so I was to take a large amount of it while I gave my baby 1 tea spoon of it. Now I had to snick this into the neo natal ward were my baby was. All this time under phototherapy did just little. And after 2 days of the unripe pawpaw therapy, there was a good improvement. So good the doctor was shocked. I just told them to discharge us. 4 days later we came back for check up and everything was gone.
ReplyDeleteSecond baby had little sign of it and I just did that therapy for 1 week and everything disappeared. Didn't do phototherapy this time. But went to find out the level of the jaundice before we started and after 4 days went to check level again and it had dropped drastically. Checked 7 days later and he was good.
People say malaria causes it but in don't think so as I treated malaria during pregnancy even though I was sick as part of the antenatal process. One in 5 months, another 2 or 3 months later. Oh well, I feel bad for the mother. This is sad.
I remember when growing up, my neighbour use to bring out her baby to the sun that time early in the morning saying he needed vitamin d. Later found out she was trying to get the jaundice and it seemed like it worked for them. I just don't know again
Your case is different dear. You listened to the doctor and also your mom is also a nurse so knew exactly what to do. We are talking about women who will rather listen to their uninformed and clueless mother in Laws rather than go back to the hospital and get their babies checked. This is not the first story, last week there was a post of a child that died simply because of negligence.
Deletelol @ useless mother in laws.
DeleteThis is so sad.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteSuch a pity.
ReplyDeleteSo 😔 sad... Speechless
ReplyDeleteSo sad 😔, baby has to go back eyahh!
ReplyDeleteYes annonymous 12:42,you are very correct about that unripe pawpaw stuff... It does wonder.It was used to cure my first child of jaundice.Mum prescribed it too.I wonder why a mother will be careless with a gift God has given her. I don't think she went through the stress of pregnancy and labour pain... May God have mercy on her
ReplyDeleteGod.....sAd
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous 12:42< who asked you about your unripe pawpaw therapy, do you not get the point about this post. The poster is trying to discourage people from using personal remedies and allow the trained doctors do their jobs. You are here telling us about your irrelevant history. Even telling us that phototherapy did just little, you really have no emotional intelligence!
ReplyDeleteBut what if the unripe pawpaw therapy can save a life? She just stated her own experience. So you who is abusive has higher emotional intelligence?
DeleteSo sad.
ReplyDeleteI'm still wondering the sort of unfounded respect some people give to their mothers and their mother-inlaw.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is all these ladies that are baby wives. At the time I got married I was already mature and had my own life and money. No one makes decisions for me, when I have my own car and money for hospital.
No problem mum-inlaw can give advice and I will hear. After hearing and saying thank you ma. I will pick my wallet and my car key and say I'm coming. I wont even tell my husband.
I can answer you ppls questions when I am back from hospital and my child is well.
Pls if u suspect jaundice, take ur baby to d hospital abeg, don't stay at home n do unripe pawpaw ooooo!
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad....my mother in law and mum always tell me do not self medicate a baby/child between 0-6years old
ReplyDelete#mummyisaac
Another sad story...
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying mothers should disregard older women's advise completely but please apply wisdom.
Like I said on the last post, you are the first protector of your baby. Don't be foolish please. If you notice strange stuffs on your child and you can't get help immediately, please use google. It will help you. Don't sit at home with your mamas and be saying mamas know best.
If my baby is acting or looking funny, I call my mum in law and my mum to ask if it's normal that is after I have consulted google. If I discover that I'm still confused afterwards, I dash straight to the hospital. Most of the time, doctors laugh at me because they think I get concerned over little things. Forget o, na me know how I sweat before I get am.
Mothers, please be guided.
I keep thanking God for my 5year old daughter's life. Thank God I blocked my ears when I was told to take her home and use sunlight when jaundice was so high. I did naming in the hospital. Did EBT twice cos the first one failed. 13days later I left with a very healthy baby. This post made me emotional
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad. Negligence on the mother's part.
ReplyDelete