How Young Is Too Young To - Save And Survive?

Depends on the childʼs embryonic growth and technology.

- G.V.Joshi

A baby girl named Seeta weighing just 400 grams at birth survived and was discharged from Jivanta Children’s Hospital at Udaipur, Rajsthan, after six months of treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). She was born on 15 June 2017.

The hospital claims that Seeta is the smallest baby ever to survive, not only in India but also in South Asia. Born through a Caesarean section, she measured 22 cm (8.6 inches), at birth and her minuscule feet were slightly bigger than a fingernail. She was not breathing when she was born. But her parents decided to fight to keep her alive. The baby required breathing support and was immediately transferred to the ICU. She was born at the 28th week (196 days) of her mother's pregnancy, whereas the average length of human gestation period is 280 days or 40 weeks.

Now, after a 210-day stay in the ICU, Seeta was discharged on Friday 12 January 2018. She weighs close to 2.4 kg now. As per the doctors treating Seeta, her brain is structurally normal and eyes are also developing normally. Doctors call her an angel after her miraculous survival, and have named her Manushi.

The noted gynaecologist, Dr Vimla Jain, former superintendent of Mahila Chikatsalay of Jaipur confirmed her survival as a rare case. In her words, “Usually babies, who are born weighing under 500 grams have less chances of survival. Her survival is rare. Usually body organs of underweight babies, including lungs, heart, brain, kidneys, intestine, skin and adrenals don't work properly and need artificial support, hence they can't survive." As per the hospital, the last reported case of "smallest survival" in India was Rajni, weighing 450 grams, at Mohali, Chandigarh, in 2012.