Babies Matter Medical Centre Saves 24-Week Premature Twins Weighing 550g, 740g

Funmi Ogundare

Babies Matter Medical Centre (BMMC), Lagos, has successfully discharged twin babies born at 24 weeks of gestation, weighing 550 grammes and 740 grammes respectively, after spending 87 and 85 days in neonatal intensive care.

The co-founder and Clinical Lead of the hospital, Dr. Zainab Mudasiru, described the survival of the twins as a significant medical achievement, considering the complications associated with caring for extremely premature babies, particularly in a resource-constrained environment such as Nigeria.

Mudasiru said babies born at 24 weeks were considered to be at the threshold of viability and survival, even in developed countries, requiring intensive medical intervention and specialised neonatal care.

“Being born at 24 weeks gestation, even in developed western world countries, is considered to be at the threshold of viability and survival.

“Meaning these babies can potentially survive outside the womb only with intensive medical intervention and depending on hospital capabilities.

“Even in the UK, for instance, maximum survival rate is 70 per cent of all babies born at 24 weeks gestation,” she said.

She explained that extremely premature babies faced several medical complications, including severely underdeveloped lungs, fragile brains vulnerable to bleeding, immature gastrointestinal systems and high susceptibility to infections.

“We are not in the UK, we are in Lagos, Nigeria. This is a limited resource environment where there are still many challenges in trying to deliver expert neonatal care,” she said.

Mudasiru said the hospital successfully managed the twins until they were strong enough to return home, commending the medical team for their dedication and collaborative efforts.

“We took delivery of these 24-week twins and have successfully managed them to the point of going home.

“I am so proud of our facility and our staff who together worked so hard as a team, and have given their parents such joy.

“We thank God for this success and as I speak, we actually have another set of 24 weeks twins currently in our unit, both doing well,” she said.

She urged pregnant women and hospitals anticipating premature deliveries to contact the facility so that its neonatal team could be prepared to provide immediate specialist care.

The mother of the twins, Mrs. Temitayo Fagbemi, expressed gratitude to the hospital for giving her babies a chance to survive, saying she initially lost hope when they were born.

“In fact, I lost all hope when my babies were born at 24 weeks. I was devastated and thought it was all over but I just want to thank God for using Babies Matter Medical Centre for giving them a chance of survival,” she said.

Fagbemi recalled that seeing the babies’ extremely low birth weights left her devastated, as she feared they would not survive.

“It was not easy at all. The fear of losing your twin babies, the fear of seeing them so tiny, one was weighing 550 grammes while the other was weighing 740 grammes.

In fact, when I saw them, I was in tears because I lost all hope that they were going to survive at that weight,” she stated.

She, however, said her confidence gradually improved as she witnessed the attention and medical care provided by the hospital’s doctors and nurses.

According to her, the consistent medical treatment and commitment of the healthcare workers gave her renewed hope throughout the babies’ stay at the facility.

Fagbemi also commended the hospital for preparing her for the responsibilities of caring for the twins after discharge.

She said the nurses provided practical training on how to prepare their feeds, bathe them and handle their daily needs, while supervising her until she gained the confidence to care for them independently.

The mother urged other parents whose babies were receiving neonatal intensive care to remain hopeful and maintain open communication with their doctors and nurses.

She also encouraged Nigerians with extremely premature babies to seek appropriate specialist medical care, expressing appreciation to the hospital for helping her family overcome the difficult experience.