This week the Neonatology Unit of Parc Taulí has discharged a very special patient; the Melany he finally goes home with his parents in good health after being born on April 7 at 22 weeks and 6 days, weighing 450 grams.
Melany has become the the smallest premature baby born in Parc Taulí. "From the beginning we were very honest with mom and dad; it was very difficult for him to survive because premature babies have many complications at birth. But the mother was convinced that it would be fine and so it has been”, explains the neonatologist, la Dr. Núria Torre.
Melany Abigail Romero Rodríguez's birth was delayed due to cervical incompetence, which is when the mother's cervix ends prematurely. Evelyn entered Parc Taulí at 22.4 weeks of gestation and the Obstetrics team at Parc Taulí placed a cerclage to prevent premature birth, but she continued to give way. "It was decided to treat the mother with corticosteroids to help the baby develop its lungs before birth", points out Dra. tower
According to the recommendations of the Spanish Society of Neonatology, from 24 weeks the attitude in the delivery room must be proactive, performing complete cardiopulmonary resuscitation; from 23 to 23.6 weeks is considered the Gray zone in which the opinion of the family is taken into account and the risk factors are kept in mind. With regard to babies under 23 weeks of gestation, the professionals who make up the human team that intervenes in the delivery room turn to comfort measures without resuscitation. So, faced with the possibility that Melany could be born at 23 weeks of gestation, it was decided, together with the Obstetrics team, to carry out the pulmonary maturation with a proactive attitude in the delivery room under the wishes of the family.
During these 130 days (these 4 months) admitted to Parc Taulí, Melany had to be operated on twice at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu in Barcelona due to the persistence of the ductus arteriosus and retinopathy of prematurity. Both operations went well and Melany was able to continue growing and gaining strength until she reached week 40. "Now all three can go home and start enjoying themselves", explains Dra. Núria Torre
Melany's parents, Evelyn and Carlos, live in Manresa and during this time have been in a flat shared with other families, which has helped to share their experience with other people and to give hope to other women who are going through similar situations. During this process they received theaccompaniment and the support of the social worker Maria Dolores Vacas, who has helped them in the management of the flat and in their move from Manresa to Sabadell.
Both Evelyn and Carlos are very grateful to all the professionals who have attended to them during these months at Parc Taulí. And specifically, Melany's mother highlights the importance of psychological support during this process. "The psychologist Cristina Giménez has been of great help. It is a long and hard process for which we are not prepared. You get stuck and can't look past it. The perinatal psychologist helped me to be able to express my emotions during these months. It has been a great help".
Recommendations after discharge
In order to guarantee an appropriate hospital discharge, the Neonatology team at Parc Taulí, together with other specialists from the Consortium, has been in contact with Melany's referral outpatient pediatrics team for ensure better coordination in your medical follow-up. In this sense, the nursing case management team will be a key figure, as it will help to reduce trips to the hospital.
Specifically, Melany will require the follow-up of the pediatric specialists in Pneumology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Hematology, Neurology and Neonatology, as well as the professionals of her Primary Care Center (CAP) and the Early Care Center. In addition, the family will continue to be linked with the team of perinatal psychology and social work.
The Neonatology Unit and Neonatal ICU at Parc Taulí is one reference unit in Catalonia. In 2022, 2.001 babies were born in Parc Taulí, of which 6% were premature. Of the total number of premature babies, 20% are very premature, that is to say, they were born with less than 32 weeks of gestation. They have been born in Spain in the last 20 years 58 babies at 22 weeks of gestation of which 4 have survived, including Melany.
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