Kyle K., 1

Kyle is the first and only child of a teenage mother. He lives with his mother, uncle, and grandparents in a modest two-room mud house. His mother is still in school and does not work. The grandfather works as a guard at a nearby school and is the family’s sole breadwinner, while the grandmother stays at home. The mother recalls missing her periods one month and visiting a nearby health facility, where pregnancy was confirmed. Fearing her parents’ reaction, she concealed the pregnancy by wearing oversized clothes. Despite this, she managed to attend four antenatal clinic (ANC) visits. On the day of delivery, she was carrying out light household chores when she began experiencing lower abdominal pains. By 9:00 pm, the pain had worsened, and she informed her mother, who took her to the hospital. She delivered a preterm baby weighing 1000 g. Soon after birth, the newborn developed respiratory distress and was admitted for specialized management.

Kyle was born prematurely and also had respiratory issues, he was admitted to the NBU for monitoring where he stayed for over two weeks. While in the new born unit he was treated on benzylpenicillin, getamycin,dextrose , caffeine citrate among other drugs, to which he responded well to treatment. Eventually he was able to breathe okay and dto feed normally, his weight improved from 1000g to 1600g and he was eventually discharged home. A follow clinic was scheduled for him after two weeks to check on his progress.

Kyle is a preterm baby suffering from respiratory distress syndrome, this is a very fatal condition if not managed properly, luckily he was referred to Siaya County Referral Hospital, a hospital with a new born unit where he was promptly admitted. His prognosis is therefore hopeful and is expected to recover, however he will need close monitoring and even a follow up clinic after discharge.