Baby Tabitha O., 1

Baby Tabitha is the only child of a teenage mother and her young husband. The family resides in a single-room semi-permanent house. The mother previously worked as a casual laborer, while the father is employed as a gardener, making him the family’s sole provider. The parents first learned about Helpster Charity while seeking care at the hospital. The mother recalls that after missing her period for one month, she became certain of her pregnancy when she missed it the following month and immediately shared the news with her husband. She attended three antenatal care (ANC) visits during her pregnancy. On a Friday evening, she began experiencing mild abdominal pains, which became severe by Saturday morning and continued into the night. She rushed to the hospital and delivered on Sunday morning. However, Baby Tabitha developed breathing difficulties shortly after birth and had to be referred to Siaya County Referral Hospital for specialized care.

Baby Tabitha was brought to the facility a referral from Bondo subcounty hospital, she had had difficulty in breathing after being born, and was diagnosed with severe birth asphyxia. This warranted admission into the newborn unit where she stayed for a number of weeks. She was administered loading dose stat, IV dextrose , benzylpenicillin, getamycin among other drugs to which she was tolerant. She was eventually discharged having put on weight , breathing well and able to breastfeed well. A follow up clinic was booked to check on progress of the child after two weeks

Baby Tabitha, a newborn diagnosed with severe birth asphyxia and referred from Bondo Subcounty Hospital to Siaya County Referral Hospital, is in a critical condition. The prognosis is guarded, as severe oxygen deprivation at birth carries a high risk of mortality and long-term complications such as developmental delays, seizures, or cerebral palsy. With timely advanced neonatal care and close monitoring, survival may improve, though the risk of neurological impairment remains significant.