Jovial S., 0

Jovial is the firstborn child of her mother and the older twin of her brother. She lives with her mother and twin in their great-grandmother’s two-roomed mud-walled house, along with her aunt. Her father abandoned the family while her mother was still pregnant. Jovial’s mother is a teenage girl with no employment and relies on her grandmother, a peasant farmer without a formal source of income, for support. Jovial's mother reports that she was unaware of her pregnancy until her grandmother noticed the signs. With the help of a neighbour, she went to a nearby clinic and tested positive. She attended four antenatal care (ANC) visits, walking more than 35 minutes each way to reach the facility. One evening, she began experiencing abdominal pains, which she initially thought would subside. However, the pain worsened the following morning while she was alone in the homestead. Her screams alerted a neighbor, who assisted her and took her to a local birth attendant. She delivered twins at the home of the birth attendant prematurely, at seven months gestation. Following the birth, the Jovial's mother stayed at home for over a week with her twin children. During a routine clinic visit thereafter, it was discovered that the twins were of low birth weight, and they were subsequently admitted to the neonatal unit (NBU) for specialized care.

Jovial was born prematurely at home. She was admitted to the NBU after a routine clinic visit by the mother revealed she was born premature and was of low birth weight. In the NBU she stayed for a month where she was given EBM 30mls which was retained m the child was also treated with phototherapy, was transfused blood . She was also administered IV xpen, gentamicin among other drugs .She was tolerant to the drugs and eventually was discharged on orals after being initiated to breastfeeding having put on weight from 1240g on admission to 1720g at discharge. A visit to the home revealed the child was breastfeeding well and growing as expected.

Jovial’s prognosis is guarded to good, depending on the quality of ongoing neonatal care and follow-up. As a preterm, low-birth-weight twin, she is at increased risk of early complications such as infections, feeding difficulties, breathing problems, and poor temperature regulation. However, the fact that she was identified during a clinic visit and admitted to the neonatal unit (NBU) significantly improves her chances of survival and recovery. With appropriate neonatal care, adequate nutrition, infection prevention, and close monitoring, many preterm, low-birth-weight infants go on to achieve normal growth and development.