Exploring Pregnant Women and Very Low Birth Weight Babies: A Study in a Tertiary Care Medical College Hospital

Abstract

Low birth weight is a critical indicator of new-born health, particularly in developing countries where it is moreprevalent. However, data on low birth weight in these countries is often limited due to home or small healthfacility deliveries that go unreported. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of mothers and their verylow birth weight (VLBW) infants, who are at high risk for morbidity and mortality.Methods: The study included hospitalized mothers and their VLBW neonates. Pre- and perinatal data, includinghospitalization complications, were collected from case files using a pre-designed questionnaire and analysed.Results: The mean maternal age in the study group was 24.88 ± 2.92 years, with the majority falling between 21 and25 years. Gestational hypertension, alone or in combination with other risk factors, was the most significant riskfactor (18.36%). The caesarean section (C-section) rate was 58.7%. Among the study group, 49.81% of mothers hadone or more risk factors, with gestational hypertension (18.3%), leaking (12.6%), eclampsia (1.3%), and gestationaldiabetes mellitus (4.8%) being the most prevalent. Out of 7,288 neonates born in SMGS Hospital, 458 (4.3%) wereVLBW babies, with a mean gestational age of 32.19 ± 1.5 weeks and a mean birth weight of 1320 ± 0.21 grams. Themortality rate among VLBW neonates was 5.8%. The most common neonatal outcomes were sepsis (21.8%) andrespiratory distress syndrome (15.9%). The need for mechanical ventilation and surfactant therapy was 6.5% and9.1%, respectively.Conclusion: Delivering preterm VLBW babies from mothers with high-risk factors in hospitals equipped withtertiary care neonatal intensive care units is crucial to improving their outcomes and survival. These findingshighlight the importance of appropriate healthcare facilities for this vulnerable population.