A baby girl born at just 24 weeks of gestation, weighing only 550 grams, has defied the odds and survived thanks to advanced neonatal care and over 100 days of intensive treatment at Phu Tho Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, Vietnam.

The newborn is the daughter of H.T.T.M., a woman from Cam Khe District, Phu Tho Province. On April 12, at just 24 weeks pregnant, she unexpectedly went into labor and gave birth naturally to a baby girl weighing only 550g. The infant was born with no cry, purple skin, and extremely poor reflexes. Immediately, doctors at the Neonatal Department intubated the baby in the delivery room, provided ventilation, kept her warm, and transferred her to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for emergency treatment.

Recognizing this as an extremely premature and critical case, with each minute increasing the risk of death, the doctors quickly initiated the most intensive resuscitation and support protocols available.

The baby was placed in an incubator with high-level mechanical ventilation, received bedside diagnostics, Surfactant therapy, invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring, and central venous catheterization to stabilize blood circulation and provide nutrition. Acid-base imbalances were also carefully corrected.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Hau, Head of the Neonatal Department, explained that extremely preterm infants are at high risk of complications such as hypothermia, respiratory failure, brain and lung hemorrhages, necrotizing enterocolitis, infections, metabolic disorders, and jaundice.

“This baby was exceptionally fragile. To give a clearer picture—her shin was the size of an adult’s little finger, and her skin was paper-thin,” said Dr. Hau. “We knew from the beginning this would be a long and delicate journey, requiring meticulous care and constant vigilance.”

Every milliliter of medication and nutritional fluid had to be precisely calculated—neither too much nor too little. Temperature and humidity were strictly controlled to prevent hypothermia and dehydration, and infection control was prioritized at every step.

In the first few days, the baby’s condition remained critical, with worsening respiratory failure, repeated cyanotic episodes, bradycardia, low oxygen saturation, and unstable blood sugar levels. The medical team adjusted her medications and maintained high-level ventilation with a rigorous treatment protocol.

After five days, her condition began to improve. Ventilation was gradually reduced, and by day 14, ventilator settings had been minimized. On day 21, she weighed 650g, began showing spontaneous breathing, and was introduced to her mother’s milk via a feeding tube.

By day 28, she was extubated and transitioned to positive pressure ventilation. Her digestion improved, and her weight reached 700g. By day 40, she was tolerating 12–13 ml of breastmilk per feed and weighed 800g, with continued clinical progress.

After 80 days, her health had improved significantly. She was weaned off the ventilator and started oxygen therapy, now weighing 1.7kg. She was reunited with her mother to begin skin-to-skin Kangaroo care—helping regulate her heartbeat, prevent apnea, and support brain development.

Finally, on July 23, after 103 days of intensive care, the baby weighed 2kg, was fully breathing on her own, feeding well, and strong enough to be discharged from the hospital.

According to the hospital’s Neonatal Department, since the beginning of 2025, nearly 300 premature babies have been successfully treated there. Among them, extremely preterm infants (born before 28 weeks) account for about 7.2%.

Previously, in February 2024, another baby girl born at 24 weeks and weighing 550g was also successfully treated at the same hospital, making her one of the smallest and youngest surviving preterm infants in Phu Tho—and one of the few such cases across Vietnam.