“I’ve only wished for one thing all my life – to be able to hold my own child in my arms. But when I finally gave birth to my twin babies, I have been plagued by tragedy after tragedy. I lost one of them soon after, and the other is struggling to breathe in the NICU,”-Rukhiben

It was after 15 years of marriage, 15 years of tears, prayers and undying hope that Rukhiben discovered she was finally pregnant. “I was very careful; I took my medicines on time and even went for regular scans,” her voice breaks. “But I could not prevent the inevitable from happening and now my only surviving baby girl is fighting for her life.”

Rukhiben’s blood pressure spiked dangerously in the 6th month, which led to her unexpected delivery

Due to her age (45 years), doctors had advised Rukhiben against the pregnancy, citing health issues and complications. “But when I told them how much I yearned to have someone call me ‘Ma’, they were supportive. From the moment I got to know that life was growing inside me, I had already imagined the future – cuddling my child, caring for them and being the mother that I always wanted to be. I couldn’t let anything take that away from me,” she recalls. Everything went smoothly until the 6th month of pregnancy when Rukhiben’s blood pressure shot up and she experienced bleeding. She had to be rushed to the hospital where she would give birth to twins soon after. Sadly, one of them died on delivery, and the other suffered from severe prematurity.

“My baby weighed only 660 grams and was just the size of my palm. As I was also hospitalized post delivery, I had to wait for long before meeting her for the first time. I was heartbroken as I couldn’t even breastfeed her due to my poor health,”-Rukhiben

This poor mother can take her baby girl home with your support

 Rukhiben is currently at home, where she is given glucose drips twice a day. She is advised bed rest and has a dozen medicines to take for her high blood pressure, while her baby girl is undergoing treatment for severe breathing issues in the hospital. She gets to visit her baby every Sunday only, as advised by doctors.

 The little fighter is slowly recovering and is gradually putting on weight, but Rukhiben fears that her family’s poor financial status is a major obstacle in continuing her baby’s treatment. “My husband sells milk for a living and earns very less. He had to beg everyone we knew in our hometown of Himmat Nagar (Gujarat) to take care of my hospital expenses alone. We have no money to save our baby and bring her home,” she laments.

How you can help

Rukhiben is weak and helpless, but she is looking forward to bring her baby home. She wants to spend the rest of her life watching her grow up and take care of her every need. But she can do this only if we all come together to help her.

Your kind contribution can help this mother save her premature baby