“Mukesh wasn’t answering me when I asked him how my baby was. When he finally wheeled me towards the NICU, my heart skipped a beat. But you know a mother’s heart - I couldn't believe my baby girl was fighting for her life till I actually saw her in the glass box. I couldn’t hold back my tears. I wasn’t even allowed to hold her in my arms. I muttered to myself - ‘I will save you, baby’,' - Sandhyarani, mother.

It’s been almost 15 days and Sandhyarani has still not held her baby in her arms. She is pining for her daughter but the little one is fighting for her life in the NICU, she needs to stay there for a minimum of 6 to 7 weeks to recover fully.

The distance between that glass window and me in the longest distance I will ever cover

Sandhyrani had a problem-free pregnancy till her seventh month - her tests were all normal, she wasn’t expecting any complications. But on her seventh month, she suddenly started feeling severe pain in her stomach. No amount of injections or medicine could delay her pregnancy any further. She had a normal delivery but her baby girl couldn’t breathe on her own, she was immediately moved to the NICU.

 

“I was discharged and it was when I went back home that I realised I am no longer pregnant but without my baby. I can’t even see her face if I wanted to. I held my husband and cried uncontrollably.”

Breast milk is the only tangible care I can provide to her

For the last 15 days, Sandhyarani has been religiously coming to the hospital to meet and feed her baby girl. Her days no longer follow the pattern of morning, afternoon, evening and night. Instead they were split into 2-4 hour chunks punctuated by pumping sessions. Her baby is underweight and can’t breathe without support. She needs constant medical care but her parents can’t afford it anymore.

 

“Mukesh wants to be with our baby so much but he can’t afford to miss even a single day of work. He drops me off at the hospital in the morning and comes as fast as he can to the hospital in the evening.  He is struggling so much but how much more can he do. We need about 18 lakhs now. That is a huge sum for a middle class family like ours.”

 
Mukesh works in a BPO and makes around Rs 15,000. He has already spent over 3 lakhs. But he needs a lot more to save his baby girl - he is counting on your help.

A generous contribution from your side can help save the newborn