The story of little Evelina from the Ternopil region, who was born at 25 weeks of pregnancy, is remarkable. Thanks to the professional work of the multidisciplinary team at St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital in Lviv, the girl survived. After 147 days in intensive care and 9 months of nurturing, she was finally discharged home, as reported by the Lviv City Council.
Natalia’s third pregnancy, Evelina’s mother, was calm until the 20th week when she contracted an infection that caused critical polyhydramnios. Doctors fought for every day, applying a preventive stitch and performing amnioreduction. At 25 weeks, the situation became critical, and a caesarean section was performed within 10 minutes, saving both mother and child.
The newborn Evelina, weighing only 750 grams, was handed over to the resuscitators. Due to prematurity, she suffered a brain haemorrhage and developed hydrocephalus. Taras Mykytyn, head of the neurosurgery department, said she was the smallest child he had operated on. An Ommaya reservoir was installed to drain excess fluid from the brain.
In addition, Evelina had breathing, feeding, and vision problems. Ophthalmologists performed laser coagulation of the retina to save her sight. After strengthening to 2.5 kg, neurosurgeons installed a permanent shunting system.
Now Evelina weighs 6.2 kg, breathes independently, feeds from a bottle, and actively responds to her parents. Regular check-ups and rehabilitation lie ahead, but the main thing is that the family is finally together at home.
Source: Lviv City Council