TygerBurger Eerste River - 20 January 2021

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EERSTERIVIER

EERSTERIVER TEL: 021 902 0303

OPEN 7 DAYS

Trading Hours: Mon to Thurs: 8.30am to 6pm Fri: 8am to 6.30pm • Sat: 8am to 5pm • Sun: 8.30am to 1pm

WE SELL 2KG ICE CUBES

R10

P\BAG

valid from 13th January to 31st January 2021 X1WH3KJM-AL200121

Woensdag, 20 Januarie 2021 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za

@TygerBurger

TygerBurger

NETWERK24. ALLES OP EEN PLEK.

Teken in by www.netwerk24.com.

MOM AND SON: EMOTIONAL MEETING

Covid: A beautiful end A

mother whose baby was delivered by emergency C-section at only 25 weeks while she was unconscious and on ventilator support for Covid-19, was overjoyed to meet her baby boy for the first time in the neonatal intensive care unit (Nicu) at Netcare N1 City Hospital in Goodwood. The first encounter happened on Monday 4 January, three weeks after Nosipho Nkantini from Eerste River gave birth. The baby was born on Thursday 17 December. Their emotional meeting followed after the hospital had to search for the mother, who spent a heartbroken Christmas mistakenly assuming her baby had been born too early to survive. “When they showed me my baby, I was crying because I was so happy, I just couldn’t believe it. He is alive,” says Nkantini. “It was like a miracle, and I have decided to name him Oyena, which means ‘the one chosen by God’.” In early December, Nkantini started showing symptoms of the virus. She contacted her general practitioner, who initially did not suspect she had been infected and instead prescribed antibiotics. “I went for a pregnancy check-up and I suddenly felt very short of breath. I had a rapid Covid-19 test, and it came back negative. Still, I couldn’t breathe and it was terrifying. I couldn’t have X-rays or certain treatments for my symptoms because I was pregnant. My second Covid-19 test came back positive.” She was transferred to Netcare N1 City Hospital and soon after arrival lost consciousness and was placed on a ventilator in the hospital’s “red” zone dedicated to the care of Covid-19 positive patients. “From then I can’t remember anything until I woke up days later, when I was told that I had suffered complications and my baby had been delivered by emergency C-section,” Nkantini says. “They told me my baby is in the Nicu, but I was so overwhelmed. Apart from the fact that I was still very weak recovering from Covid-19, I previously lost a baby who was delivered at 28 weeks, so I was extremely traumatised imagining this happening again.” When Nkantini was well enough to be discharged, her baby still required highly spe-

cialised life support and care in the Nicu. During her emergency admission, the contact details for Nkantini and her next-of-kin were outdated and efforts to reach her became increasingly urgent. Social worker Ronel Grobler was enlisted to assist in reaching the baby’s mother, but the festive season added to the difficulties as they reached out to doctors and their staff – many of whom were on holiday – in an attempt to get hold of her. “We were very concerned about Nosipho, and when all else failed we contacted the local police, who promised to assist us in the search.” Meanwhile, Nkantini was in despair. “At home, I was too scared to phone the hospital because I had convinced myself my baby had died, and I couldn’t bear to have my worst fears confirmed. Christmas without him was terrible, I was so, so stressed,” Nkantini says. “When the police arrived at my home, I thought they were coming to tell me that my baby had died. I could not believe it when they told me my baby boy is fine and he is waiting for me in the hospital. It was such a big relief, and afterwards the police said, ‘we didn’t mean to scare you’.” Dr Ricky Dippenaar, a neonatologist who practises at Netcare N1 City Hospital, says Nkantini’s baby boy – who at that stage had yet to be named – was very much alive, although he was born so prematurely. “Initially, he had a bit of a stormy course, as he was born at only 25 weeks gestation, and also because his mother had been so ill with Covid-19 while he was in the womb. “Thankfully the tiny baby tested negative for Covid-19, which is often the case with babies born to Covid-19 positive mothers, however, the mother’s Covid can still impact the unborn baby. He has made good progress, and is taking full feeds and continues to gain weight.” Dr Dippenaar explains that many mothers whose babies need to be cared for in a Nicu environment experience “double separation”. “Double separation is when the mother cannot hold her baby and can no longer feel the baby inside her. Psychologically this is very tough, and in this case, it was further compounded by the mother’s history and traumatic Covid-19 experience.” V To page 3

Nosipho Nkantini holds her tiny baby boy, Oyena, for the first time some three weeks after he was born prematurely at 25 weeks gestation by emergency caesarean while his mother was unconscious on ventilator support, fighting for her life due to Covid-19.

MINI-MARK

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ERRORS AND OMISSIONS EXCEPTED. WE TRY TO ENSURE THAT ALL ADVERTISED LINES ARE CORRECT. HOWEVER IF INFORMATION IS PRINTED INCORRECTLY OR A MISTAKE OCCURS WE WILL DISPLAY THE CORRECT INFORMATION IN-STORE. PRICES VALID WHILE STOCK LASTS. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES. X1WH3KFH-AL200121


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