A mother from Leh has been sending breast milk for her baby who is undergoing treatment in Delhi.
Dorjey Palmo, 30, noticed that her son was unable to suckle soon after his birth on June 16. The baby was taken to a doctor who then consulted paediatric experts in Delhi. It was found out that the baby’s oesophagus (food pipe) and trachea (windpipe) were connected. The infant was in need of an emergency operation.
The child was diagnosed with tracheoesophageal fistula with oesophageal atresia. Surgical intervention is required within 48 hours of birth.
Since the powdered milk proved insufficient for the child, the doctor advised the family to arrange for the breast milk.
The initial days of transport was difficult as it was impossible to travel 1000km every single day for the milk but soon an airlines chipped to transport it for free.
“The powder milk we fed the baby proved insufficient for the child. So the doctors advised us to try and give him his mother’s milk. This was a big challenge, but I am lucky to have some friends working at Ladakh airport, who assisted us in transporting the milk,” a family member told TOI.
“The feeds come in a specific container made of thermocol and rexine. Once the baby has taken his mother’s milk, the empty bottles are flown back to Leh, where the mother refills them and sends them back to us,” Dr Harshwardhan, principal consultant (paediatrics) at Max Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh said.
The baby is now recovering and will be sent back to Leh soon.
Netizens were moved by the efforts made by everyone to help the child get his mother’s milk and the news is winning the internet.
