Premature babies survive by scratching their feet

Emma's baby girl was born at the 25th week with a weight of less than 0.5 kg. Her parents lived in a state of simmering for weeks because the child constantly stopped breathing, and his tiny lungs performed the gas pumping function.

Strangely, nurses and Angela Young, her mother, discovered that scratching Emma's feet every time he stopped breathing helped him to have more energy to breathe again.

This therapy brings unexpected results. Emma has just celebrated her first birthday and achieved her age-appropriate height and weight.

Angela Young's 29-year-old pregnancy, living in Washington, USA, took place normally until May last year, when she suffered from intestinal cramps. Doctors realized that the time of her birth came too early. They inject steroid into Angela's uterus to help the child's lungs grow faster. The woman returns to her stomach exactly one day after admission.

When she was born, Emma's baby just fit in the palm of an adult's hand.
(Photo: dailymail.co.uk)

'Emma is so small that I fit in my husband's palm. I only looked at him through the glass of the intensive care room and hoped he would live. But I think it's hard to be a reality. Emma's head was only a plum and I could see her entire blood vessels through the transparent skin, ' Angela recalls.

Due to premature birth, Emma's heart has a problem in pumping blood. Therefore, six weeks later the doctors had to perform surgery for the ventricles and the atria to work together smoothly. Successful surgery was unimaginable, but since then Emma has faced respiratory problems again. I often stop breathing a few dozen times a day.

Angela said: 'When Emma stopped breathing for the first time, her face turned white and I thought she was dead. But then the nurses rushed in and rubbed, scratching her soles. The nurses said that due to premature birth Emma's body often 'forgot' how to breathe ' .

Since then, Angela regularly scratches Emma's feet every time she stops breathing. The respiratory problem ends when the baby is 15 weeks old.

Photo of Emma baby being 25 weeks old (Photo: dailymail.co.uk)

Minh Quan - Vnexpress (According to Daily Mail)