Hyderabad: After a few unsuccessful pregnancies and the emotional toll thereof, Marri Bhagyamma, 47, recently gave birth to twins, prematurely. Due to health complications, blood flow to the womb was limited, which stopped the growth of one child.
Seven-month-pregnant Bhagyamma, who had conceived through IVF, had to be rushed to a hospital when her condition deteriorated, and she underwent C-section to give birth to a boy and a girl. Born premature, the twins were kept under observation.
Bhagyamma is married to Marri Raj Kumar, 55, a Central government employee and the couple is deaf and mute. When they experienced difficulties in communicating with doctors due to their condition, the resilient father took it upon himself to teach doctors sign language for the sake of saving his newborns.
A team of doctors and staff at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Kondapur, demonstrated exceptional care and empathy by agreeing to learn it. Within just two weeks, the couple communicated with the doctors seamlessly.
Marri Bhagyamma’s pregnancy was marred with complications. She suffered gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension. When she gave birth to twins, the baby boy weighed 900 grams and the girl weighed only 540 grams.
The happiness of being parents was short-lived after the boy developed a severe stomach infection that required immediate surgery. However, they could not save the infant.
Considering the seriousness, the couple were referred to KIMS Cuddles at Kondapur.
Initially, the hospital staff at the neonatal department had trouble understanding the couple. Soon, a sign language translator was hired. But even that did not work. It was at this point, the father Marri Raj Kumar, keen on direct communication, took it upon himself to teach the sign language to the staff.
Speaking to Siasat.com, Dr Aparna Chandrasekaran, head of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and clinical director of neonatology said, “It was a whole new experience. Nurses embraced this new form of communication, imparting essential signs to the doctors. It took us just a few days to learn numbers, alphabets, days, and weeks… simple gestures like a moustache for men and a nose pin for women.”
After 79 days of complete care and treatment, the baby girl was discharged in November. At that time, the infant weighed 1.8 kg. Ward shift in-charge D Sujata said that she was amazed to see the deaf and mute couple’s dedication towards their baby.
“Initially, I was concerned about how they would know if the baby cried in the middle of the night or if she was hungry. But I felt relieved when I met the family during a recent checkup. The child looks much healthier,” she said.
Thankfully, the child can hear and speak, she said.
