Hyderabad: A team of doctors and staff at KIMS (The Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences) Hospital, Kondapur demonstrated exceptional care and empathy by learning sign language in just 10 days to communicate with a deaf-dumb couple who recently became parents to twins.
Marri Bhagyamma (47), a homemaker, and Marri Raj Kumar (55), a central government employee, conceived twin babies through the procedure of artificial reproductive technique, IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) after several unsuccessful previous tries.
Marri Bhagyamma’s pregnancy faced complications. She suffered from hypertension and high blood sugar which are also known as gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension. As a result of this, blood flow to the uterus was limited, which essentially stopped the growth of one child.
In the seventh month of her pregnancy, Marri Bhagyamma underwent a C-section and gave birth to twins – a boy and a girl. While the baby boy weighed 900 grams, the girl weighed 540 grams at birth.
However, the couple’s happiness received a sudden jerk when they realised their infant son had developed a severe stomach infection and required immediate surgery.
Considering the seriousness, the couple were referred to KIMS Cuddles at Kondapur.
Tragically, the son did not make it.
Though broken, the couple were determined to save their little girl. Initially, the neonatal staff had trouble understanding the couple. Soon, a translator in sign language was hired. But that did not work out.
It was at this point, the father Marri Raj Kumar, keen on direct communication, took the lead in teaching 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 the time of her discharge, the infant weighed 1.8kg.
Ward shift in-charge D Sujata told Siasat.com that she was amazed to see the deaf and dumb couple’s dedication towards their baby, who thankfully could speak and hear.
“Initially, I was concerned about how they would know if the baby cried in the middle of the night or if she was hungry and many more things but I felt relieved when I met the family in their recent medical checkup. The child looks much healthier,” she said.
