Despite weighing less than 1kg at birth,his heart stopping twice, the baby is now home with his family.
Benida Phillips
After three months in hospital, miracle baby Gofrey Rorisang van Wyk, who weighed only 900g at birth, has finally gone home and his family on Tuesday expressed their gratitude to the medical staff of the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital for their miraculous work in saving his life.
Baby van Wyk was born on February 8, 2020 weighing a mere 900g and had to spend three months in hospital.
The Bloemanda family said the baby’s heart stopped beating twice, but the staff at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH) worked relentlessly to keep him alive.
The baby’s mother, Eunice, who was speaking from her home on Tuesday, said that she went into labour when she was only six months pregnant.
The baby’s grandmother, Eva van Wyk, described the birth of her grandson as a nothing short of a miracle.
“He was very small. I have seen premature babies before but Godfrey was extremely small. My daughter gave birth at MediClinic and the nurses called me to the delivery room, saying I should go and support my daughter-in-law. I went inside and just kept praying for the life of the child and that of my daughter-in-law. I knew that the baby was a high risk because he was so small. After 11 days at MediClinic we were told that our medical funds were depleted and we were transferred to Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital,” she said.
Van Wyk expressed her endless gratitude to the RMSH medical staff who, she said, worked tirelessly with her daughter-in-law to ensure that her grandchild pulled through.
“One always reads and hears negative reports about the staff and the condition of our local government hospital. However, I am a witness to the miraculous work the staff performed on my child. I kept on praying to God to assist the doctors who were caring for my grandchild. God truly gave the entire team the wisdom and patience to take care of him. They did everything possible to ensure that he survived. They were always available and hands-on. There was not one moment where we had to call a doctor or wait for one as they were always there in the ward. They gave our child and his mother the best care for the entire three months that they spent in hospital,” she said.
She said even at times when the situation seemed hopeless, she remained hopeful that her grandchild would pull through.
“There were two Sundays where we were told by the doctor that things seemed bleak. I even asked the doctor whether there was any hope that my grandchild would survive and he told me that anything is possible. My grandchild’s heart literally stopped beating twice and they had to resuscitate him so that he would start breathing again. My daughter-in-law and my son were told that the baby had a leaking heart and that he needed to go to hospital in Bloemfontein. In Bloemfontein the doctors found nothing wrong with his heart but there were complications with his breathing on the way back to Kimberley. The ambulance had to stop along the way and the Emergency Medical Staff (EMS) had to assist him. My son called me in a panic and we just prayed for him and he made it again,” said van Wyk.
Eunice said she was elated that her baby was now at home after their long stint in hospital.
“My baby was born weighing 900g and his weight dropped even further after birth to 850 grams. It was a very emotional roller coaster ride, but the medical staff walked this road with us. I had to express breast milk and my baby was fed through feeding tubes. It was heartbreaking to see such a tiny baby being connected to so many tubes. I am so relieved to have him home and the fact that he pulled through. He is truly our miracle baby and has shown us on several occasions that he is here to stay. There is a lot of fight in this tiny body,” she added.
