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| Baby Abigail, 2 days old |
Abigail Meijers was born on 2 December 2017 at just under 27 weeks, weighing a mere 422g—the same size and weight as a large tin of tuna. While most babies born so small don’t survive, Abigail has a bright future thanks to the doctors and researchers at the Monash Health Translation Precinct (MHTP).
Abigail was born with a condition
known as fetal growth restriction. She now weighs a healthy 3.5kg, and having
spent all of her life so far at the Monash Children’s Hospital, she went home
last week.
Fetal or intrauterine growth
restriction (FGR/IUGR) affects more than 10% of pregnancies worldwide, and has
significant implications for short-term and long-term wellbeing of the infant.
Monash Children’s Hospital
neonatologist Dr Atul Malhotra said FGR is strongly associated with stillbirth,
preterm birth, and in newborn survivors, increased risk of developing
complications, including adverse neurodevelopment in childhood.
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| Dr Atul Malhotra with Abigail's parents Owen Peters and Taryn Meijers leaving Monash Children's Hospital |
“The leading cause of FGR is
placental insufficiency, with the placenta failing to adequately meet the
increasing oxygen and nutritional needs of the growing fetus,” said Dr
Malhotra, who is also a research fellow at Monash University and the Hudson
Institute of Medical Research.
“When the fetus is deprived of
oxygen, there is a decrease in fetal growth and a redistribution of blood flow
preferentially to the brain.”
However, this does not ensure
normal brain development.
“Early detection of brain injury
in FGR is crucial, allowing for the prediction of short and long term
neurodevelopmental consequences,” Dr Malhotra said.
Dr Atul Malhotra is investigating
diagnostic tools from human and preclinical studies for the detection and
assessment of brain injury in FGR fetuses and neonates. He hopes that increased and early detection
of brain injury will lead to interventions to improve long-term outcomes for
these babies.
“Optimising neurodevelopmental outcomes
for FGR infants requires a collaborative approach including neurological
examination, imaging in the neonatal period, movement and behaviour testing,” Dr
Malhotra said.
Baby Abigail has benefitted from
the research and treatment provided at MHTP.
“Her lungs are almost normal and
her brain is also looking good, although she’ll obviously need close follow
up,” Dr Malhotra said.
“Not many
babies at her weight survive—she has not only survived, but she looks pretty
good and has a bright future.”
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