A premature baby who weighed just 250 grams when she was born, was discharged from an Abu Dhabi hospital after 177 days in care.
Baby Latifa is believed to be the smallest child on record to survive in the UAE, being born only 23 weeks and a day into her mother's pregnancy.
Emirati parents Ahmed Huseein Salem and Fatema Omar feared for her life after doctors at NMC Royal Hospital told them their baby had only hours to live.
Latifa most likely survived and thrived as she did because she is a fighter and has a great family who stayed by her side
But she survived and was discharged this week – nearly six months old and now weighing 3.825kg.
Mrs Omar lost her first baby to miscarriage and stayed in regular contact with her gynaecologist during her second pregnancy to avoid any issues.
But after only 23 weeks and a day she felt pain and went into preterm labour.
"It was the scariest day of my life. I just felt very uncomfortable and I feared I had lost my second pregnancy also,” she said.
Latifa weighed as much as a large apple when she was born. She was so small, she could "fit in the palm of the hands of her care team," her doctors said.
The baby required a team of doctors to work on her case.
“She suffered from several complications such as respiratory distress, sepsis, anaemia, renal failure, hearing issues and chronic lung disease, among many others,” said Dr Wilson Lopez, consultant and head neonatologist at the hospital, who led the team fighting for the baby's life.
Latifa's parents were not even allowed to hold her because she was so fragile and susceptible to infections.
“The doctors allowed us to hold the baby for an hour after two months of her birth. We used to visit the hospital daily, sit for an hour or more, hold her and take care of her,” Mr Salem said.
"My wife used to feed her during this time. Doctors also helped us to learn kangaroo mother care.”
Kangaroo mother care refers to care of preterm or low birthweight infants. Mothers or fathers hold their babies in skin-to-skin contact.
Research proves this helps to regulate the infant’s heartbeat and breathing, leading to a higher chance of survival.
Babies who experience kangaroo care are also more likely to gain weight, breastfeed, cry less, and spend more time in deep sleep.
A miracle baby
According to data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of all babies born at 23 weeks do not survive.
The world's smallest surviving premature baby was born at a hospital in San Diego in 2018, according to the Tiniest Babies Registry maintained by the University of Iowa in the US.
She weighed 245 grams but, unlike Latifa, had no underlying health conditions.
Michael Davis, the chief executive of NMC Healthcare, praised the efforts of his team and Latifa's parents.
“Latifa most likely survived and thrived as she did because she is a fighter and has a great family who stayed by her side, along with good genes and some good luck," he said.
"She also happened to be born at the right place. A successful birth of 250 grams is extremely rare.
"Latifa had to deal with the usual catastrophic issues that can set a baby back or lead to death.
"But she was really a rarity, a very special baby and I am extremely pleased at the outcome and very grateful to our amazing staff.”
Latifa’s doctors believe that the little girl's parents played a huge part in her recovery.
“I think it was a combination of everything, especially her parents being there all the time. They are part of the team,” Dr Lopez said.
"If they weren’t involved, I don’t think she would have thrived the same way.”
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%3Cp%3ETotal%20trade%20in%20goods%20and%20services%20(exports%20plus%20imports)%20between%20the%20UK%20and%20the%20UAE%20in%202022%20was%20%C2%A321.6%20billion%20(Dh98%20billion).%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThis%20is%20an%20increase%20of%2063.0%20per%20cent%20or%20%C2%A38.3%20billion%20in%20current%20prices%20from%20the%20four%20quarters%20to%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20was%20the%20UK%E2%80%99s%2019th%20largest%20trading%20partner%20in%20the%20four%20quarters%20to%20the%20end%20of%20Q4%202022%20accounting%20for%201.3%20per%20cent%20of%20total%20UK%20trade.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
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Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
