Every year, around 15 million babies are born prematurely worldwide. While many survive and thrive, others face lifelong challenges from their very first breath. World Prematurity Day, observed on 17 November, is more than a date — it reminds us of fragile beginnings and our shared duty to protect the most vulnerable. For Mauritian families, at home and abroad, premature birth carries a profound meaning. Many parents navigate fear, uncertainty, and the demanding care their babies require. Yet amid the difficulties, stories of courage stand out — families who celebrate every small victory and draw strength from faith, love, and community.
Amreen’s Journey From Dubai to India in Search of Healing for Her Daughter
When Amreen Emmamdee moved to Dubai in 2021, she imagined a life of opportunity and calm. She built her career as a realtor, met her husband, Saad Ahmed Mujaddadi, and together they opened their own company — Seventh Key Real Estate. By 2024, life felt stable and filled with promise. When she discovered she was expecting their first child in May, everything seemed perfectly aligned.
Throughout her pregnancy, every scan, every blood test, every medical check reaffirmed the same reassuring message: everything is normal. She had no health conditions, no warning signs, and no indication that anything could go wrong. Just two days before her ordeal began, she completed her anatomy scan. The baby was thriving — healthy size, good fluid levels, strong heartbeat. The only minor concern was fluctuating sugar, and she was prescribed medication simply as a precaution.
But on 11th November, as she approached 30 weeks, her world shifted in a matter of moments. That afternoon, what felt like ordinary stomach discomfort quickly escalated into unbearable pain. With no elders around and as first-time parents, Amreen and Saad believed it was constipation. By the time she struggled to stand, she had already unknowingly dilated to six centimetres at home. The pain surged, and she begged her husband to call an ambulance. Under Dubai’s strict protocol, the couple had to wait for a female ambulance team before she could be examined.
By the time Amreen reached the hospital, she was still being told that delivery might happen “by tonight or early morning”. She was meant to receive injections to help her baby’s lung development — but she never did. Within moments, nurses were rushing her towards the operating theatre. Then came the words that froze her spine: “The head is coming out.”
She delivered her daughter in an emergency birth, far too early, with no time for preparation, medication, or stabilisation. The baby was born blue, unresponsive, and immediately taken to the NICU while doctors worked to revive her. Amreen wasn’t allowed to hold her. She lay in the room, torn emotionally and physically, waiting for any update. At 1 a.m., the phone rang. The paediatrician, thinking he was speaking to her husband, said the words no parent is ever ready for: “Be mentally prepared for the worst.” Hearing that sentence shattered her.
For ten days, her baby — later named Naila Mujaddadi — lay on a ventilator, her tiny body covered in bruises. Soon after, doctors informed the parents that she had non-communicating hydrocephalus, along with signs of severe complications.
But something else deeply troubled Amreen and Saad. They noticed that Naila’s left side looked unusual. Her arm did not move. The doctors later labelled it Erb’s palsy — a nerve injury commonly linked to difficult or improper handling during birth. Naila had weighed barely 2kg; there was no reason she should have been stuck during delivery. After days of questions and second opinions, the couple realised they were likely facing medical negligence.
Despite the heartbreak, they did not pursue legal action. “We were so entangled in keeping her alive,” Amreen reflects. “Our miracle baby was with us — that was all that mattered.” Weeks turned into months. But when, after three months, Naila still could not move her left hand at all, doctors warned that the paralysis was severe. Surgery was suggested, but the conflicting medical opinions left the parents confused and frightened.
Determined to give her daughter the best chance, Amreen travelled to Hyderabad, India, seeking specialists with deeper experience in neonatal nerve injuries. There, at Rainbow Children’s Hospital, she finally found answers — and hope. The doctors were knowledgeable, attentive, and familiar with complex neonatal cases. Naila now undergoes intensive physiotherapy, including electrical stimulation, to help repair her damaged nerves.
This journey has transformed Amreen’s life. She cannot return to work; her days revolve around Naila’s exercises, medications, and appointments. She prays through exhaustion, clings to faith, and stays strong despite being far from her husband, who manages the entire financial burden alone. Emotionally, the most painful part for her isn’t the premature birth — it is the injury. “The injury will leave its mark on her entire life,” she says. “That is what breaks me.”
Yet faith anchors her. Amreen’s message to other parents — especially those living abroad — is one of strength and reassurance: “Welcoming a premature baby far from home is not easy. But you are stronger than you think. Your courage is seen by God. Your tears are counted, and your prayers are heard. You are not alone.”
She wishes she had known more about NICU practices. She wishes she had been offered kangaroo care. And she believes hospitals must improve — gentler nurses, more compassion, more awareness that premature babies are incredibly delicate and parents are emotionally fragile.
To other mothers in crisis, she says: “It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel scared. This does not make you weak — it makes you a mother. With hardship comes ease.”
Today, baby Naila is a year older. She continues her treatments with courage, wrapped in her mother’s unwavering love. And Amreen, a Mauritian woman living abroad, remains a symbol of strength — a mother fighting fiercely, faithfully, and tenderly for her child’s future.
Zayn’s Fight Through Premature Birth
Shareefa Youshna Jewan, an Internal Audit Manager living in Canada, never imagined her first child would arrive early. At 32 weeks, what began as an ordinary workday on Thursday, August 14th, 2025, turned into the start of an ordeal she would never forget.
After finishing her day, Shareefa stepped into the shower, only to feel a sudden, warm trickle. Calm at first, she called her husband and drove herself to the hospital, unaware of what was about to happen. Tests confirmed her water had broken—PPROM. She was admitted immediately, and a careful plan was made to keep Zayn safe in the womb. But Zayn had his own timetable. Within hours, his heart began dipping with each contraction. The doctors decided on an emergency C-section, administering steroids for his lungs and magnesium sulfate for his brain before rushing her into the operating theatre.
In the early afternoon of August 15th, Zayn was born. Shareefa could not hold him, could not feed him, could not soothe him. A team of NICU staff and a pediatrician stabilized him immediately, and he was whisked away in a mobile incubator before she could even process that he was real. She would not see him again for six long hours.
Zayn spent 38 days in the NICU, a period marked by fear, absence, and heartache. Leaving him behind after her C-section was unbearable, and the empty nursery at home was a constant reminder of what she had temporarily lost.
What kept Shareefa strong was the unwavering support of the NICU team. Nurses guided her in caring for her tiny son, teaching her how to bathe him—so small he fit in a salad bowl—and showing her the subtle ways he communicated. Through their patience and guidance, she began to feel capable, learning to face the challenges alongside Zayn.
Zayn faced jaundice, episodes of apnea, and intraventricular hemorrhage. But through every monitor beep and every tube, he fought. Family and friends, both in Mauritius and Canada, provided constant support—from daily calls to home-cooked meals and words of encouragement.
Finally, on September 22nd, just three days before Shareefa’s thirty-second birthday, Zayn came home. That moment, holding him in her arms, felt like the world’s most precious gift.
Today, Zayn is thriving, a resilient little fighter.
Her message to other mothers of preemies: “Our little ones are incredibly strong. Stay close, hold on to hope, and you’ll see your baby show you just how resilient they are—and how strong you can be too.”
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