By Syed Sammar Mehdi

A pair of premature twins born in Srinagar have been discharged from hospital this week in stable health after being treated entirely without intravenous fluids or antibiotics - a first-of-its-kind outcome in Kashmir's neonatal care, doctors said.

The infants, one weighing barely a kilogram at birth, were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Paras Health Srinagar. Instead of inserting IV lines and prescribing antibiotics, the medical team relied on an approach called Early Total Enteral Feeding (ETEF), which uses only mother's milk from the first day of life.

Both babies gained weight steadily, maintained stable vital signs, and were discharged after completing their hospital stay.

“This is the first such case we have managed in our unit, and possibly in the region,” said Dr. Sajad Ahmad Bhat, consultant in pediatrics and neonatology and in charge of the NICU.“It proves that fragile newborns can thrive on exclusive mother's milk when care is precise, infection control is strict, and protocols are followed.”

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