A poem reflecting the compassion, conflicts, dilemmas and outcome in the management of an extremely premature 22+4-week gestation baby girl. Challenges faced by neonatologists in offering optimal care to extremely low birth weight (ELBW) newborn infants and their families is summarised in this poem as an emotional transaction between the clinician and the periviable baby.
Keywords: Ethics; Extremely low birth weight (ELBW); Margins of viability; Neonatal care; Periviability; Threshold of viability.