Rudzani Matshili

Having worked with premature babies for over 38 years, Professional Nurse Dorothy Baloyi has many career highlights, but being a part of the team that delivered and cared for premature quadruplets 16 years ago stands out. 
The 62-year-old joined Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital (DGMAH) in March 1983 working in the Paediatric Ward and moved the premature babies section  in August the same year. 
We caught up with the jubilant Baloyi to celebrate World Prematurity Day which is observed on 17 November every year to create awareness about preterm birth and the concerns of premature babies. 
Baloyi trained as a Registered Nurse at McCord Hospital in Durban. She also holds a National Diploma in Child Nursing Science which she obtained from the DGMAH. 
She said that she chose the nursing profession because she wanted to interact with people.  
"I joined the institution in 1983 and worked here for 18 years. I later went to Saudi Arabia for 18 months, came back and worked in the private sector for six years.  I made my return to the  DGMAH in 2009.
''I wanted a career where I could interact with people and in those days, opportunities were very limited. Initially it was "just a job", but I started enjoying it. When I started working in the paediatric ward I never enjoyed it until I came to Ward 24 to work with premature babies. It was scary at first but I grew to love it," she said. 
Baloyi who won the Best Professional Nurse award in 2014 proudly went down memory lane highlighting some of the best stories that motivate her to keep going.  
"One day I was walking at the mall and mother came to me and said I inspired her to train as a professional nurse after I cared for her premature baby. The baby was now older and doing matric when I bumped into them and that's worth living for.
" I also have quadruplets who recently turned 16-yearsold and they're doing so well. It shows that our team work and efforts were not in vain, it paid off," she said.  
In addition, she said they also had  a baby who was weighing 500g at birth two months ago  and that  she's now 800g and off oxygen. 
While she conceded that the profession is overwhelming, she said that she is grateful to be part of their amazing stories. 
"You need to be a very compassionate person and be able to connect with the mothers. With premature babies, you have to think ahead and anticipate that anything could go wrong. You have to keep on getting knowledge. 
"When these babies are born, the brain is not yet developed, they can't suck, can't breathe on their own and you get frustrated and cry sometimes. It is not only about the baby but the mother too. I pray for these babies, you just become attached," she concluded.