Child lost in miscarriage

By LULU MARK
A FIRST-time mother walked more than 20km in the hope of saving her child.
But, now with a broken spirit, she will take the treacherous route back home after losing the baby a few kilometres shy of the nearest health facility last week.
The Yoyau village in the Gumine district of Chimbu is at the back and the nearest health facility is in the Karimui-Nomane district so the woman, her husband and mother-in-law headed for the Bomai Sub-Health Centre.
Jessy Simon, the midwife and officer in-charge of the health centre, said the woman was five months pregnant and had a leaking liquor (leaking amniotic fluid) which was abnormal hence forcing her family to seek help.
“Due to the distance she had walked which involved climbing mountains and crossing rivers she was not able to make it in time to us,” he said.
“The membrane raptured, she had a premature birth, retained placenta and post-partum haemorrhage (bleeding).
“The husband left her with his mother and ran to the facility and informed us.
“My colleagues and I took our emergency kits and went, removed the retained placenta, actively managed the bleeding, built a stretcher and brought her to the facility.
“We stabilised her in the bush on Thursday afternoon.
“The baby had died already so there was nothing we could do.
“We are glad the woman has made it.”
Simon said the woman was recovering and would be discharged soon. Simon said the woman never went for checkup at any time in her five months of pregnancy.
One of the reasons was that health facilities were far apart in that part of the country and getting to it would take a day or two of constant walking.
He said many women gave birth on the way to the facility or at home, then took the long walk to the hospital when complications arose.
He said the health centre had no proper birthing facility and equipment but they did what they could with whatever that was available.
Simon urged mothers in the rural areas to visit the health facility quickly when they realised that they were pregnant.
Simon hopes that the Government can support rural health facilities with basic equipment and more staff.