Mommies-to-be play the waiting game in hospital
Eight days after scheduled C-section is baby finally delivered in another hospital
Giving birth to a baby should be a joyful and precious moment for both parents, now due to Covid-19 at Witbank Provincial Hospital only the mother goes into the hospital.
For one young couple in eMalahleni who is expecting their second child it has been the most terrifying and emotional roller coaster for the mom-to-be.
She was admitted into Witbank Hospital on Tuesday, February 9 and her C-section was scheduled for Wednesday, February 10 as she is 41 weeks pregnant.
On arrival on Tuesday she was given a bed and a bucket.
“I had to make my bed and then I had to ask my husband to bring me a blanket and a pillow to sleep on,” said the woman who would like to remain anonymous.
On Wednesday morning the mom-to-be was excited as it was her scheduled date for her C-section. She lay in her bed all day and waited. She was never taken to theatre to have her C-section done.
As she never knew what time she was going into theatre, she was not given any food for the whole day.
At 16:00 when the doctors leave, the women in the maternity ward were then given food.
“The reason why they don’t give us food for the whole day is because they are not sure who is going into theatre that day,” continued the woman.
The woman chatted to some of the other mothers in the ward and heard about their cases.
One woman allegedly had to go for a C-section and they couldn’t help her, so after a week she went into labour and allegedly they said they are not going to book her for a C-section, she should give normal birth.
In another case two other women laid there for 10 days before they got help.
“We are given a bucket which we have to bath in and use as a toilet, as the main toilets are clogged up and the bathroom is overflowing,” said the woman.
On Thursday, February 11 at approximately 03:00 the nursing staff monitored the baby’s heartbeat and it was extremely low.
Later on in the morning they monitored the baby’s heartbeat again and it was fine.
“I am so worried about my baby. So I asked the nursing staff if I would be going into theatre today and I was told that the theatre is being revamped and they might transfer me to Middelburg Provincial Hospital,” said the woman.
On Friday, February 12 earlier in the morning, the maternity ward was totally underwater.
The woman early in the morning felt a burning sensation in her arm that is when she notified the nurses in the ward at 08:15.
“The nurses told me to wait for a doctor to come check the drip but since I was admitted into the hospital I had not seen a doctor,” said the woman.
At approximately 09:50 the nursing staff eventually took her drip out and left it on her bed.
Another day went by and the woman had not been taken into theatre.
By Saturday, February 13 the baby’s heartbeat was taken again and it had fallen once again.
“This is the second time his heartbeat has fallen since I was admitted five days ago,” continued the woman.
Late on Saturday the woman was finally transferred to Bethal Provincial Hospital.
“This hospital is in such a better condition, it’s clean and neat. The staff is so friendly,” said the woman.
On Monday, February 15 seven days after she was admitted into Witbank Hospital her baby was finally delivered by C-section.
Emails were sent to the Head of Communication for the Department of Health, Mr Dumisane Malamule and the Media Liaison Officer Mr Christopher Nobela.
Nobela replied in an email: “assist the file number of the client for us to investigate the matter.”
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