Celebrating Mother's Day
with a story of a mothers life saved.
Mariam's journey to bring baby Anitah into the world came dangerously close to costing both her life and that of her unborn child.
Mariam had suffered through a painful history of four lost babies due to miscarriage.
This time, thankfully, Mariam had successfully carried her pregnancy to term and had made plans to deliver at a small health facility in her remote village.
Delivery began well, but labor soon became prolonged. After many hours, Mariam delivered her baby girl but shortly after, Mariam experienced sharp, unbearable pains and started bleeding due to a retained placenta.
Unfortunately, the small health facility lacked the resources to handle Mariam’s situation. The local health care workers decided to refer Mariam to a Save the Mothers “Mother Baby Friendly Hospital”, St. Francis Naggalama.
By the time Mariam arrived, she was experiencing severe bleeding. Mariam was evaluated and found to have low blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat - she had gone into shock – a life-threatening manifestation of circulatory failure. The placenta had not been expelled and Mariam was also suffering from a uterine inversion.
Excessive blood loss is a primary cause of preventable maternal mortality.
Thankfully, urgent interventions were available and initiated to save her life. Mariam came dangerously close to losing her life, which could have left her newborn child orphaned and sadly facing very slim chances of survival.
Save the Mothers is an international, charitable organization equipping African leaders to save the lives of women and babies.
