Something strange at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital a few days ago.
A six months’ pregnant woman walked into the famous hospital on Monday, July 19 to attend regular clinic checks. That’s what every expectant mother is advised to do to ensure safe arrival of the baby (or babies if they are blessed with twins).
Faith* not her real name – arrived at the hospital – but had no idea that the baby she was carrying in her womb was already dead. She didn’t feel anything to suggest that her bundle of joy was no more.
“She actually walked into the facility – high in spirits,” Faith’s sister told this reporter.
Faith went through the normal ritual; a stethoscope placed on her heaving chest and the side of her bum, and so forth; just the regular things any nurse or doctor would do whenever they are attending to an expectant mother.
Faith was told by a nurse who attended to her that she was okay – and that the baby was doing just fine inside her womb.
This was good news to Faith – only that it wasn’t true. She was not going to have her baby as the nurse had said. The nurse didn’t know – or rather the stethoscope lied.
Faith was carrying a dead foetus in her womb. She didn’t know – no one knew. No one will ever know.
One more thing
She left the hospital and walked to the game headed home. A sudden thought rushed to her mind – she needed to do one more thing before trooping home.
How could she forget to have a scan conducted on her to find out the sex of the unborn child?
She started walking back to the hospital.
“The laboratory technician conducted a scan on her and that’s when he realized that the baby was uncharacteristically still. It wasn’t moving,” Faith’s sister told Mwanahabari.co.ke.
The baby was dead – but she had to be induced to go through normal delivery.
The nurses said she had to go through with the birth, but had to be induced. It is not common for a stillborn baby to be born by caesarean section, though it happens.
A doctor who spoke to Mwanahabari.co.ke said:
“If the foetus stays dead for long inside the mother, then Sepsis or Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy (DIC) may set in and this can life threatening to the mother.”
Death Is Coming
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy is a blood clotting disorder that usually leads to death, and so the dead foetus must be removed as soon as possible.
DIC is popularly known in the medical quarters as Death Is Coming (DIC).
There was, however, one major problem.
The hospital had run out of the drugs needed to induce labour.
Faith stayed at the hospital – together with other pregnant mothers waiting for the drug to be sourced. It didn’t come.
“The nurses said they were making plans to have the drug brought to the hospital,” the sister said, adding that the family was confused as nothing was happening.
Tuesday came and there was nothing.
Bought her own medicine
The family made attempts to transfer Faith to a different hospital where she could be attended to, but the hospital refused saying they were on top of things.
“They kept saying that they were getting the drug, and time was moving,” she said.
Adding: “One of the nurses told my mother to buy the drug from one of the many pharmacies right outside the referral hospital, that’s when she was induced and gave birth.
“It was girl, a beautiful girl with all her features already formed.
No response
This writer called the hospital CEO Mr. George Rae who had since Wednesday not replied to WhatsApp messages seeking clarification.
When called on Thursday, July 22, the CEO said.
“I am currently in a meeting, please call me after two hours,” Mr Rae said.
This writer called a few hours later, but there was no response – and followed it with a text message which has not been responded to by time of publishing this article.
Foetus buried at the hospital
The hospital agreed to retain the foetus for final burial after reaching an agreement with Faith’s family.
Faith is back home, but the torment still lingers in her mind – and heart.