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From the moment you are pregnant till you give birth, it all culminates to the one moment of holding the baby in your arms. Experiencing the skin to skin time with your baby is something all moms cherish and also what keeps them motivated throughout the process of childbirth. However, there are times when mothers don’t get to hold the little one in their arms due to childbirth complications or other medical conditions. A pregnant woman in Tamil Nadu experienced a similar incident when her little bundle of joy was taken away from her soon after giving birth, only to be reunited after 15 days.
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It’s hard to fathom the pain and suffering of a new mom who has been isolated from her newborn before she could even embrace her baby in her arms. And even more so when we are dealing with a global crisis and the uncertainty and restrictions that follow amid the lockdown, making it extremely stressful for a new mom. On Wednesday, April 29th, Sofia Marin Banu got to hold her baby in her arms for the first time, 15 days after she welcomed the child into this world at a hospital in Nagercoil. The emotional reunion of the mother and child took place at Kaliyakkavilai in Tamil Nadu near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border (1).
The baby was handed over to the mother by the medical staff of Lisie Hospital in Ernakulam, Kerala where the child was being treated in the presence of Kerala and Tamil Nadu officials.
The baby who had a C-section birth at Nagercoil hospital was soon moved to the private hospital in Ernakulam for a serious heart problem that needed surgery. The heart condition was diagnosed earlier during pregnancy and the parents had decided to give birth at the hospital in Ernakulam which specializes in such cases.
But since the mother developed labor pains way earlier than the scheduled due date, the parents and doctors had no choice but to deliver the baby at a hospital in Tamil Nadu. Thanks to the effective coordination by government officials of both the states, the baby with complex heart disease could be taken to surgery and then reunited with the mother in Tamil Nadu without facing any major roadblocks due to the lockdown. According to sources, the baby was rushed to the Ernakulam hospital in an ambulance soon after birth for treatment.
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According to a statement released by one of the hospital staff to a leading news portal, the baby underwent a complicated surgery and was kept in complete isolation during the treatment course. The surgery was led by a team of cardiothoracic surgeons and pediatric cardiologists.
The newborn was accompanied by Marin’s husband in the ambulance to the hospital but he was quarantined in a different room in the hospital and wasn’t allowed near the baby. This was probably done to avoid any possible risk of contamination by coming in direct contact with the child. The father was allowed to see his child via video call.
This is the couple’s third child. Receiving the child after a 2-week separation at the hospital is definitely an emotional moment for any mother. When Marin received the baby at the Kerala-Tamilnadu border, she was wearing a face mask to protect herself from Covid-19.
The timely intervention of Suhas S, the district collector of Ernakulam and Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala as well as the Tamil Nadu government helped carry the baby from Nagercoil to Ernakulam soon after birth.
We are glad that the mother and child are safe and healthy. Have you heard of such stories displaying the diligence of our healthcare workers? Share with us in the comments below.
