By Ruwarashe, Co-founder and Director, Seth Foundation
When my first severely preterm baby was born, her tiny lungs needed urgent medication to become stronger. Unfortunately, this medication wasn't readily available in all pharmacies. My husband, Wellington, and I made countless calls, but it seemed impossible to find. We eventually had to place an order at a different pharmacy, which took four long days of waiting for the delivery. During this time, both my baby and I were admitted.
Preterm babies require constant care and specific temperatures in incubators. Frequent power outages were rampant. The hospital lacked backup solar power for the incubators, and the limited number of incubators had to be shared among several babies. It was a nightmare. This wasn't just any hospital; it was a provincial hospital—the largest in our province.
On the fourth day, the medication finally arrived, but tragically, our baby passed away before receiving it. At the time, my husband was racing around, having traveled quite a distance to the capital city. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that our baby had passed, so I simply asked him to come back as soon as possible. He understood the gravity from the tone of my voice. Around 5 PM, he returned to the hospital, and the nurses recounted the devastating story. He remained strong for me, comforting me during this incredibly difficult time. We immediately gave the medication to another mother in the hospital who still had her live baby in the same condition as ours. We hope and pray that her baby survived. Regrettably, we didn't have the chance to exchange contact information and communicate afterward.
My husband then inquired about the next steps, only to discover that the hospital lacked the facilities to properly handle the remains of our baby. At four days old, we were supposed to collect her and arrange a proper burial. I was to remain in the hospital overnight while my husband completed the necessary processes and collected our baby the following morning when the offices opened.
The hospital staff explained that they had experienced instances where people left after such a situation, leaving the hospital to bear the burden of dealing with the remains. This was the reason why I was kept there the whole night. It was an agonizing experience, picture sharing a room with other mothers who were waking up to care for their babies every hour while yours had passed away. The following morning, my husband returned, racing against time to complete the processes. He was genuinely concerned for me and did everything in his power to make the situation as bearable as possible…
To be continued.
Stories like these illustrate the hardships that so many families endure in situations like ours. This is just one example of the issues that the Seth Foundation aims to address. I look forward to sharing more about our mission and the ways in which we hope to make a difference in the lives of families facing similar challenges. Thank you for your continued support and for being part of our journey.
#SethFoundation #FamilySupport #PretermBirth #Miscarriage #Zimbabwe"