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An expectant mother who tested positive to Coronavirus disease has delivery safely at Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality in the western region on Sunday May 17, 2020.

The pregnant woman who was already in advance stage of her pregnancy tested positive to Covid-19 and was admitted to the Apinto Government Hospital for monitoring three weeks before the labour set in.

The critical moment

The team made up of doctors, nurses, midwives, anesthetic and cleaners were said to have been confronted by real life situation of saving the life of mother and child or ignore for the fear of contracting covid-19.

Narrating the situation to the Graphic Online, the Medical Superintendent of the Apinto Government Hospital, Dr Frank Baidoo-Ansah, an Obstetrician and Gynecologist said it was critical moment in their lives as health workers.

“It was life and death situation and we mustered courage, strong-minded and team work to overcome the understandable fear,” he said.

Vacuum delivery

While the medical team was praying for her recover like any other Covid-19 diagnosed person, he said she entered into labour “meaning we cannot watch here unconcern.”

Dr Baidoo-Ansah said “the woman was actually at our treatment centre after she tested positive to Covid-19 and we have all along been taking care of her.

Interestingly he said the woman went into labour, “we have to monitor until she was fully dilated and to push the baby out – there we realized that she was having difficulties pushing the baby out. We decided to use a machine for vacuum delivery which proved unsuccessful.”

Cesarean section

“Here have to prepare and head to the theater for the surgical procedure – Cesarean section (C-section) after the same team made up of doctors, nurses, midwifes, anesthetic and cleaners dressed in the full PPE move in,” he said.

Dr Baidoo-Ansah said the joyous moment came after the team after the performed successful Cesarean section, which saw the delivery of a bouncy beautiful baby girl.

Asked if it was a difficult moment for them to get that closer to a known person with Covid-19, he said “yes, this is because this is a patient who has reported to our facility and we have been taking care of her for weeks before the day of delivery,” he said.

Extra precaution

“We enter into it with extra precaution because we know the risks is higher and the decision to go to theater was also not an easy one as it took a lot of courage on the part of each member of the team to decide we take the risk,” he recalled.

He said as a medical superintendent in charge of the facility he is very proud of the team that took the risk saying, “we resolved, let’s do this and we did it. At that moment, the woman needed help and we have no option than to do it, so we save the situation.”

“I can report that the mother and the babies are doing well and we are providing the needed care for the mother following all protocols,” he said.

The smile

Asked if members of the team after the successful delivery were tested to ensure that they did not contract the pandemic – with a smile, Dr Baidoo-Ansah said “we are all safe, it was a call to duty, as a medical team we test ourselves from time to time I must say we are all safe.”

The medical team assured that there would be no mother to child transmission of the Covid-19 since there are protocols to follow to ensure both are safe.

That aside the woman who arrived at the facility more than three weeks would soon undergo retesting to confirm her status and progress.