It was the end of February when the local Svetlana Lukas of Kiev started giving birth. Despite the air raid sirens and the curfew throughout the city, Lucas was taken to a maternity hospital. The pregnant woman, risking complications during childbirth, did not want to take unnecessary risks.
“You can not give birth at home, on your couch, when there may be complications,” he told DW. “As soon as we got to the hospital, they took us to the basement.”
Russia’s war against Ukraine has led it to launch dozens of rockets and drop countless bombs on cities, forcing pregnant women to seek refuge and give birth in hospital basements. Although not suitable for such purposes, such spaces are much safer than delivery rooms that could be hit by Russian fire.
Damaged maternity hospitals
Many Ukrainian hospitals have been destroyed or destroyed since Russia launched its offensive in the country. A Russian attack on March 2 destroyed the Zhytomyr maternity hospital. Shortly afterwards, hospitals in Mariupol and Vasilivka were also attacked and destroyed. Three locals were killed in the latest attack.
“Neither the medical staff nor the patients were injured; in fact, a baby was born during the attack,” said Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liasko. He added that “life goes on, the cries of newborn Ukrainians will defeat the heavy air bombardment of terrorists.”
“People need to know that Ukrainians are giving birth while under attack, we are asking for them to be evacuated,” former Ukrainian MP Anna Hopko told DW. Her friend recently had a baby while sheltering in an air raid shelter.
Hopko calls on the Red Cross and other aid services to come to the country and take care of the Ukrainians. But for that to happen, Russia must stop attacking Ukrainian cities. “We need a no-fly zone over Ukraine,” Hopko said.
Kyiv is under constant fire
Maria Shostak began giving birth on February 24, the day Russia launched its offensive in neighboring Ukraine. She and other women from Kiev were taken to a storage basement for security reasons.
“We were then asked to move to another cellar with access to electricity,” Shostak recalled. “It was cold, but we were told pregnant women could stay there.” He says getting in and out of the cellars was exhausting for them, so most stayed in their seats, leaning back in their chairs. Finally, he recalls, the cellar was adorned with mattresses, blankets and pillows for expectant mothers.
During a calm battle, Maria was able to give birth in the delivery room. “If the air raid siren had sounded, I would have given birth in the basement.”
He tells DW how several doctors entered the ward, telling them that the evacuation was in progress and that they would have to relocate to the basement. “But I felt nauseous and told them I wanted to stay at my own risk,” he told DW. Maria had a caesarean section. other women did the same process in the basement.
Life in occupied Hersonissos
Giving birth in the Russian-controlled city of Kherson was no easier. Yuri Herman, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the local hospital, told DW that women are also forced to give birth while housed in basements.
“These cold basements are good for waiting for attacks, nothing more,” says Herman. “Now, they are used by pregnant women and mothers with their babies to stay out of danger; childbirth is anything but safe under such conditions.” She says that if emergency surgery becomes necessary, expectant mothers must be transported to the operating room, which is a serious risk.
The hospital basement was not prepared for such a situation. No one in Kherson thought war would break out, says Herman. He says, despite the gloomy conditions, four babies had been born in the basement since the fighting began.
Herman says conditions forced some women to give birth at home, with Russian forces blocking ambulances. Expectant mothers had called the hospital for step-by-step instructions on childbirth and how to cut the umbilical cords. The medical expert says that the Russian troops are no longer blocking the ambulances.
Pregnant women living just outside the occupied city face even greater challenges, she explains. They can not reach the city hospital, as Russia has sealed the city. “They do not have the kind of maternity wards we have, many women who want to come to Kherson can not; pregnant women who were expecting complications usually came to our ward.”
Chernihiv comes under attack
The situation in the city of Chernihiv is even worse. It is under constant fire from Russian missiles. The municipal hospital received an immediate blow on March 2, causing severe structural damage. Fortunately, the Chernihiv maternity hospital remains intact and operational. Expectant mothers and doctors, however, are forced to be constantly housed in his basement.
“We have a large, recently renovated air raid shelter with proper ventilation, a separate power generator, toilets and even an operating room,” says lead doctor Vasyl Husak. “We are supplied with food and medicine – I was waiting for a Russian attack.”
There have been more than 40 births since the war broke out, Husak told DW. Two mothers gave birth to triplets, something very rare. “The last time we had triplets was three years ago,” Husak said. This time, a mother gave birth to three girls. Another had two girls and a boy.
“All children are healthy,” Husak told DW, adding that he considered these births a good omen that the war would end soon.
Edited by Andreas Illmer
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