Durban - Florence Nightingale Drive might have not been the ideal place for a midwife to assist a woman give birth, but it echoed the teachings of the woman who pioneered the nursing profession many moons ago.
On Wednesday, off-duty RK Khan Hospital midwife Gonum Govender, 64, did not hesitate when concerned members of the community informed her about a homeless woman who was about to give birth on the side of the road in Chatsworth, south of Durban.
Govender had just gone home after knocking off.
While still in her nurse’s uniform, she dropped her bag and rushed to the scene where community members had already secured surgical gloves, towels, a sheet for the mother and a blanket for the baby.
Govender, who is due to retire next year, used a pair of scissors supplied by the community to cut the umbilical cord.
The baby was eventually rushed to RK Khan Hospital for further care by another nurse who works at a private hospital.
Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane also congratulated the doctors and nurses at RK Khan Hospital for going all-out to save the life of a prematurely born neonate who entered the world at six months (25 – 26 weeks), weighing just 685g.
The baby, who has been named Khantso (she who brings light) and Ntandoyenkosi (God’s will), is thriving.
Although she remains a neonate at high risk for complications, she has shown signs of good neurological and all-round development.
Khantso’s mother, Londiwe Dlomo, 23, who has had two previously unsuccessful pregnancies, praised the staff of RK Khan Hospital and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health for saving her daughter’s life.
Recounting how the baby was managed over a 63-day stay in the neonatal ward, from admission on March 15 until her discharge on May 20, 2022, now weighing 1 800g, RK Khan chief executive Dr Linda Sobekwa said: “The baby’s mother had attended six ante-natal visits. Her baby was born prematurely on the 16th of March and was stabilised in the labour ward and admitted to the neonatal unit immediately after birth. She was provided with oxygen, warmth in an incubator, and intravenous fluids through a central umbilical vein. A number of other principles of management of extremely low birth weight babies were adhered to during admission to ensure survival.”
While there are possibly many more neonates like baby Dlomo at other institutions with such inspiring endings, this is the smallest birth weight neonate to have survived all the complications of severe prematurity at RK Khan Hospital with such a promising outcome. As an institution, we are looking forward to monitoring her and providing timely interventions to optimise the growth and development of the baby.”
Khantso will be monitored weekly at her local clinic until a weight of 2 500g is reached and is due to return to RK Khan Hospital’s Paediatric Outpatient Department.
She has also been given an appointment for the specialist neonatal follow-up clinic on July 28, 2022, at RK Khan POPD and will be screened weekly at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital’s Ophthalmology Department in anticipation of eye-related problems associated with prematurity so that there’s early intervention.
Speaking from her home in Welbedacht near Chatsworth, Dlomo, who is a machinist, said: “I’m very pleased with the way I’ve been treated. The way they attended to my baby. I’m quite satisfied. I appreciate it a lot.”
“Sometimes, things would get difficult, and I’d start panicking. But they’ve always been there to assure me that everything would be okay. If I had been alone, there are many things that I wouldn’t have known and situations that I wouldn’t have been able to handle. This includes how to take care of the baby. But with their support, I’m now confident of what to do and what to avoid.”
Dlomo was offered psychological support in case she felt overwhelmed and was also referred to RK Khan’s obstetric team for further clinical assistance with a potential future pregnancy.
Reacting to the news, Simelane wished mother and baby well and said the staff and management at RK Khan Hospital deserved a pat on the back. She also thanked the residents who helped rally support for the woman who was stranded and needed to go into labour.
“These are very encouraging and inspiring stories... one about our 'Miracle Baby', as well as the off-duty nurse who assisted a woman who was going into labour. The courageous manner in which these situations have been handled restores faith in our public health facilities, and the calibre of our staff.”
She said it underscores the fact that, despite the pressure that their healthcare facilities face on a daily basis, the vast majority of their healthcare workers are hard-working and dedicated people who are prepared to go the extra mile to save lives and provide care to their fellow compatriots.
“Had that not been the case, they would have looked at the dire circumstances involved in these cases and simply given up. But instead, they remained positive and went all-out and did everything possible to save these precious little lives. We congratulate and thank the whole team involved in the case of our Miracle Baby, Ms Govender, as well as the management of RK Khan Hospital, as well as the members of the community. We wish these babies and their mothers everything of the best. We’re pleased that there’s a comprehensive plan in place to support them going forward,” Simelane said.
Daily News