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Tens of thousands of people flee to Poland before the invasion of Ukraine. Among them, women just before the due date. One of them was taken care of by the Superior Medical Center. “She functioned under great stress, exacerbated by the thoughts that childbirth could start at any moment” – says gynecologist and obstetrician, MD. Andrzej Zmaczyński. “She reached us mentally and physically exhausted (…) It seemed to her that the child’s movements were slowly weakening”. The woman was also afraid of the complications she experienced with her first child. On March 2, her fears vanished.
- Superior Medical Center is one of the facilities that offered refugees from Ukraine free gynecological and obstetric assistance
- On February 28, a woman was there in the last week of pregnancy, who, together with her two-year-old child, fled to Poland from war-torn Ukraine
- She reached us in a state of mental and physical exhaustion (…) It seemed to her that the child’s movements were slowly weakening – says MD gynecologist. Andrzej Zmaczyński
- On March 2, labor began with her. Andrzej Zmaczyński told us about caring for a woman, but also about what surprised him in this situation
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
- What’s going on in Ukraine? Follow the broadcast live
Childbirth could have started already on the way to Poland
Since the beginning of the attack on Ukraine, Poland’s border has been crossed by nearly a million refugees fleeing the war. Among them are also women in the last days of pregnancy and with newborn babies in their arms. Many of them need specialized care. In this respect, Poland did not disappoint. Many midwives and specialist doctors offered their help, often free of charge. More on this in the article: Perinatal help for women from Ukraine. Here you will find support [LIST].
Among the facilities offering gynecological and obstetric assistance is the Superior Medical Center. “Every refugee from Ukraine who needs any gynecological or obstetric help will find it free of charge in Superior” – announced the institution on February 27. “Just as in the framework of the medical missions to Tanzania, we are giving selfless help to the women in need there, and we will do the same in this case”.
Further part below the video.
A day after the announcement of readiness to help refugees from Ukraine, the center admitted its first patients. One of them was in the last days of pregnancy. During the two-day crossing to Poland, she also looked after her two-year-old child. «So she reached us mentally and physically exhausted. She was very worried about her pregnancy. She thought that the baby’s movements in the stomach were slowly weakening »- tells Medonet the gynecologist, MD. Andrzej Zmaczyński, who took care of the pregnant woman.
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“Sometimes it is also the case that due to external environmental triggers, childbirth may start prematurely,” explains the doctor. «The patient, I understood, was full of anxiety, as the labor activities could already begin on the way. The awareness of this undoubtedly influenced her fear and anxiety ». The woman was also afraid of the birth process itself. «In her first pregnancy, she gave birth to a large baby, which resulted in postpartum hemorrhage. For several days now, she had been functioning under great stress, additionally intensified by the thoughts that childbirth could start at any moment. It is known, you can even give birth on the street, but complications in such conditions usually end tragically. It is difficult to deal with a more serious hemorrhage outside the hospital »- points out the doctor.
Ukrainian woman “gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby”
In the office of the medical center, the woman underwent a basic gynecological and obstetric examination and ultrasound. They showed no pathologies. «The patient had a shortened cervix and a dilation of about two centimeters. Fortunately, the amniotic fluid was preserved »- says the gynecologist.
As the doctor recalls, “the official decision related to admitting Ukrainian people to hospitals had not yet been made, so we decided to do our best to support this patient. We did not want to put her at risk and the additional stress of referring her to other specialists ». The pregnancy parameters indicated that labor was unlikely to start until Wednesday, March 2. “So we had some spare time” – says Zmaczyński. «I contacted the head of the clinic, the provincial consultant and the manager of the delivery process. We managed to set the date of admitting the Ukrainian woman for Wednesday ».
On the same day, the woman gave birth. “The delivery was uneventful and the baby is fully healthy,” informs the doctor.
«I do not know what their fate will be. However, I am sure that it is in good hands. My patient’s family is looking after her. It is also under the supervision of specialists from the clinic where the delivery took place »- emphasizes the gynecologist.
“In Ukraine, you have to bring all potential drugs to the delivery room with you”
Talking to the drug. Andrzej Zmaczyński, we also asked him if there was anything in the proceedings related to the care of a pregnant woman from Ukraine that surprised him.
“I learned that in Ukraine you have to bring all potential drugs to the delivery room with you,” he admitted. «The patient showed me the prescription and asked where to buy it. She meant oxytocin and carbetocin. She also wondered what she should supply in case of a hemorrhage. I explained to her that all these drugs are normally available in hospitals in Poland. When needed, they are simply given, which avoids any complications. And in the case of this patient, the risk of their occurrence was quite high ».
The doctor pointed to another point. «I also noticed that the birth certificate is written in Ukraine in a completely different way than in Poland. It showed that the patient was under gynecological care during pregnancy, but I did not know exactly what and what kind of tests she had. In Ukraine, everything is written by hand in Cyrillic, and there was not enough time to decipher it, ”he explains, adding:“ Fortunately, we have already carried out the research required in Poland on the spot. Thus, we were much calmer ».
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