A medical practitioner, Dr. Kookies Wilberforce, has recounted an incident that shook the delicate balance between life, love, and belief.
The tale revolves around a pregnant patient grappling with a heart condition who died after refusing Cesarean-Section because her husband “had an agreement with God” that she would deliver normally.
Kookies in a tweet via his X [aka Twitter] handle @dr_wilberforce explained that the woman was presented an option of a pre-planned CS, a medical recommendation that would safeguard her delicate heart from the turmoil of labour and childbirth.
The doctor said the woman, who had been diagnosed with heart condition, was advised that her frail heart would not withstand the distress of labor and vaginal delivery.
According to him, her response was, “I need to tell hubby about all this first,” as she left with her decision hanging in the air, a thread connecting her heart condition, her unborn child, and her husband’s faith.
Weeks passed like the quiet breaths of uncertainty, until the inevitable caught up with her. It was labor, the crescendo of life’s grand symphony, but this time, it was a requiem.
Unknown to the pregnant woman and her husband, the baby’s heart had stopped beating, meaning baby was dead, a devastating reality that is known as Intrauterine Fetal Demise (IUFD).
When the pregnant patient reached the hospital, the doctor said, he confirmed that the baby had been dead for days, ensnared in the delicate strings of a fate that had been sealed.
When confronted about the heart-breaking outcome and the need for the expectant mother to have the dead baby by CS, her husband reportedly responded, “I had an agreement with God that my wife will deliver normally.”
The story ends on a sad note, as the woman’s journey came to a tragic close. Her heart, the same heart that was delicately attended to by medical professionals, gave way to a cardiac arrest, she died.
The doctor gave a piece of advice to all and sundry saying, “To anyone who might find themselves in this situation, decisions pertaining to your body must be made by only you and you alone. Always put yourself first before the baby. You can always try again if you lose the baby, but if you lose your life, you’re done.”
This sad story narrated by the doctor serves as a reminder, a profound lesson that transcends the boundaries of medicine. It’s a lesson in choice, in the intertwining complexities of life, love, and belief.
It’s essence resonates as a plea to those who might walk a similar path – a plea to put oneself first, to listen to the whispers of self-preservation, and to remember that the threads of life are delicate and fragile, deserving of the utmost care and consideration.
