THE DOCTOR'S REPORT IS GOD'S REPORT.. MUST READ FOR EVERY INTENDING PREGNANT WOMAN

Children are a blessing to any family. In fact, every newly-wed couple want to have children of their own; every woman wants to have children. This process begins with sexual intercourse between two consenting couples after which the woman gets pregnant.

It takes nine months for the child in the womb to be ready for life in the outside environment. When that time comes, there are series of events that kickoff and ultimately lead to the delivery of the baby through the woman's reproductive tract, specifically, the vagina in a process called labour.

As natural as this process was intended, it has its own fair share of challenges, some of which may necessitate the intervention of a doctor through an assisted vaginal delivery or through a cesarean section - a surgical operation to deliver the baby through the abdomen.

Just yesterday after a busy clinic, I retired to my lodge to get some rest when I received a call about a woman who was in labour. The nurses won't call a doctor until they had difficulty so I knew something was up. On arrival, I met an over 35 year old woman who was reeling in pain and before I could examine her, the nurses hinted me that she had had cesarean sections during her last two and only deliveries. That information was quite important however when I asked the woman the reasons for her previous surgeries, she seemed unwilling to open up to me like she was not happy I was called into the picture.

Well, I carried on my examination and made findings that were pointing me towards a decision to deliver the baby through another emergency cesarean section. I explained to the woman that her previous surgeries for unknown reasons, her advanced age coupled with the finding that her baby's head was still dangling in the womb at this critical moment was too much to risk for a normal vaginal delivery. I did some documentation and asked the nurses to inform the theatre and anaesthetist about our intention, however the woman said she didn't want an operation, that she wanted to deliver by herself. As I counselled her further, she kept on repeating the words "doctor, you will not understand", like she needed to prove a point by delivering the baby without going under the knife. I explained the possible consequences of her choice, what that portended for her and her baby but she told me her God will do it for her. The more I explained, the more I looked like an "unbeliever" and because she insisted and refused to budge, I had no choice than to document her response, wish her luck and leave.

Later in the night, as I reminisced about my days activities and prepared for bed, I got another call from the nurses about another woman in labour. I then abandoned my life and headed for the labour room, but when I arrived, it was this same woman I had seen earlier, albeit now looking more desperate, she had left to labour probably at another hospital or a church and when push came to shove without a headway, she was rushed back to us. By this time, the baby's head was already visible from the outside, before I could assess the situation to know how best I could possibly help, the baby was already out. The woman finally delivered herself...BUT the baby... the baby was motionless. We turned our attention to the newborn and tried all we could to resuscitate but the stress of that short but rigorous trip from the womb to the outside world had taken a toll on the child. It was dead.

The woman cried like I've never seen before, the husband who just arrived from a journey was mad. I tried to comfort and encourage them but I probably needed what I was offering for myself more than anyone else. All my years of training were lost on this child because of a simple misunderstanding which led to an erroneous choice, a choice that will claim the lives of many more children if you don't share this simple message.

"WOMEN WHO DELIVER BY THEMSELVES ARE NOT SUPERIOR TO THOSE WHO DELIVER THROUGH CESAREAN SECTION."

The aim of going through nine months of pregnancy and the painful experience of labour is to have a healthy mother and child at the end of the day. It doesn't matter how the child came out, whether via the vagina or through the abdomen or through the nose...who cares? As long as you have your baby, you're a mother and father. Finito!

Don't let any woman think less of you because you have to go under the knife each time you are to deliver a baby. Don't let your pastor peach you against the trained eye salve of a doctor with the popular cliche "do not believe the doctors report" or that you must deliver like the so-called " Hebrew women" when he preaches from an iPad. The body of knowledge with which doctors use to take decisions is made available by God himself... invariably, the doctors report is God's report.