Russia’s war is sending many pregnant mothers into early labour in harsh conditions
Men use sheets of plywood to cover windows of a hospital following shelling, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continued, in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, in this March 2 2022 file photo. Picture: REUTERS/VIACHESLAV RATYNSKYI
Ukrainian authorities say three were killed, including one child. In a press conference in Turkey, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov denied Russia was hitting any civilian targets and suggested the hospital had been cleared out and was being used as a military outpost. More than 4,300 babies have been born since Russia invaded Ukraine, and an estimated 80,000 births are expected in the next three months, many of them without access to critical maternal care. “For some, childbirth will be a life-threatening rather than a life-changing experience,” says the UNFPA. The UN Refugee Agency is also expecting 1,000 live births per week in neighbouring countries from Ukraine’s refugee population.
Those giving birth in areas under siege are in makeshift shelters and hospitals treating shrapnel wounds, Covid-19 and other emergencies. Medical staff say the stress from the war has sent many pregnant women into early labour, adding complications. Some struggle to get to hospitals at all since many roads are damaged or perilous. And there will be complications as some newborns need medical care that might not be available.
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