The Cost of Bringing a Life

After being a medical student for over 5 years one would assume that I would be acclimatized to the concept of the death of a patient. After a while you think you have become desensitized to it but every so often a case gets to you in ways you did not think was possible. An aspect that gets to me always is the death of woman during pregnancy and after delivery of her baby (maternal mortality).

Nigeria has a really high rate of maternal mortality, as high as 993 deaths in 100,000 live births in 2023. This number might seem abstract, but this means that for every 100 women one dies. This is easy to observe when you're always in the hospital. The sharp cries from the family members in a moment that should normally bring joy is always so jarring and impossible to get used to. The economic difficulty in the country, the social insecurity, and the cultural practices all contribute to this really high number and it seems like no one is looking out for these women.

The hopeful faces, anticipation and anxiety that comes with pregnancy is something different from any other experience I know of, these women are scared and hopeful and excited at the same time. The feeling is infectious as you subconsciously join them in the anticipation of this new life, only for the health system, economic condition or something cultural to fail them and they get taken away from us sometimes leaving behind an infant.

Recently we had the case of a 25-year-old lady who had given birth in the month of June in 2025. She developed a heart condition called Peripartum Cardiomyopathy. It is a heart condition women develop during pregnancy and has to be managed for the rest of your life. She was admitted to our facility this month. Her mother stayed with her every day and night praying for her lending her strength and taking care of her adorable son. Watching her and her mum scramble for the finances to get the care she needs was actually heartbreaking.

But everyday we went to see her she was always positive. She would light us when we came with the doctors to see her, she would say she was getting better when asked and she always had a positive dispensation. Her mother helped her do everything she needed in the hospital, and they were hoping she was getting well enough soon so as to go home and properly care for the son she had. That is why the news of her death today was a devastating blow to her family and we the students.

Watching her mother cry just made think of all the factors that her contributed to her death. Starting from the health system that does not give enough consideration to the care and monitoring of women during such a sensitive period, the government that does not have enough policies in place to help make this period as smooth as possible. Then the worst of it is the economic difficulty rife in the country which makes the access to skilled birth attendants, and the available health services. The thought of the extra anxiety the situation puts on expectant mothers is why people like me always fight for the rights of women at every level. This is why we fight for better policies, laws and funding for the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, and the welfare of these mothers immediately after delivery. There have been some effort into reduction in this aspect including efforts from WHO, UNICEF, policies like Safe Motherhood Initiative and others but there is still a lot more to be done this is why I am a strong advocate for the education and empowerment of women and I will continue to fight this fight till the end

Thank you to everyone who is involved in this fight and we welcome everyone else who wants to join us.

Thank World Pulse for a platform to talk about things like this.

Finally, I pray the soul of our patient rest in peace. Sending love and light to her baby boy and her family as a whole.