Before technology or medical practices were so advanced, people relied on local midwives to assist with the delivery of babies. As skilled as they may be, things often went awry due to the uncertain nature of childbirth. While some get through it with relative ease, others face near-death encounters. With time, thanks to better facilities at hospitals and the leaps and bounds we’ve come in understanding the human body, the risk factor has relatively gone down.
Which is why it is mind-boggling to imagine that someone would opt out of making use of such facilities and instead choose the rudimentary methods of yesteryear.
A man from Tamil Nadu faced the harsh repercussions of this decision when his wife succumbed to death.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, 28-year old Krithika died after her husband and two friends attempted childbirth at home with the help of YouTube videos. The incident occurred in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur on July 22nd. When she went into labour, her husband called his friends Praveen and his wife Lavanya to assist with the delivery.
Though Krithika delivered a healthy baby girl, she soon collapsed due to excessive bleeding.
An officer at Nallur police station says:
“Praveen and his wife Lavanya often canvassed to Karthikeyan and Krithika on the natural and ancient type of medical treatments. Impressed by this, Karthikeyan tried home delivery for his wife.”
The woman was rushed to a government hospital after she collapsed, but was declared dead on arrival. The incident came to light only after corporation health inspector V Bhoopathi filed a complaint with the police on Tuesday.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, he says:
“We came to know of the issue through the doctors at the government hospital. Subsequently, we made an enquiry with Krithiga’s father Subramanian. After he revealed the details, we lodged a complaint against Karthikeyan (34), Praveen (35) and his wife Lavanya (30) for attempting a home delivery.”
When the deceased woman’s next of kin took her body to the crematorium, workers asked them to submit proper certificates from the hospital. With the no objection certificate from Nallur Police, her father got the autopsy done.
Yesterday, all three members involved in Krithika’s death were booked for denying her the hospital assistance.
Following the incident, Tamil Nadu health minister Dr C Vijaya Bhaskar warned people against taking such steps:
“Government hospitals provide top class treatment in Tamil Nadu when compared to other states. It is unacceptable to try home deliveries. The government will give severe punishment if anyone is caught committing such offences.”
The couple already has a 3-year-old child and had decided not to take any medical care from doctors for her second pregnancy.
It is unfortunate that she had to lose her life at a time when health facilities are so easily available. Online resources are indeed a helpful source of information and can come in handy at times of extreme emergencies. However, it is both irresponsible and dangerous to attempt something as complicated as childbirth without proper training.