Story of a teacher who delivered a pregnant woman on the side of the road in Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - With no one to lend her a knife, an elementary school teacher in Ky Son district (Nghe An) had to use a bamboo stick to cut the umbilical cord of a baby who was unexpectedly born on the way to the hospital.
Teacher Vo Thi Thuong was one of the people who participated in the delivery of a woman in Phia Kham 2 village, Bac Ly commune (Ky Son) who suddenly went into labor on the way to the hospital at noon on January 16, 2017.
9 Nghe An teachers deliver baby for pregnant woman on the roadside
(Baonghean.vn) - On the way home from school, a group of elementary school teachers stopped by the roadside to help a Khmu woman give birth.
Ms. Thuong is a primary school teacher at Kim Da village, Pha Danh commune and her colleagues encountered the incident on their way home after class.
“It was around 11:20 a.m.,” Ms. Thuong recalled. She was on her way home with other teachers when she saw a woman sitting hunched over on the sidewalk. “Is this woman in labor?” the mother of three thought to herself, knowing that indigenous women often give birth in a kneeling position.
Ms. Vo Thi Thuong tells about the "unintentional" delivery
Accompanying Ms. Thuong was her colleague Lo Thi Oanh, a teacher stationed in Pieng Hom village, 4km away. As the oldest person in the group, she realized what was happening and called the other teachers to come and support the pregnant woman.
The teachers then quickly got to work. Some went to ask for water, warm blankets, and thread to tie the umbilical cord. At that moment, teacher Thuong heard the baby crying and asked, "Where is the baby?" The mother said the baby was behind her skirt. When she lifted the skirt, teacher Thuong saw the baby lying on the ground, covered in blood. The placenta covered the baby's face and the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck. Teacher Thuong immediately took off her warm clothes, picked up the baby and placed her there. At this time, teacher Oanh took out a sharp bamboo strip to use as a tool to cut the umbilical cord. After carefully tying the thread, teacher Oanh cut the umbilical cord of the newborn baby.
 |
| Teacher Vo Thi Thuong, who helped a pregnant woman give birth unexpectedly on the roadside at noon on January 16. Photo by Dao Tho |
Both the mother and the newborn were then taken to a relative's house in Kim Da village and then transferred to Ky Son District General Hospital. Ms. Thuong said that in order to perform this "unexpected" delivery, the group of teachers from Pha Danh Primary School had to work together, each doing a different task because no one was used to being an unexpected midwife. "I have been working in many remote villages for 11 years, but this is the first time I have encountered such a case," said Ms. Thuong.
Ms. Lo Thi Oanh, who cut the baby’s umbilical cord, recalled: “At that time, everyone asked to borrow a knife but no one dared to lend it to them. People still have a tradition of avoiding using a knife to cut the umbilical cord. Knowing this, I used a sharp bamboo stick to cut the umbilical cord.” Using a bamboo stick is a traditional practice of the highlanders when cutting the umbilical cord of newborns born at home.
 |
| Teacher Vo Thi Thuong has spent 11 years teaching in remote and difficult villages. Photo: Huu Vi |
As reported by Nghe An Newspaper, the woman who unexpectedly went into labor on National Highway 16 at noon on January 16 was Ms. Kha Thi Van, residing in Phia Kham 2 village, Bac Ly commune (Ky Son). She suddenly went into labor while on the way to the hospital. The distance from Ms. Van's house to the hospital is about 50km. There were 9 teachers participating in this rare delivery. The baby girl weighing 2.8kg was born safely thanks to the help of the teachers.
The reluctant actions of the teachers on their way home from school have been admired by many people. As for these teachers in the highlands, they simply think "anyone would be willing to do something like this on the way home".
Teacher Nguyen Thien Hieu - Principal of Pha Danh Primary School assessed the teachers' work as very meaningful. "The school will reward and encourage the 3 teachers who directly performed the delivery with 1 million VND" - Teacher Hieu added.
