The drama of Ukrainian women who gave birth in wartime: "It was scary"
Wartime births. The Russian invasion of Ukraine brought suffering, but also tears of happiness for the families where the children appeared. For many women, who became pregnant before or at the beginning of the war, carrying a pregnancy well and giving birth in unimaginable conditions was a great challenge.
Ina found out she was pregnant two months after the start of the war. To be safe, the woman escaped from the city of Odessa to Lviv, a city less affected by the Russian attacks. There she gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl named Sofia.
"The whole pregnancy was very stressful. For the first three months, my husband was not allowed to leave the front to visit me. Some hospitals were bombed and I couldn't imagine giving birth in a bomb shelter. It was scary and I was planning to flee the country, but it went well. Now we are happy", says Ina, proudly.
Ina's husband, Dmitrii, managed to be present at the birth and see his little girl. Next week, however, he will go to war again. The appearance of Sofia motivates him more to fight for the freedom of his country.
"I suggested that he go abroad, but he refused. It's very hard not knowing if you come back alive from the war. The little girl is my motivation to return home safely", says Dmitrii, a resident of Odessa.
“We didn't expect there to be so many tasks. In the first months of the war, everyone was very stressed. Stress does not directly affect the fetus, but if the mother is stressed, it can affect the pregnancy and have consequences for the child", said Valentin Usaik, obstetrician.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, dozens of health institutions have been attacked. A maternity hospital in Kherson was bombed on Saturday, but no casualties were reported. Recently, a maternity hospital in Zaporozhye was also attacked. As a result of the attack, a newborn died and two doctors were injured.
