HuMA continues its support activities at the rescue center in Suzu City and at the maternity hospital in Nanao City. Here is a report from the maternity hospital.
The other day, a healthy baby was born safely, and the moment was truly moving. During the delivery, we were touched by the support and encouragement from the husband, especially considering the restrictions on attending births due to the ongoing pandemic.
In the current hospital setting, families are unable to meet the baby until the time of discharge. The mother, during labor, maintained a connection with her husband through LINE calls. As contractions occurred and the mother’s voice became audible, from the speaker on the other end came words such as, “Yes, it hurts,” “That’s right, you’re doing well,” “The baby is doing his best, and so are you,” “Keep it up, just a bit more,” “Now, relax and take deep breaths,” “Thank you,” and more. The words were so comforting.
The husband, through the sound of the baby’s heartbeat and the mother’s challenging moments, continued to provide encouragement solely through his voice. His imagination and empathy were truly remarkable, evoking a sense of reassurance.
Listening to the baby’s heartbeat and the mother’s struggles, and receiving continuous encouragement through voice alone, we were deeply moved. The husband must have felt considerable anxiety, but the moment he heard the lively cries of the baby, all that anxiety must have dissipated.
Even with the various restrictions imposed by the earthquake, we reaffirm our commitment to continue to protect the safety of mothers and babies as our top priority and to take into consideration the situation so that they can have a memorable childbirth experience.
The head nurse told me, “I really want to cherish this relationship with you, so stay connected. When we recover from this situation, I definitely want you to come visit us for sightseeing. Let’s go to the hot springs together.” And she also gave me warm words, like “To the nursing students who are taking the national exam, we are doing our best, so let’s do our best together!” Whenever we visit disaster-stricken areas, we always feel that what we receive is greater than what little I was able to do.
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| Products that safely secure and evacuate babies | They always keep this product in each baby cot in case of emergency. When the earthquake actually occurred, mothers and staff used this product. They had twins at the time, one was a mother and one was a midwife who ran with the baby in her arms. They evacuated upwards from the second floor, where the maternity ward was located, to the sixth floor in a desperate attempt to avoid the tsunami. |