By Rachel Coyle, MSF midwife supervisor
Like most of our patients, 22-year-old Zainab* had traveled a long way to reach our hospital.
Thirty weeks pregnant, she arrived at our hospital fully dilated, expecting premature twin girls.
A case of fully dilated premature twins is certainly urgent anywhere in the world, and here at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)’s mother and child hospital in Taiz Houban, southern Yemen, we have a well-functioning system to deal with urgent cases.
With no options for pain relief, Zainab was strong and determined in her efforts to deliver her babies. They both came out roaring—perhaps the only time a mother is happy to hear her children cry. The room was full of joy and hugs between Zainab and the team.
The twins had some trouble with their breathing, however. We took them to the neonatal unit, where we monitored their breathing for a couple of days. I was able to visit them regularly and observe how they improved, giving me much encouragement.
At 32 years old, I left a maternity ward in Dublin for one in Yemen. I am currently working as a midwife supervisor at Taiz Houban hospital, which provides free health care to women and children, especially those in vulnerable situations.
The case of Zainab and her twins represents one of the many achievements of MSF’s work in Yemen. It is wonderful to be able to provide safe care and deliveries in a low-resource setting to both mothers and babies. But the need for high-quality and free reproductive health care remains very high in Yemen.
