Doctors deliver baby prematurely after mother is injured in drone attack

Following a large-scale drone attack on Ukraine, doctors fought to save the lives of a woman and her premature baby, who had to be delivered by emergency C-section.

Key Takeaways:

• During a Russian air attack over the weekend, nine missiles and 54 drones hit 33 locations, though the Ukrainian air defense was able to intercept most of the missiles.

• Reports indicate that four people, including an infant, were killed. Multiple people were injured, with four requiring hospitalization.

• One of the people injured was a pregnant woman, and doctors delivered her baby in an attempt to save both lives.

The Details:

Over the weekend, Ukraine was hit by a Russian air attack — the largest to date in the war. Four people, including an infant, were killed, while multiple people were hospitalized.

Valentyna Ginzburg, the head of the Kyiv City State Administration Department of Health, reported that one of the most seriously injured was a 24-year-old pregnant woman. All four hospitalized individuals suffered severe burns, including the pregnant woman.

"A decision was made to perform an emergency delivery," said Ginzburg. "Doctors removed a premature baby. The child is in the intensive care unit."

While it is not known how far along in her pregnancy the woman was, prematurity is considered to include any birth before 37 weeks. Survival rates are high for babies born after 27 weeks, with 24 weeks considered to be viability. Premature babies have survived being born as young as 21 weeks when given appropriate medical care.

Olena Frantseva, a burn specialist at Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 2, said that all injured patients are currently in intensive care. "The hospitalized patients received burns of a large area and great depth," she said.

The pregnant mother lived in the Svyatoshynskyi district, which was one of the hardest hit. In the ruins, the bodies of a two-month-old baby and his mother were found, with the husband and father hospitalized.

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The Context:

There have been a number of premature infants born during the war between Russia and Ukraine, with specialized incubators being used to save hundreds of lives. The incubators, which can be folded for easy transportation, allow premature infants to be moved easily to bomb shelters without sacrificing care. The number of premature births has increased since the war began, with heroic doctors staying with the babies, even at their own risk, to ensure they continue receiving treatment.

Yet Ukraine has also seen less-positive reactions to the war, with surrogacy continuing to flourish despite the risk to both the surrogate mothers and their babies. The abortion industry is likewise capitalizing on the crisis, with Planned Parenthood receiving money to fund abortions in Ukraine.

Others have been helping kill preborn Ukrainian children, like the so-called "abortion fairy," who is assisting Ukrainian refugees who escaped the war-torn country to obtain abortions.

The Bottom Line:

Whether the cause is prematurity, abortion, or even war, children are the most innocent victims who pay for the actions and decisions of adults.