An unusual, by Cretan standards, story has appeared in the press, with the story of a 36 year old woman and the way in which her baby arrived in the world. According to a report in neakriti.gr, the woman from Tymbaki gave birth to her baby in the bath at her home. The baby, the mother stated, who was in a hurry to be born, was injured slightly in the process.
The Head of the Maternity Clinic at the Venizeleio Hospital in Heraklion, Mr. Malliotakis, explained to the reporter that the woman had been in the 39th week of pregnancy, when, as she told the doctors, she decided to take a bath, after her waters had broken. She gave birth, without the presence of a midwife or doctor.
Fortunately despite the unusual circumstances, both mother and baby, a little girl who weighed in at 2.880 grammes, are both doing well, after being transferred by ambulance from their home in Messaras, to the Venizeleio Hospital in Heraklion.
Mr. Malliotakis however, highlighted the risks involved in such cases. Home and water births may be a new alternative for young mothers, but they should only be carried out under certain conditions. For home births, there should always be a midwife present and the hospital must be advised and on standby if further help is required – something which is available in places with a very high standard of medical facilities available to the patient, including the option of water births. It goes without saying that the hospital must be within easy reach. In the case of the woman from Tymbaki, if there had been a complication such as a placental abruption, nothing could have been done until she got to the hospital, which may have been dangerous for the mother.
in Crete