Doctors struggled to save the life of a newborn who fell into a pit latrine while the mother was relieving herself.
The 36-year-old mother had visited Mwala Level 4 Hospital in Machakos County on Friday, July 10 for physiotherapy sessions among other treatments for different ailments.
She was assisted to access the toilet by her son due to her partial paralysis.
After she came out of the toilet, they heard the cry of a baby coming from the pit after which he called the nurses.
“We managed to get people to demolish the pit latrine and rescued the baby, who was alive. Preliminary examination indicates the new mother had carried the pregnancy to term,” Mwala Level 4 Hospital medical superintendent doctor Stephen Kitheka told journalists.
He stated that the woman was not aware that she had been carrying a pregnancy until the incident happened.
“After rescuing the baby, we admitted the mother-and-child to a ward, where they were closely monitored. The infant was accorded emergency care and is now in stable condition. It is actually breast-feeding,” he added.
The case of the woman being pregnant without knowing is both surprising and rare but not unheard of.
According to medical experts, a cryptic pregnancy can go for months without being detected.
Sometimes the symptoms of pregnancy are only felt after the woman goes into labour.
Women who have cryptic pregnancies frequently don’t have or don’t notice morning sickness, abdominal swelling or weight gain as anything out of the ordinary.
Some may also not find the absence of their periods odd, perhaps because they normally have irregular periods or because they've taken birth control measures. The foetal movement could also be interpreted as a stomach upset.
