If one word could describe Pragathi Reddy the best, it would be ‘persistent’. Losing several of your pregnancies is perhaps one of the worst things that can happen. It has a devastating impact on your health, but more importantly, it rattles your mental strength immeasurably. However, Pragathi was not the one to be bogged down - her maternal instincts were so strong that she rose above all the challenges, largely with the help of Dr. Girija and her capable team.
This was the first time, after losing four of her unborn children, that Pragathi had made it to the third trimester. While this was a great thing to happen, she knew inside that till the time her baby would not be in her arms, it would be too early for her to take things lightly.
Thanks to Dr. Girija’s impeccable foresight, having short-term goals helped. When Pragathi crossed her set milestone of sustaining the pregnancy for 34-35 weeks, Dr. Girija became very hopeful. However, the challenge was not yet over. She knew they were closing in on the delivery, but Dr. Girija also realized what could be possible challenges coming her way.
In the last few blogs, we read that Pragathi’s uterus was not uniform and also had reduced capacity, restricting the baby’s growth. The shape of her uterus being oblong, it also meant that chances were high that the baby would not be in the correct birthing position - which is head down. In Pragathi’s case, at 35 weeks, her baby was in what is medically known as a ‘transverse lie’ position - with the baby’s head on one side of the abdomen and the legs on the other side.
Therefore, Dr. Girija proceeded with a cesarean section and beautiful little baby Arjun was brought to the world.
After years of suffering, going through painful pricks and prods and still not sure of whether she would become a mother, Pragathi’s story indeed had a happy ending. For Dr. Girija, the sense of relief that she saw on Pragathi’s face made all the sessions absolutely worthwhile. As she saw Pragathi cuddling her newborn, she knew that her efforts, along with those of Dr. Saroja, a highly skilled Fetal Medicine Expert, and all the other support staff, helped Pragathi’s dream come true. This was because, we believe in going beyond our call of duty. Whether it was Dr. Girija, who spent time in helping Pragathi recover from the mental trauma of her multiple miscarriages through counseling or the support staff who celebrated every little of Pragathi’s milestones, together we reveled in little Arjun’s birth.
While Pragathi was able to successfully give birth to Arjun, many women are less fortunate. Some either give up mentally, while others’ bodies just say no. Whatever it might be, it’s high time we understand that motherhood is no certificate. Becoming a mother does not define a woman. Whether a woman has a child or not can never dictate whether she is a ‘good’ woman or not. It’s time to break these notions of ‘barren women’ and let them be. Putting women under undue mental stress just because they can’t bear a baby is one of the worst vices that exist. Understanding medical complications and honoring a woman for just being who she is - that’s the need of the hour. Having said that, it’s also important to note that having several miscarriages does not totally eliminate the chance of motherhood. It’s best to consult a doctor to understand the problem and give it a shot.
Motherhood is the beautiful culmination of so many things. Of them, choice is a big factor. Be it the choice of the right hospital and doctor, or be it the choice of not wanting to go through painful procedures, no woman should be labelled for the choice she makes. However, no matter what choice our patients make, will stand by like a strong pillar, providing them with all the assistance they deserve.
