Stork has a busy time with New Year’s infants galore
A TOTAL of 201 babies were born across Gauteng on New Year’s Day in 17 hospitals and maternity homes, with 26 of them born at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto.
Speaking to The Star yesterday, a proud Mbali Nenene held on to her 3.4kg baby boy tightly as she prepared to leave the hospital.
She said she had feared for his life when doctors couldn’t detect the baby’s heartbeat at a clinic in Dobsonville.
“My contractions came on Sunday at around 6am. I was at home with my cousin and explained to her how I was feeling. I was meant to deliver my baby at Zola Clinic, but when I got there, I was told there wasn’t any staff at the labour ward.
Then I went to a clinic in Dobsonville, and there they couldn’t hear my baby’s heartbeat and referred me to Bara,” she sighed.
Nenene was taken to the hospital by ambulance at 2pm on New Year’s Day, almost eight hours after she had felt the first contractions.
“I was scared, but when I got to Bara they found his heartbeat and got me ready for delivery. I gave birth around 8.45pm. I felt so relieved. I’m just so thankful because in those situations it is between life and death,” said Nenene.
While the new mother hasn’t decided on a name for her baby yet, she said she had deep gratitude for the nursing staff at the hospital.
“The service was very good, the nurses made me feel very comfortable, and although there were many giving birth, they attended to us all very well,” she said.
At Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, 11 babies chose to greet the world on New Year’s Day.
Little Blessing Kayumba arrived kicking and screaming and weighing 2.8kg, much to her mother Dally Mbikayi’s delight.
The Gauteng Department of Health said 15 babies were born at Dr George Mukhari Hospital, north of Pretoria; three were born at Steve Biko Pretoria Academic Hos- pital; one at Mamelodi Hospital, nine at Leratong Hospital; 20 at Jubilee Hospital; 24 at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital; and 12 at Sebokeng Hospital in the Vaal. Two were born at Yusuf Dadoo Hospital, three at South Rand Hospital, 11 at Edenvale Hospital, two at Zola Clinic, 25 at Tembisa Hospital, 12 at Pholosong Hospital and 20 at Natalspruit Hospital.
Meanwhile, in Kwazulu-natal, at least 33 babies arrived. However, the province’s health department said the number of teenagers among the mothers was a concern. Six teenagers were reported to have given birth in the province.
More than 50 babies were born in Limpopo. In the Free State, a baby boy who was born at 3am was the first of 37 New Year’s babies born in the province.
Eight babies were reportedly born in Port Elizabeth. – Additional reporting by Sapa