Sabina – High Risk Labour

Sabina is a young woman living in Manbu. She belongs to a small family of three members, including her husband and mother-in-law. At present, her husband is working abroad, so she lives with her mother-in-law. Both Sabina and her mother-in-law are engaged in farming for their livelihood.

Sabina was pregnant with an expected date of delivery on 31 January 2026. She attended regular antenatal care checkups, including ultrasound (video X-ray), and her condition was consistently found to be normal during all antenatal care visits by the Auxiliary Nurse Midwives.

On 27 January at midnight, she came to our health facility with complaints of abdominal pain. A per-vaginal (P/V) examination was conducted, which revealed that the cervix was dilated to 2 cm with meconium-stained liquor. During history taking, Sabina reported that her membranes had already ruptured at home.

Considering the early stage of labour, the presence of meconium-stained liquor, and premature rupture of membranes, the case was identified as high risk, and a decision was made for immediate referral to a higher center for further management. The Health Post In-charge was informed, and an ambulance was arranged promptly. At around 2:00 AM, she was transferred to Arughat Hospital.

Outcome

At Arughat Hospital, she was further referred to Dhading Hospital for advanced care. At Dhading Hospital, she underwent a caesarean section (C/S), and both mother and baby were safely delivered.

During her hospitalization, we maintained regular follow-up through phone communication. After discharge and return home, we continued regular postnatal care (PNC) home visits. Her postnatal condition remained stable, and both mother and baby were found to be healthy during follow-up visits.

Both Sabina and her mother-in-law expressed deep gratitude to the PHASE Nepal staff for the timely referral and continuous care. They shared that without timely referral, the life of both mother and baby would have been at serious risk. They also mentioned that the doctor at Dhading Hospital informed them that a delay of even 30 minutes could have resulted in the loss of the baby. They again expressed that they were very thankful to PHASE Nepal for saving both lives.

Skilled birth attendance, timely referral, and continuous maternal and newborn care for improving health outcomes in rural settings is vital – saving lives.

We know that without this expert maternal and neonatal care, outcomes can be very different, sadly resulting in both maternal and neonatal fatalities.

We want to change this in Nepal.

PHASE believes that every mother and baby should have a strong start in life, no matter how remote or rural they live.

The best way to support more women like Sabrina and her baby it to support with a regular donation to PHASE Worldwide.