Rare birth for woman whose baby grew outside womb
A woman in Mombasa has defied medical odds by giving birth to a baby that grew outside her womb.
Doctors at Coast Provincial General Hospital (CPGH) termed the case of Ms Catherine Nzina as a rare abdominal pregnancy.
The 38-year-old mother of four said she had been trying to get pregnant for nine years without success.
When she finally got pregnant with the baby she says will be her last, doctors discovered that the fetus was growing in her abdomen.
Despite her life being at risk, she was determined to keep the baby, saying it would be a miraculous birth.
STOMACH PAIN
Strangely, Ms Nzina did not know she was pregnant for months.
“My stomach started aching. I went to several private clinics in Kisauni Sub-County, but they said it was pneumonia. I used to be treated for pneumonia and ulcers,” she said.
But when the pain became unbearable, she decided to seek treatment at CPGH in November last year.
A scan showed the baby was outside the womb, and gynaecologist at the hospital examined the woman further and admitted her. By that time she was five months pregnant.
SAFE DELIVERY
She said doctors told her they would remove the baby at between 28 and 30 weeks.
“I was told the risks of carrying on with the pregnancy since most cases the babies don’t survive. But I did not want to abort. I was confident that God would rescue both of us,” said Ms Nzina.
In February, when she was seven months pregnant, doctors operated on her and the baby was safely delivered.
Dr Hafsa Jin, her gynaecologist, said normally in such pregnancies babies do not survive and the mother’s life is usually at risk.
“The organs are not made to accept or support the growth of a baby,” she said.