Habiba lives in rural Uganda, where most people support themselves through farming and access to professional healthcare is limited by factors beyond their control.

When she became pregnant, Habiba expected she would deliver her baby like many women in rural Uganda do: at home, with assistance from family members and a traditional birthing attendant. But when Habiba went into labor early and suffered uncontrollable bleeding, it became clear that her life and the life of her unborn baby were in grave danger.

Thankfully, through its partnership with Mayuge District’s Health Center IV, Bulamu was able to intervene and help save both mother and baby.

Like many women and babies who Bulamu ensures quality care for, Habiba was in distressed labor. Upon arrival at the maternity ward, doctors could not detect her baby’s heartbeat. Suspecting that the baby still lived, there was no time to spare. The health center’s physician in charge provided Habiba with an emergency C-section, at no cost to her. When her baby was delivered appearing lifeless, Dr. Allan and his midwife colleagues sprang into action using methods learned through the Helping Babies Breathe+ training Bulamu conducted for their team earlier this year.

“I knew there might be a live baby if we acted quickly,” Dr. Allan said later. “But her only chance was if we provided the C-section and resuscitation here, without further referral or delay. If she needed to move to another district, the baby would not have survived and the mother’s life would also be in jeopardy. We had no time to delay, but fortunately Bulamu had equipped us with the necessary practical skills and resources to provide the care that this mother and her baby required.”

Thankfully, the care team was able to stop Habiba’s bleeding, and successfully revived and resuscitated her baby girl as she was born. Recognizing the remarkable nature of her birth, Habiba named her “Miracle!”

Because she was born premature and underweight, Miracle was placed in the health center’s newly added Newborn Care Unit (NCU), created by Bulamu from an empty room as an additional outcome from the recent training week on Essential Newborn Care. Here, in the NCU, Miracle received round the clock observation and standards of care that were not available at the health center until recently, and which are now regularly improving care for newborns and saving lives.

Without access to the neonatal equipment and resources, Miracle’s life would have been in danger. Doctors would have had to transfer her to a larger but distant and more expensive hospital to provide care which Miracle’s family could not afford.

“Were it not for Bulamu’s continuum of care – from providing Helping Babies Breathe training for her facility team, to our Newborn Care Unit, to the emergency transport that brought Habiba to the facility – Habiba and her baby Miracle would not have survived,” Dr. Allan said.

Instead of increasing maternal and infant mortality rates, tragedy was averted and two lives were saved. Thanks to Bulamu and our partner health facility team, Habiba and Miracle are thriving.