THE PROBLEM THE PHRASE “DELIVERING LIKE WOMEN OF HEBREW” HAS BEEN CAUSING AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN AND ALSO WOMEN IN LABOUR

So many women that have gone through pregnancy have lost their chances of being called mothers because of the phrase ‘delivering like women of Hebrew’.  This ‘delivering like women of Hebrew was coined from the bible “ye shall give birth like the women of Hebrew” mean while it did not specify what kind of delivery women of Hebrew went through, whether it was caesarean section (through operation) or vaginal delivery.  Believe me, that these two processes are both considered acceptable and normal ways of giving birth to children in human beings, but some of our women here, consider vaginal delivery as the only normal way a woman should be put to birth and they also believe that it was the only way the Hebrew women gave birth.

If you counsel some women on the need to go through caesarean section for delivery, it will look as if you have committed a grievous sin and the first thing that will come out of their mouth will be “God forbid, I shall deliver like women of Hebrew” with a smack of fingers. You will tell a woman whose chances of vaginal delivery is impossible about caesarean section (May be the fetus is in transverse position) she will forbid you and tell you how her friend who was convinced by a doctor to go for C|S later delivered vaginally and will tell you that it will be like that in her own case.

A pregnant woman who was in labour, and was brought to the hospital for delivery, after she had labored for more than 24 hours with no progress, she was counseled on going for caesarean section for her own safety and the safety of the unborn child. Medically, it is not usually advisable to allow a woman go through labour for that long (Prolonged labour). Which she and her mother immediately rejected, with the believe of delivering like the women of Hebrew.  The mother even went ahead to tell the doctors that people labour for 4 to 5 days and still give birth to live children, and some can carry the pregnancy for 11, 12 months and still give birth to healthy baby, that she should be allowed to give birth per vagina. She was allowed for extra 12 hours yet to no avail. To cut the whole story short, she later gave birth, but the baby was already dead before she could deliver it because it was a very big baby.

FROM THE TABLE OF THE GOOD NURSE

·         Women be wise! Listen to your Doctors and Nurses. It is still God that gave them the wisdom to learn and become life savers.

·         Delivering like women of Hebrew does not only mean delivering through vagina. It means after delivery, no matter the means (vaginal or caesarean section), let the mother and the baby be alive and healthy.