Asatu Koroma, "Game of life and death"

Like most Sierra Leonean women, Asatu Koroma, 29, gave birth to all five of her children at the home of a traditional midwife. The first four births went smoothly, but after her fifth child was born Koroma developed life-threatening complications.

"I was in a serious painful labour one night and my husband decided to take me to the midwife, thinking that the time had come for me to deliver. I went through the delivery and my child came out successfully, but the bleeding could not stop and the midwife along with her aides tried desperately to stop it, but to avail.

I immediately thought of my elder sister who died four years ago of a similar problem at delivery and I thought I would have been the second person in the family to face the same ordeal.

I went unconscious for three days. All thought I would not have lived any longer, but a family friend came to my husband and advised him to take me to the hospital. He said he did not have money to foot the bills. This family friend came to our assistance and gave some money and that is how I came to the hospital.

All of my thinking was about my children, who would have taken care of them when I died after this pregnancy. Thank God, the doctors fought very hard to stop the bleeding. I regained consciousness after spending two days in the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital's emergency ward

The doctors saved my life and now I am feeling all right, even though I still feel some minimum pains, but the bleeding has completely stopped. I have learned a lesson and I would advise all pregnant mothers to seek treatment at local hospitals rather than with the traditional midwives

Giving birth at a midwife’s home is a risky adventure and it a game of life and death. It is better to beg good friends for money to go to the hospitals than to go to those midwives, who may not be able to save your life when it gets tough.”

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