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7-month-pregnant woman gives birth in train toilet at Palghar
A 27-year-old woman gave birth to a two-kg baby boy in the toilet of the 19041 Down Bandra Ghazipur Covid Special train at Palghar on Monday morning. Gudiya Vishwakarma,
A 27-year-old woman gave birth to a two-kg baby boy in the toilet of the 19041 Down Bandra Ghazipur Covid Special train at Palghar on Monday morning. Gudiya Vishwakarma, a resident of Santosh Bhuvan in Nallasopara (East) was travelling on the train when she went into premature labour.
The train made an unscheduled halt at Palghar and Dr Rajendra Chauhan, a gynaecologist was summoned by Western Railway (WR) staff. The patient and the new-born were later admitted to a maternity hospital.
Vishwakarma, who was seven months pregnant, her husband Rajesh, 33, and their daughter Aayushi, five, were travelling on the train when she experienced severe labour pains and rushed to the on-board toilet. Meanwhile, Rajesh informed the travelling ticket examiner (TTE) on the train who contacted the traffic control office. The train then made an unscheduled halt at Palghar at around 12.30am, and Dr Chauhan was informed.
I reached the coach along with other staff and managed to enter the toilet. Vishwakarma had already delivered her baby and was holding him in her hands with the umbilical cord still attached. My staff cut the cord, and as no ambulance was available, I held the baby while a moving stretcher was used to wheel the patient to Kanta Maternity Hospital near the railhead,” said Dr Chauhan.
The birth was a normal delivery, and the patient and child were discharged on Monday evening.
“Our doctor had told us that my wife would give birth sometime in December. As we live alone and I spend a lot of time at work, we decided to go to our hometown of Mariahu in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, so that Gudiya could be looked after better,” said Rajesh. “But God had willed otherwise, and she gave birth inside the train toilet,” he added.
Dr Chauhan refused to charge Vishwakarma for treatment as a salute to the WR staffers who are transporting essential goods to all corners of the country during the pandemic.
