Katja believes that the memories of her work will keep her happy after retirement
- author, Pramila Krishnan
- stock, BBC – Tamil
“I have successfully delivered more than 10,000 babies, all of them normal births and no deaths in my hands.”
Katika Bibi looks back on her 33-year career and recalls how she helped women in their most vulnerable moments.
During its existence, India has gone from a country with high mortality rates among new mothers to one close to the world average.
It also testified to people’s desire to create small families and appreciate the “born woman” and not get rid of it.
Katja became pregnant for the first time in 1990 when she started working at a government health center in South India.
“I was seven months pregnant, but I helped other women,” recalls a quiet Kateeja.
I am back after a short maternity leave of two months. “I know how anxious women can be when they go into labor, so making them feel comfortable and confident is paramount.”
His clinic is located in Villupuram, 150 kilometers south of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. The hospital is not equipped to perform caesarean section, so if there are any complications, the mother is immediately referred to the district hospital.
A great legacy
Kadika’s mother Suleka, who worked as a nurse in the village, inspired her to work in the same field. “As a child I used to play with syringes. I got used to the smell of the hospital.”
At an early age, she realized the importance of her mother’s work in providing healthcare to poor, illiterate rural women.
At that time, the number of private hospitals was very few, and women from all social backgrounds relied on the government maternity home, now known as the Primary Health Centre.
“When I started, there was one doctor, seven assistants and two nurses,” says Katja. “Work was very hectic in the first few years. I couldn’t look after my children. I missed family work, but those days gave me a very valuable learning experience.”
Katja says her own experience of motherhood helped guide expectant mothers through childbirth
In 1990, the maternal mortality ratio in India was 556 deaths per 100,000 births.
In the same year, India reported 88 deaths out of every 1,000 births.
Recent government statistics show that the infant mortality rate is 97 per 100,000 births and the infant mortality rate is 27 per 1,000 births.
Katja attributes this improvement to government investment in the rural health sector and greater literacy among women. Being at the forefront of this change, he saw with his own eyes India’s rising birth rate.
Normally, Katja would manage one or two deliveries, but she remembers how crowded her days were with patients.
March 8, 2000, was the most exciting day of my life.”
It’s International Women’s Day – everyone who enters the clinic greets her on that day.
“Two women were waiting for their labor and I helped them have babies, and six more women came to our clinic.”
Khadija had only one assistant, but she quickly forgot the stress. “When I was about to leave that day, I heard the children crying one by one, it was a very pleasant feeling. There was a lot of momentum in our health center and everyone was very happy.”
The nurse estimates that she has assisted in the delivery of 50 pairs of twins and one pair of triplets.
In the early 1990s, a pregnant woman was screaming in pain.
Katja thought they might be twins, but her clinic didn’t have any ultrasounds.
A few minutes after the birth of the first child, the woman went into labor again and gave birth to the second child.
When Katja came out of the room after washing the children, the mother screamed in pain.
“I was very nervous, it was a new situation for me and I was not prepared,” she says.
“Considering the woman’s condition, it is not possible to send her to the district hospital.” Khadija gently massaged the woman’s head in an attempt to calm her down and the third child arrived.
The district administration confirmed Katika’s achievement of delivering 10,000 babies and received the Chief Minister’s award.
Katja says that the equipment available in maternity wards has improved a lot over the past three decades
Suffering and loss
Women from rich families now prefer to go to private hospitals, says Katja. There is also a tendency to opt for caesarean section at the first possible opportunity.
“My mother saw a lot of deaths during childbirth,” Katja says, “Cesarean section saved many lives.” “When I started, women were afraid of surgery, but now the situation has reversed, many women fear natural childbirth and choose surgery.”
She saw the same in her family as she believed her daughter-in-law would have a natural birth, but she had to go to the hospital.
“I think the operation could have been avoided if I had been with her, but I don’t blame the doctors or the health workers. I feel that in many cases caesarean and normal delivery is unnecessary. It is possible if the pregnant woman is fully supported,” she says.
As incomes of rural households have improved over the past three decades, special challenges have emerged. Gestational diabetes used to be a rare condition, but now it is very common.
There has been a major social change and Katiga now receives more requests from husbands who are keen to accompany their wives during labour. “I have seen good times and bad times. Some husbands refused to see their pregnant wives who were expecting girls, some cried when they had their second or third child.”
Disposable medical equipment eased Katja’s stress
In the 1990s, cases of sex-selective abortion were reported, and female infanticide was so widespread that doctors were forbidden from revealing the baby’s gender to the parents.
Government of Tamil Nadu has started “Baby Cradle Scheme” to take care of unwanted girl children.
“Nowadays, the situation has changed and many couples choose to have only two children regardless of the gender of the child,” says Katja.
Katja regrets that she was not there when her grandchildren were born
Unfortunately, Khadija’s husband died seven years ago.
Her daughter is a software engineer and her son is a mechanical engineer in Dubai.
Her daughter-in-law Khadija wants to live with them and spend the rest of her life with her grandchildren.
Katja, 60, has no concrete plans for the future when she retires later this month, but she knows what she will miss.
“I always look forward to hearing the piercing sound of a newborn’s first cry,” she says.
“You know, even women who are in painful labor, when they hear the cry of their babies, forget all the pain and smile, it was a very happy experience for me to see this relief. It has been an emotional journey for me all these years,” she says.
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