🤰She was not trying to be cruel.

She was just… scared.

A recent case in Zambia described a woman attempting to end a late pregnancy alone, unsupported, and afraid.

The baby survived.

Against every attempt. Against every odd.

But this is not just a story about survival.

It’s a story about what happens when a woman feels she has no safe place to turn.

As an Obstetrician & Gynecologist, I want to highlight something important:

Unsafe attempts to terminate pregnancy  especially in advanced gestation are medically dangerous and unpredictable.

At this stage, the uterus is already prepared for labour.

Interventions outside a proper medical setting can lead to: 

• Severe hemorrhage

• Uterine rupture

• Sepsis and life-threatening infections

• Incomplete delivery requiring emergency surgery

• Neonates born alive but in critical condition

And most importantly…

They put the mother’s life at real risk.

But behind the medical risks, there is always a story.

Women in these situations are often facing: 

• Fear of abandonment or partner rejection

• Financial instability

• Social stigma

• Mental and emotional distress

And when there is no support system…

fear takes control.

This is why early access to care matters.

This is why safe, confidential medical counselling matters.

This is why we  as healthcare providers  must create a space where women feel safe to speak before reaching a crisis.

Because prevention is not just medical.

It is emotional, social, and human.

Sometimes…

saving a life starts by simply listening.

#DrRababCares 

#WomensHealth 

#MaternalHealth 

#ObGyn 

#Zambia