Zuwena Khatib, Tzar Oluigbo and Mahdi Garba (Lead writers)

On a Friday morning in Dawaki, Gombe State, Saleha, a mother of seven, was sitting outside her home when her waters broke. She had no labour pains or contractions. At the nearest health facility, she was advised to use a sanitary pad to reduce the risk of infection and to return when contractions began.

But the contractions did not arrive. By Sunday, she was still leaking fluid and becoming increasingly worried about herself and her unborn baby. Saleha and her husband went to the state specialist hospital in Gombe, hoping she would be assessed promptly and, if needed, admitted for an emergency caesarean section. Instead, they were told no doctor was available. “We were shocked,” she recalled.

After days of uncertainty and moving between facilities, Saleha finally delivered at another hospital. She lost a large amount of blood and needed three pints of blood. The experience changed her view of danger in pregnancy. “Now, if I feel even mild pain, I rush to the hospital,” she said.

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