| Page 5 of 5 < |
Iraq's Woes Are Adding Major Risks To Childbirth
Amira Saeed tends to daughter-in-law Noor Ibrahim after her emergency Caesarean section at al-Jarrah Hospital in Baghdad.
(By Naseer Nouri -- The Washington Post)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
She lost her brother-in-law to a kidnapper four months ago.
Saeed did not want to tell her yet that she had lost her newborn son as well.
After her father died, Ibrahim went to live with her aunt because her mother had too many children to care for. She did not go to high school or college and has never worked at a job, Saeed said. All Ibrahim ever wanted was to be a wife and a mother.
At age 16, she had her first son.
Saeed recalled that her own son, 26, Ibrahim's husband and the owner of an auto parts store, was reluctant to have a second child. Shootouts happen in broad daylight in their neighborhood. Mortar shells destroy homes. But Ibrahim was insistent. She was going to name her new son after her murdered brother-in-law.
Ibrahim moved in and out of consciousness as she recovered. Her lips quivered. She coughed. She told Saeed she was cold.
Saeed, a short, plump woman, took off her abaya and placed it on top of Ibrahim's blankets. "By the name of God, save her," she said, patting Ibrahim's curly, dark brown hair.
"Why am I here? Why am I feeling cold?" Ibrahim asked.
Saeed found a purple bathrobe and placed it on top of Ibrahim.
"My stomach hurts me," Ibrahim said.
She grew more agitated.
"What's wrong with my son?" she asked Saeed.
"Nothing is wrong with him," Saeed answered.
"Did he die?" Ibrahim asked.
"No, he didn't die. He's in the baby's room. He's very tired," Saeed said.
"I want to warm him up," Ibrahim said. "Please keep him warm."
