A mother's joy turns to peril when doctors battle childbirth bleeding

Newborn and mother in hospital. [Courtesy/GettyImages]

The maternity unit at Siaya County Referral Hospital is a world of contrasts hope, pain, and resilience unfolding in real time. Outside the delivery room, a mother paces in agony, her face tightening with every contraction. She leans on a student nurse for support, the young trainee firmly holding her hand, rubbing her back, and whispering comfort as the woman reels through the waves of labour.

Inside the cubicles, the silence is striking. In the first stage of labour, women lie quietly on their beds, conserving their strength. In the second stage, some sit upright, waiting for the next push that will bring life into the world.