Silent birth: Inside mother's final hours before baby died in the womb

A section of Scion Hospital located at Imara Daima in Nairobi, on 20th May 2025, where a woman lost her child due to negligence. [Courtesy,Standard] Mtoto wangu,mtoto wangu (My baby, my baby) Cried Margaret Kabura as she walked out of a ward bleeding minutes after being told that her baby died in her womb. On Tuesday, April 13, Kabura walked to Scion Hospital in Imara Daima, exhausted, anxious and excited to finally meet her baby girl. After months of feeling baby kicks in her womb and shopping for clothes, it was finally time to meet baby Amaya Leilani. However, Kabura never got to meet her baby girl alive. At around 4 pm on Tuesday, Kabura's cousin, Charlotte Lameck, was informed that Kabura was in labour. She rushed to the hospital, since she lived nearby. "Kabura was in labour and she looked fine. She went for a scan and the baby had positioned herself ready to come out, she was 3.8 kgs. She had dilated 2cm, so we walked her around the hospital. The doctor told us she would come back at 10pm, but she came back at 11:40pm," said Charlotte. According to her, the doctor checked the baby's heart rate and noted that it was dropping. "The doctor said the heartbeat was not good, but brushed it off and decided to check on dilation. Before they checked, my cousin had a yellow, greenish discharge," said Charlotte. Charlotte narrated that she was concerned because Kabura had given birth before and she did not experience anything like that. "Mtoto ame poo poo (The baby has pooped) said the doctor in a very nonchalant way, I tensed and went out and got overwhelmed by emotions and just cried. My cousin had the discharge from 7pm and now it was almost midnight," Charlotte said. According to her, the doctor informed them that it was normal. She said that Kabura was asked to insert some cotton to soak it up. "So we went to the washroom and did exactly that but it did not help because the cotton was soaked so fast," said Charlotte. According to her, the hospital did not act on the discharge and decided to induce her labour. Charlotte said that they were later told that the doctor who was to deliver the baby was not around, but he would come. The next step was taking her to the theatre, Charlotte said. "While there, we saw the security guy walk with theatre equipment. We were worried and asked to take a look at the theater. But they declined and told us that only the patient is allowed in," Charlotte said. Her voice breaking, Charlotte explains that they made Kabura walk to the theatre instead of wheeling her. "As we waited, our worry escalated because we had not seen any doctor around. After a few minutes a doctor walked and inquired about the nurse, before walking in the theater," she said. "My cousin (Kabura) told me that the doctor walked in, checked for dilation in a very rough way and just told her the baby had died, without any remorse. While we were out there, we heard her scream and we wondered someone in CS is not supposed to scream because they are under anesthesia" Charlotte said. According to her, Kabura's husband stormed inside the room and found his wife lying there. "There was no doctor now, we were alone. We saw her (Kabura) coming out barefoot, in a theater gown that is open at the back. She was bleeding, crying, saying my baby, my baby. We were scared we were also going to lose her. We rushed her to a nearby hospital where they tried to stop the bleeding. But we were referred to a third hospital," Charlotte said. At the third hospital, Charlotte says, the death of the baby was confirmed. "The doctors were kind, they took care of her but now she had to push the baby," Charlotte said. She said that Kabura pushed the baby knowing full well, that she would not hear her baby's first cry, and that all the clothes would be a reminder of the bundle of joy that was to wear them. Experts always advise mothers to push still born babies instead of a Cesarean Section (CS), so that when they go home, they do not heal a CS wound without a baby. Charlotte told The Standard that her cousin, Kabura, is still in a hospital bed, too emotional to speak about the ordeal. Charlotte said that when they went back to Scion, to seek answers about the incident at the facility turned chaotic. "The chaos attracted Police Officers from the area. The police talked to the doctors who were now hiding. We went to the Police Station to report the incident," said Charlotte. On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, The Standard visited the Scion Hospital to speak with the management over the incident. The chief executive officer, Augustine Kinyua, declined to respond to the media. He said that the facility will issue an official statement. "We cannot discuss what exactly happened because of patient confidentiality...because we are answerable to the County Government, National Government and Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC)," he said KMPDC said it has initiated investigations on the matter. On their Social Media pages, KMPDC shared: "The attention of @KmpdcOfficial has been drawn to an incident at Scion Hospital involving its maternity services. The Council has taken note of the matter and initiated a formal inquiry in line with its regulatory mandate." KMPDC noted that as investigations are underway, the maternity ward at Scion Hospital be closed to ensure patient safety and preserve the integrity of the ongoing review. "The Council remains committed to upholding the highest standards of medical care and will take all necessary actions based on the outcomes of the investigation," KMPDC said.

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