Meet Maternity ward Midwife, Zoe Domah Sirleaf.
Zoe joined MCH team in March 2020. She comes from the neigbor country of Liberia and is certified in Nursing in Midwifery from Tubman National Institute of medication, Monrovia. She has more than 16 years of experience in her field with an innate communication and observation skills; she listens to her patients and offers advice and treatment accordingly. She manages obstetrics complications with patience as well as deliveries and post-partum care.
Zoe aims to transfer her knowledge to younger midwives in hopes to enhance their jog training and capacity building, currently working hand in hand with the team to focus on applying the IPC protocols and saving lives. She adds “I have been excited to work at MCH because the Maternity complex is very ideal, safe and hygienic for the Pregnant women seeking for professional maternal care medical services.”
Zoe`s hardest case was when a pregnant mother, Ramatu, was brought to her care. Ramatu, a mother of 3, has attempted labor at home by a traditional birth attendant for a full day without success when she reached the hospital, her cervix was dilated at 8cm, her amniotic sac was ruptured and the fetus was in danger. The brave midwife also observed a cervix tear while attempting a physical exam which was a very dangerous case for both the mother and the baby’s lives. She recommended an emergency C-Section and the doctor yielded to her judgment. The Baby was luckily extracted in a healthy state but the mother suffered from bleeding and her wounds took more time to suture.
Ramatu`s case is not isolated from the rest of pregnancy cases in this West African country. Actually 32% of maternal mortality[1] is caused by post-partum hemorrhaging. When women give birth without professional assistance and hemorrhage due to cervix tear and many other reasons, they have an urgent need for a blood transfusion, which must be done at a hospital.
Zoe`s biggest
challenge remains to be able to act promptly during the COVID 19 outbreak and
that can be achieved when all the team is compliant with the necessary
protocols in order to save patients lives and theirs as well.
[1] https://www.elrha.org/project-blog/addressing-post-partum-hemorrhage-sierra-leone/