It is one of the worst trances a pregnant woman can go through, hopeful that she will soon give birth to her baby, and suddenly something goes wrong. It is not usual, but it is something that happens and for those who have to go through this trauma, it is comforting to know that they are not the only ones.
The presenter Alicia Senovilla has opened up in an exclusive interview with Lecturas magazine telling how she lived the worst moment of her life, the loss of her second daughter when she was 39 weeks old, just five days before leaving accounts.
“I knew something strange was happening”
Alicia assures that she immediately realized that something was wrong when she went for the medical check-up:
“In the hospital I remember that the doctor turned off the monitor, looked at the nurse, nodded at her, took my hand and said: ‘Ali, no’.
And he goes on to explain that he understood that he could not take her home:
“I understood perfectly what he meant. The girl had a knot in the cord and left her without watering ”. “I had to give birth knowing that I would be stillborn.”
She asked to be sedated for the delivery, but after the hard blow, she had to make another difficult decision:
“They told me:“ You have two options. Either you take it away in a box or you give it to science ”. And I said: “But how am I going to get out of here with a box?”, Says the presenter. “I donated it to science.”
She ends by saying that her eldest daughter was the one who saved her from sinking at that time. Dedicating himself to her gave him the strength to keep going.
The drama of giving birth to a stillborn baby
According to the WHO, perinatal death is the loss of a child that occurs from week 22 of gestation to the first seven days of life. Data from the INE indicate that it occurs in four out of every thousand births in Spain.
Half of the time, the causes that may have resulted in the death of the baby in utero are unknown. Other times it may be due to maternal illnesses (such as pre-eclampsia), placental problems, genetic problems, fetal malformations, or infections.
It can also be due to complications during pregnancy. It is common for knots in the umbilical cord to occur during pregnancy due to the movements and tumbling of the baby inside the uterus, but thanks to the fact that it is covered by a jelly-like substance (Wharton’s jelly) that gives it flexibility and elasticity, it is very uncommon for a true knot to occur. These knots can be adjusted as the pregnancy progresses and cause a deficit of nutrients and oxygen in the fetus , and even death, as has happened to the daughter Alicia Senovilla.
Understanding and humanity
Parents often find themselves faced with a lack of consideration and humanity in such a painful moment that no one prepares you for it.
Gestational and neonatal losses continue to be a taboo subject that is rarely talked about, but that it is necessary to make visible to support those who go through this drama.
The death of a child marks you forever, even when it has not been born or has only lived a few hours, and the grief that is experienced by that loss is not always recognized . They experience feelings and doubts that are difficult to manage, they do not know how to move on after such a difficult event.
It is everyone’s responsibility, both professionals and family members, to provide support and accompaniment to the mother and father who have suffered the loss of a child. There are associations of parents who have gone through this, such as Umamamita or blogs such as Chloe’s footprints, from a mother who lost her baby within a few minutes of life, which can be of great help.
Alicia has been very brave in telling it and helping to make visible a drama that many mothers like her have experienced, who despite the great pain, have managed to move forward.
Photo | Gtres
In Babies and more | Getting pregnant again after pregnancy loss: how to handle your fears
