Newborn babies are the most vulnerable in society, particularly those born prematurely. Their survival and protection are the main priority for their mothers, but that task is proving tough to accomplish in Ukraine right now with Russia's continuing onslaught in the country.
Emine Dzhaparova, Ukraine's first deputy minister of foreign affairs, confirmed last week that Ukrainian women were already giving birth in bunkers. They were forced to do so with Russian armed forces attacking Ukrainian hospitals, maternity wards, kindergartens, and orphanages.
That was the case for Alena Shinkar, who was due to give birth to her baby at a maternity hospital. However, those plans went out the window when Russian troops started bombing facilities as they invaded Ukraine. Shinkar told Reuters from her bed in an underground passageway in Kyiv that they are living in real hell, and she never imagined that something like this could happen in the 21st century.
Newborn babies battling for survival in Ukraine
Shinkar herself witnessed the struggle of other women who had just given birth through Caesarean sections. Instead of recovering in hospitals, the women were brought into the passageways alongside their babies from the hospital ward to avoid the Russian bombardment.
Around 1,000 babies are born each day in Ukraine, about 100 of whom require some form of neonatal intensive care. These newborn babies need round-the-clock care to ensure their survival, but that service is proving difficult to do right now with Russia's non-stop military offensive against Ukraine.
A footage emerged of doctors working in the basement of a makeshift neonatal intensive care unit in Ukraine. According to Dr. Olena Kostiuk, a neonatologist associate professor in Kyiv, they set up the basement unit to help their very young patients in their hospital.
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The struggle is real for Ukrainian doctors to treat sick babies
Kostiuk said that the space in the basement is usually a technical room for electricity, heating, and water. According to Kostiuk, they were forced to transform the basement into a treatment area that is never used in this way. The doctors have no choice but to move here with the daily bombings putting their lives at risk.
Kostiuk added that the switch to the basement is also necessary for the very sick babies, who cannot move far because of their delicate situation. Kostiuk had a grim warning if the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, saying, "babies are going to die."
An emotional Kostiuk said that she can't even imagine what she thinks, but the reality is these newborn babies "cannot live in these conditions." The main worry for Kostiuk right now is that medical supplies are running out. Among the drugs and treatments already in short supply in Ukraine is caffeine treatment to stimulate newborn babies to breathe, antibiotics, surfactant to help premature lungs, and vital nutrition for babies fed in through their blood vessels.
