In the middle of this brutal war, joy and solace can still be found in Ukraine. Just ask the people at a maternity ward in the port city of Mykolaiv, who witnessed Tamara Kravchuk deliver her newborn baby Katya. It was a moment of bliss for them, despite bloodshed happening around them.
The 37-year-old Kravchuk talked to Reuters while lying in a hospital bed at the Ukraine maternity ward. She said that she is so happy and that no matter what happens now, she will remain the happiest person because her daughter is healthy. Like her fellow Ukrainians, Kravchuk's main wish is for the war to end, saying that God willing, there will be peace in their homeland.
It was a beautiful sight to behold, a Ukrainian mother looking at her new daughter's tiny hands and face, dreaming of a better future. For a brief period amid this Russian invasion, the anxiety and desperation that dominated Kravchuk's thoughts before her daughter's birth were gone.
Doctor says there is still hope in Ukraine
Kravchuk said that she thinks the war will end, and they will live as it was before, and their lives will be calm again. Kravchuk wants this primarily for Katya's sake, saying that she hopes that their children won't see all these crazy things and everything will be good again.
Kravchuk was not the only one delighted with her daughter's arrival. Valentin Podaranchuk, the head of the maternity ward, is also all smiles after successfully delivering Katya. The 39-year-old doctor said, "A new life is born, despite all the horrors happening around. That's why we still have hope. Today a new little girl came to our world."
According to the Guardian, Russian forces tried to enter Mykolaiv on March 4, but they met fierce resistance from Ukrainian troops in the Black Sea port city. Since then, Mykolaiv has been subjected to intermittent shelling, with the Russian attacks coming ever closer to the hospital where Kravchuk and baby Katya are staying.
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War stress results in baby boom in Mykolaiv
According to Podaranchuk, the Russian invasion of Ukraine brought a wave of new births in the city of Mykolaiv, with women going into labor because of the stress brought upon by the war. Katya is the 49th baby born in the hospital since the war started on February 24. Podaranchuk said it was very unusual to see a lot of births, with the hospital witnessing a baby boom during the first ten days of the war.
Podaranchuk added that the hospital's birth rate is back to normal, but many people have now fled Mykolaiv because of the continuous bombings. Kravchuk herself had been fearful before having Katya. She said that there were explosions 500 meters from the hospital.
The danger is real for ordinary civilians like Kravchuk. According to the United Nations human rights office, 953 civilian deaths have already been recorded in Ukraine since the war started. Some say the numbers are even higher, with Russian troops ramping up their attacks on ordinary civilians.
