At only 23 years old, Stacy Adhiambo faced every mother’s worst nightmare; a childbirth emergency that cost her her uterus. Despite following all medical advice and doing everything right, a series of delays and system failures during labor nearly claimed her life. Stacy’s story is a reminder of the urgent need to strengthen maternal healthcare in Kenya.
By Maryanne W. Waweru l maryanne@mummytales.com
Stacy Adhiambo, a young mother from Homa Bay County in western Kenya, went through childbirth complications that changed her life forever. At just 23 years old, she lost her uterus despite having done ‘everything right’ during her pregnancy.
From the moment she discovered she was expecting, Stacy was thrilled. Her pregnancy was smooth, and she faithfully attended all her antenatal clinic appointments. She followed medical advice and took every precaution to ensure both her safety and that of her baby. Stacy eagerly looked forward to a safe delivery and a healthy baby.
When labour pains began, Stacy knew what to do. She went to Makongeni Sub-County Hospital, Homa Bay, at around 7am, where she was told she was already 9 cm dilated. However, her labour soon developed complications, prompting an emergency referral to Homa Bay Teaching and Referral Hospital (HBTRH).
But what should have been a swift transfer turned into a harrowing ordeal. It took nearly an hour for the ambulance to arrive and when it finally did, it ran out of fuel just outside the hospital gate. Stacy was forced to pay KSh 1,000 (about USD 7.80) so that the driver could fetch fuel by motorbike. This caused yet another 30-minute delay.
By the time she reached HBTRH at around 10:30am, Stacy was in immense pain. At midday, she was fully dilated but still unable to deliver. Doctors recommended an emergency caesarean section. Yet even then, she had to wait several more hours because no surgical team was immediately available. Stacy only entered the operating theatre at 5pm.
Uterine rupture in Kenya
While her baby was safely delivered, Stacy’s ordeal was far from over. She began bleeding profusely due to a uterine rupture, a life-threatening complication. Doctors had no choice but to perform an emergency subtotal hysterectomy. This is a procedure that involves removal of the uterus while leaving the cervix intact, primarily to save the mother’s life.
Also read: Magdalene Mburu’s death from uterine rupture complications
As Stacy was moved from the recovery room to the ward, she faced yet another challenge: there was no blood available for transfusion. In desperation, she and her family had to mobilize friends and relatives to donate blood, as the hospital also scrambled to source some.
Maternal health in Kenya
Stacy’s experience is a painful reminder of how multiple small delays can add up to life-threatening consequences. A lack of ambulance fuel, delayed surgery, staff shortages, and inadequate blood supplies all compounded to create a near-tragic outcome.
Her story underscores the reality that even when a woman does ‘everything right’ during pregnancy, systemic failures within the healthcare system can still lead to devastating results.
Thankfully, Stacy survived to tell her story. Many other mothers are not as fortunate.
Information source: Defrontera.
Also read: A teenage mother in Kenya nearly lost her life in childbirth -here’s how we saved her
If you would like to share information about maternal health in Kenya, you may reach me at maryanne@mummytales.com
Mummy Tales by Maryanne W. Waweru is a platform dedicated to empowering its readers on different aspects of womanhood and motherhood. Read more motherhood experiences of Kenyan moms here. Connect with Mummy Tales on: FACEBOOK l YOU TUBE l TWITTER
