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Baby boy's first cries bring hope to Yushu
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-17 09:17
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YUSHU, Qinghai - A baby boy was born in a temporary tent in the chilly weather after the fatal quake that has left some 1,144 dead in Northwest China's Qinghai province.
"It must be the first life that came into the world after the disaster," said a doctor named Huang Changmei.
"The baby has brought hope to the ruined place," Huang said.
The 38-year-old pregnant woman named Bora was found at 3 pm Wednesday in one of the 100-odd tents on a playground in Gyegu town and transferred to a medical treatment tent here, said Yang Lin, president of Qinghai Army Reserve Infantry Brigade Hospital who was in charge of coordinating medical work on the playground.
"The conditions are extremely poor here. We lack equipment and medicine," Yang said.
The mother was frightened by the quake and she failed to have contractions, which makes giving birth more dangerous, Yang said.
"It must be difficult for her. We were all worried," he said.
Doctors gathered at 4 pm in the tent, including the director of the gynecology department at Lanzhou Military Region General Hospital in Lanzhou City, capital of the neighboring Gansu Province.
The 45-year-old husband named Chado was invited into the tent at 4:10 pm.
"The wife needed to calm down. We needed the help of the husband," said a doctor who was not identified.
Eighteen minutes later, the cry of the baby was heard by the crowd waiting outside the tent.
"It's a boy!" said a voice in the tent and then applause broke out in the crowd.
A young nurse covered the 3 kg baby with pledget as no one had any clothes for newborn babies.
"I'm so happy. Thank you, doctors," said Chado with a big smile.
"This is their second child. It was a hard time for them," said Wang Zongqin, one of the doctors who helped with the delivery.
"It is good to see both mother and son are safe. I was so nervous," Huang Changmei said.
No other babies were born on the playground as most of the pregnant women had already been transferred to Xining, capital of the province, said a doctor of Qinghai University Hospital.
"The conditions here are too poor. We cannot let the women deliver their babies here any more," said the doctor.
Another two babies were born in the Yushu Prefecture People's Hospital the first night after the quake, said Han Huiying, president of the hospital.
The two babies were born in tents in the hospital's yard, she said, quoting the night-shift doctors.
One of the new mothers had an interesting story to tell.
"Both of my babies are quake babies. The first one was born on May 12, 2008, the day of Sichuan earthquake, and this is the second one," the mother told the doctor.
Thousands of rescuers are fighting against altitude sickness, chilly weather, strong winds and frequent aftershocks Thursday to dig through rubble and reach survivors.
