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A new lease of life

By Amitabh Rajkhowa

Marriage is a major milestone in one�s life. Beginning of a new cycle, it also leads a couple towards the family circle. The arrival of a baby to this new family circle is the most exciting event of a married life. But not all the couples are fortunate enough to have that heavenly experience of having a baby. An enormous number of pregnancies never reach the full term. For many known and unknown reasons, they end prematurely (miscarriage).

The figures for naturally-occurring miscarriages vary considerably. According to some experts, about 20 per cent of all normal pregnancies end in this manner. Nearly two-thirds of these miscarriages take place between the sixth and tenth weeks of pregnancy. In India, the condition is more alarming than in the western countries. Illiteracy, lack of awareness and casual approach of the doctors are some of the reasons behind this.

These are mere statistics and statistical data cannot reflect the sorrow and emptiness that a miscarriage brings to the unfortunate couple. It gradually evaporates the colour of a married life. Suddenly the life becomes empty for them.

I and my wife, Sumee, had the horrible experience of passing through such a phase of life. Sumee�s first miscarriage took place on March 27, 2010. Her pregnancy was terminated when it reached only the 12th week. The incident was unbearable for her. She had the same misfortune again in 2011, 2012 and 2014. We visited almost all the renowned and experienced doctors of the State. We even went to Apollo Hospital, Chennai, but the results were negative.

We had lost all hopes. We prayed to God and waited for something miraculous to happen. One day, we had an unexpected and unusual visitor. The visitor was Dr Geeta Baruah Nath, the famous gynaecologist and obstetrician working in Artemish Hospital, Gurgaon. It was a turning point in our life. She took photocopies of all records of the miscarriages and asked us to have patience for a few days.

She carefully studied the case and asked for some details and some laboratory re-examinations. Then she started treatment. Dr Baruah Nath is a busy doctor having a tight schedule. But she always finds time to make enquiries about the latest developments. It was September, 2014 when Sumee became pregnant again. From that very moment, Geeta baideu took complete charge of the patient and detailed instructions were sent through the mobile phone.

When the pregnancy reached the 32nd week, Geeta baideu asked me to shift Sumee to Pratiksha Hospital, Guwahati. Originally, the date for operation was fixed on June 26 this year and baideu arranged her trip to Guwahati accordingly. But on June 20, some complications arose and the team of doctors at Pratiksha decided to operate on her the next day. On receiving the information, Geeta baideu to our utter surprise rescheduled her programme and landed in Guwahati on June 21. After reaching the hospital at 12 noon, she went straight to the operation theatre. �Sumee, I have arrived, give me all your tensions and relax.� These few words eased the mental anxiety of my wife. At 12:35 pm, a female baby was delivered. Baideu informed us that both the baby and mother were okay. We were relieved. Baideu has given us a new lease of life.

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