South welcomes 2013 babiesBy Richardson Dhalai Wednesday, January 2 2013
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Ruth Williams with her newborn baby at San Fernando General Hospital yesterday....
Seven babies, four boys and three girls, marked the dawn of a new year at the San Fernando General Hospital, (SFGH), yesterday. Six of the births were through natural delivery while one delivery was through caesarean section.
The first baby, a boy born at 12.37 am and weighing approximately 2.43 kilogrammes, was the first to arrive according to his proud mother, Ashti Nandlal, 27 of Ramdhanie Trace, Penal, who, between expressions of shock and joy, said her son was not due until January 25, 2013.
“I feel overjoyed,” the shy first-time mother said, adding, “words cannot express how I feel right now. I am so happy.”
Speaking to reporters at the SFGH’s neo-natal ward, Nandlal said her son, Sanjay’s birth although premature, was a ‘normal’ birth, saying she first began to experience pains around 2.30 pm on Old Year’s Day and was immediately rushed to the SFGH.
“My water broke at 2.30 pm and I was brought to the hospital and the doctors immediately put me on the ward and then he was born,” Nandlal, a data-entry clerk said smiling shyly, “It was totally unexpected but I am so happy he is here.”
Meanwhile, at 2.17 am, the second baby, another boy weighing 2.94 kilogrammes was born to Natrisher Samlal, 34, of Morne Roche, Williamsville.
Samlal’s excited husband, Donnie Ramgoolam, 34, said there was a “little complication” with the birth but both mother and son were doing well and Samlal had stayed in the nursery with their son.
“He was supposed to be born on January 6 but there was a little complication so they have him under the light but he’s doing good,” Ramgoolam said. The couple had not yet decided on a name for their son.
And commenting on the large number of births, SFGH head nurse at the post natal ward, Rookmin Pirmal, said the hospital had experienced between 20-25 births per day between June to December 2012.
She said the SFGH’s catchment area was the entire southwest region of Trinidad and stretched as far as Point Fortin to Princes Town and Couva. “On any given day, we have a large number of births so it is natural to have this amount because of the large catchment area,” she said. First Citizens Bank (Gulf View branch manager), Brenda Singh, together with marketing officer, Lyndon Balkaran presented Nandlal with an FCB Neo-account of $500 together with a hamper of baby supplies.
