Carren A., 19

Carren is a 19-year-old young woman who dropped out of school in Form Three after becoming pregnant with her first child. She was forced into marriage at a tender age. Her husband, the only child in his family, earns a living by doing casual farm work, ploughing for people in the community to provide food for the household. Carren is a housewife, and their first daughter is three years old and has not yet started kindergarten. Her current pregnancy was unexpected, as she had been using family planning. Carren had been in good health and enjoying her pregnancy until the night of the 20th, at around 1:00 a.m., when she began experiencing intermittent lower abdominal pain radiating to her back. As the pain intensified, she sought help from a traditional birth attendant, accompanied by her husband. She had opted for an unskilled delivery because she could not afford hospital delivery fees and did not have health insurance coverage. After examining her, the traditional birth attendant informed her that her unborn baby was in distress and advised her to rush to the hospital for further care. Although Carren hesitated due to financial constraints, the traditional birth attendant reassured her that she would receive medical attention at the hospital before payment was required. Upon arrival at the hospital, Carren was examined and informed that she required an emergency caesarean section. At this point, she again expressed concern about her inability to pay for the procedure. She was informed that a social assessment would be conducted and that, if found to be genuinely vulnerable and unable to meet the cost of care, a charitable organisation would assist in covering her hospital bills.

Carren’s prognosis is expected to be favourable. An emergency caesarean section has been planned to ensure safe delivery and prevent further complications. If the baby is found to be in distress at birth, immediate resuscitation will be performed to stabilise the newborn. With timely surgical intervention, skilled medical care, and close monitoring, the outlook for both the mother and the baby is expected to be good. Both are likely to recover well with appropriate post-operative and neonatal care.