Although the room was candlelit and quite cold on a winter morning, the enormous chaos that broke through the silent walls filled the air. Princess Charlotte of Wales bit harshly on her bottom lip and gripped the edges of her chamber in attempts to quit her cries. She was in immense pain and longing from her mismanaged labor and the weight of societal pressures. Doctors and servants stormed in, whispering but not intervening. Silently, she asked herself, “why?” There had to be something abnormal–strange occurring. And after forty-two hours of labor, she would give delivery to a stillborn baby–bright yet, lifeless. Eight hours later, Charlotte would soon meet her baby after showing evidence of internal bleeding. Both Charlotte and her baby did not get to smell the next chilled morning.
The medical team was supposed to be experienced and impressive but they grappled with the concept of a “natural labor” rather than a safe one. England had lost their anchored hope–their one of a kind princess due to the refusals of emergency procedures. Princess Charlotte’s death helped change the trajectory for labor and delivery complications within the elite. Professionals were questioned and maternal health was properly evaluated so history wouldn’t repeat itself. While that may be true for Britain’s spoiled walls, the same can’t be said for women in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Maternal Health Concerns
For Nigerian mothers, laying on a hospital bed can feel like a dreadful knock on death’s door. Out of all the countries in Africa, Nigeria has the highest maternal mortality, reporting to make up 14% of the 289,000 yearly maternal deaths in the world. Despite being a very populated country, a very preventable problem arises within these maternal deaths: unskilled medical workers and lack of access to supporting services. Similarly to Princess Charlotte in 1817, Nigerian mothers are expected to put their life in the hands of inexperienced doctors, prompting the gravity of the country’s maternal mortality.
Even receiving insufficient transportation is a huge factor to mismanaged labor and delivery. Perhaps a woman lives in a rural village. She would have to travel for hours to arrive at the nearest hospital, only to see signs of delays, unqualified people, and unhygienic birth procedures. These women will come rushing to the hospital just to meet unpaid and undertrained staff who appear unmotivated and unwilling to seek the needs of the mother. In these conditions, mothers are only left with faith that unfortunately cannot dismiss the life-threatening scenario at play. Approximately 28.8% of maternal deaths are from haemorrhage, which is internal bleeding, due to a lack of available resources, absent trustworthy professionals, and shortages of crucial obstetric care. Hospitals lack nurses that can accurately provide vital signs, carry cases of incorrect diagnosis before surgery, and possess very few anesthesiologists and obstetricians. Ultimately, what’s been mentioned is only emphasized because they are patterns, not small mistakes. These factors can physically and mentally influence the mother and how the delivery transpires–which more times than not, isn’t the desired outcome and can lead to the death of the mother and baby.
Can Nigerian Women Also Receive the Crown?
Princess Charlotte’s death changed medical protocols for maternal labor, but was it only granted to the privileged? Nigerian mothers have died in the exact same format, yet no one weeps for their fate. In times like these, where maternal deaths can be prevented with extra attention and wanted care, the saying “money conquers” has sealed Nigeria’s policies. To reopen that box, we have to encourage investment in funding qualified medical professionals, essential obstetrics supplies, and perinatal care throughout the pregnancy. The hospital should feel like their luxury chamber, where doctors fulfill their needs because they want to, not because they are required to. Nigerian mothers deserve compassion and support throughout this relentless journey that occurs before and after childbirth. Every woman should not need status to survive.
The crux of the matter is not who wears the crown, but how and who gets the treatment.
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