More children are being born in the Vitebsk region

Over the first five months of the current year, 5,388 children were born in the Vitebsk region, which is 437 more than in the same period last year. In total, more than 12.5 thousand babies were born in 2015 – recently, the birth rate has only been growing. A great help in this is the high level of medical care, which today allows us to care for women at all stages of pregnancy, and if necessary, to care for them in seemingly the most difficult situations.

Today, obstetric medical care is provided at four levels: district hospitals, inter-district centers (in Novopolotsk, Orsha, Vitebsk), the regional and Vitebsk maternity hospital No. 2, and the capital's RSPC "Mother and Child", where expectant mothers in the most critical cases are sent.

According to Mikhail Shur, the chief freelance obstetrician-gynecologist of the region, thanks to the good technical equipment of maternity hospitals and highly qualified specialists, about 98% of obstetric care is provided directly in the region, most often at the woman's place of registration. At the same time, the infant mortality rate during childbirth is one of the lowest in the republic – 2.9 cases per 1000. The most "prolific" districts are Postavy, Lepel, Glubokoe, Chashniki, and Verkhnedvinsk. The maternity hospital in Novopolotsk with 120 beds has recently been modernized, and there are plans to reconstruct the maternity department of the emergency hospital and maternity hospital No. 2 in Vitebsk.

– The health of future mothers and children is given great attention, – notes Mikhail Arkadyevich. – All maternity hospitals are staffed with specialists and modern equipment, and are continuously supplied with high-quality medical drugs. Pain relief, modern suture material, convenient aseptic dressings, and so on are used during childbirth. Partner and individual births are becoming increasingly popular, when a patient can choose an obstetrician-gynecologist on a paid basis.

To learn about all this directly on site, the correspondents of "VV" visited the obstetric department of the Vitebsk emergency hospital, where about 200 babies are born every month. This is the oldest

an institution of this profile in the regional center, which enjoys great popularity among Vitebsk residents and beyond, as the department is an interregional maternity assistance center. It is headed by **Olga Platonova, Deputy Chief Physician of the hospital**, who was assigned here as an obstetrician-gynecologist 26 years ago and, as they say, fell in love with her work and became attached to the hospital with all her heart. Today, she can rightly be called the second mother to not one hundred (and perhaps even a thousand!) saved and cared-for babies.

– **Olga Leonidovna** shares, – **The profession is very interesting.** – **We are at the origins of new life, and this is truly a miracle. Believe me, all the medical professionals involved in this, even after years of work, experience happiness with the birth of a little human along with the mother and satisfaction from a job well done. An endless cycle of constant worries, joys, and sorrows. This is how everyone works in maternity hospitals. It is not for nothing that there are no random people among obstetricians-gynecologists. Those who cannot stand it leave, only those who are truly dedicated to their work remain, as the responsibility is immense.**

Every mother has her own story, sometimes filled with a difficult struggle for her child. And if 10-15 years ago pregnancy was contraindicated for a number of diseases, now it is no longer a problem. Future mothers are also additionally cared for in women's clinics, and are sent for preservation to maternity hospitals at the slightest concern. In this regard, by the way, the obstetric department, which we visited, favorably differs from others, as it is part of a multidisciplinary emergency hospital, which means all the necessary specialists are at hand.

– **Olga Platonova is convinced,** – **Everything in the birth of new life is not as simple as it might seem.** – **Not everything is in our hands. Sometimes we encounter such complex situations when the birth of a healthy child can only be called a miracle. For example, recently, through joint efforts, we helped a 35-year-old mother, who had four miscarriages before, to carry her baby. A woman who became pregnant only after the seventh IVF successfully gave birth to twins.**

Of course, the level of medical care has improved dramatically recently. Many modern medicines and equipment, including respiratory ones, have appeared. But still, the most important thing in our work is a team of professionals. After all, a successful birth is a team effort of competent staff. Thanks to this, we were able to deliver twins and save them at 27 weeks of gestation. Now they are healthy one-year-old children. A good result can also be achieved after 28-30 weeks.

The professionalism of the staff of the obstetrics department is known not only in the regional center but also abroad. Russian and Ukrainian women come here to give birth, and a few years ago, a citizen of Côte d'Ivoire underwent a Cesarean section here. The pregnancy was complicated by a tumor, and local specialists refused the operation, while in France, the services were estimated at more than 20 thousand euros. As a result, Vitebsk medics successfully coped with the task.

The key to a successful birth, according to Olga Platonova, is complete abstinence from bad habits, treatment of infections, regular medical supervision, and a mandatory positive attitude.

Alexander Kutynko. Photos by Anton Stepanishchev. "Vitebskiye vesti".