Amid all the din and bustle at a cyclone shelter where hundreds of villagers had to be lodged on Saturday in view of the cyclone, a 23-year-old woman of seaside Gupti village gave birth to a baby girl.
The baby girl was born in Gupti Irrigation Inspection Bungalow, which was used for providing shelter to the evacuated persons of Gupti by the district administration.
Suchitra Pradhan, wife of Chagala Pradhan, gave birth to the child safely with the help of a local dai and some fellow village women.Suchitra begot the baby at about 11.30 pm while the tempest was at the peak. Fellow villagers requested the couple to name the baby after Phailin.
“In the midst of panic and devastation, the birth of a baby was quite touching. The baby relaxed the pale and worried faces of the evacuated villagers who were taking shelter in the cyclone centre,” said Chagala, the proud father of the baby.
lying on the floor of the evacuation center, Suchitra said she was deprived of medical care as it was the time when everybody ran for cover.
“My family members had taken me to the local PHC, but we had to return without treatment as there was no electricity in the health centre. Then we were all rushed to the Gupti Irrigation Inspection Bungalow for staying there owing to the cyclone. There I developed labour pain and a local dhai (nurse) who was there helped me. She covered me with a saree and took care of me till the baby was born,” said Suchitra.
On Sunday morning, an ASHA volunteer came to the Inspection Bungalow and provided primary treatment to the mother and her new born and later sent both to a local PHC.
Sources said that another woman too delivered a baby girl at Kalabuda High School on Saturday amidst all odds. She was identified as Swarnaprava Moharana, a resident of Kalabuda village under Garadapur block. The girl was also christened as ‘Phailin’.