In the midst of war, new mother Lilia, 32, found herself navigating the harrowing streets of Kyiv to welcome her first child. “I had envisioned a serene birth after attending yoga classes and preparing thoroughly. This was not what I imagined,” Lilia recalled.
As the Russian invasion intensified, Lilia and her husband braved deserted roads to reach the hospital. However, instead of the intended “comfortable” delivery room, she ended up in a dilapidated bomb shelter, recounting her experience to The Guardian. “I never thought I would be giving birth during a conflict,” she said.
While preparing her home for the baby, she heard explosions outside and began to feel contractions. The couple faced a nerve-wracking journey, waiting for gas for half an hour before making their way through eerily quiet streets to the hospital. Despite the hospital’s lights being off to avoid detection, they were greeted warmly by staff and shown to a vibrant room. But soon, the peace was shattered by sirens. “It was surreal to look through the window at the beautiful architecture while hearing the alarms,” Lilia shared. “I had prepared for a gentle birth, not this chaos.”
As her labor progressed, they were rushed to the bomb shelter, described by Lilia as cold and damp, a relic from Soviet times. A shower curtain separated her from about 50 other patients and medical staff. A photograph captured the peeling paint and exposed pipes, alongside a makeshift “gynecological chair” where Lilia would give birth. “I tried not to look around, hoping we could return to the hospital soon,” she said, until her water broke.
“My doctor looked at me and said, ‘We have to do it here, it’s too dangerous to wait,’” Lilia explained. In that moment, fear gave way to trust in her doctor; all she could think of was meeting her baby and ending the pain. A photo from the moment shows Lilia gripping her knees, still in her grey overcoat. Despite her unsettling surroundings, joy flooded her heart when she saw her son, Mikhail, for the first time. “He looked just like his father, with his dark hair. My husband cut the cord,” she recalled, overwhelmed with love and happiness. “I said to him, ‘You’re so special, you’re born in Ukraine, you’re a new Ukrainian.’”
Lilia dreams of a peaceful future, wishing that Mikhail will only learn about the war through stories, especially the remarkable tale of his birth. For more insight into similar topics, check out this blog post that delves deeper into the journey of motherhood during challenging times.
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In summary, Lilia’s birth experience amidst conflict highlights the resilience of motherhood. Despite the circumstances, her story is filled with hope and love for her newborn, symbolizing both personal and national strength.
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