An 18-year-old mother, Grace Addobea, has attempted to kill herself and her newborn baby because the baby was born without legs at Twifo Bonsaho in the Central Region.
Grace Addobea was delivered successfully at home by a traditional midwife in their village, Twifo Bonsaho.
But the excitement and joy of her giving birth was cut short after it was noticed that the beautiful baby had no legs.
News of the baby spread so fast like wildfire across the community, which set tongues wagging and became the topic for discussion in the community, making the mother feel very uncomfortable.
According to the young mother, during her pregnancy, she received her antenatal care at Wassa Ateiku Health Centre and wasn’t told the baby had any deformity after several medical checkups.
During her ninth month of pregnancy, she went for antenatal care and was informed that she did not have enough blood for a safe delivery. As a result, she was referred to the Christian Hospital, also known as ‘Church’ in Wassa Ateiku.
After a medical assessment, the doctor informed her that the baby was breech. Hence, they would need to perform surgery to deliver the baby when she was due.
But later, she was assisted by a traditional midwife at home to deliver the baby.
Surprisingly, the baby girl was delivered, but she had no legs.
Later, the father of the baby, Paa Kwasi, deserted.
The development resulted in several attempts by the nursing mother to kill herself and the baby because residents were stigmatizing and discriminating against her and her family.
According to reports, Paa Kwasi’s mother, Maame Effua Atta, had also taunted the mother, saying that if she (Maame Effua Atta) were the one who helped Addobea during the delivery of the baby, she would have killed the baby.
The father of Grace Addobea, Opanin Emmanuel Lartey, has made a passionate appeal to NGOs, individuals, government, and religious groups to come to their aid to ensure that Adobea and the baby survive the hard times.