Childbirth is always a memorable occasion, especially for a first-time mum, but George Town resident Mya Charlika Bennett-Beason delivering her baby girl during Hurricane Beryl will forever hold special significance.
The birth of Bennett-Beason’s baby, Vinayah Olivia Beason, 9:20pm Wednesday, during the height of Category 3 Hurricane Beryl’s passage, also became a sign of hope as the community hunkered down as storm conditions raged around the islands.
“I’m blessed and I’m also happy. She’s beautiful,” Bennett-Beason told the Cayman Compass Thursday afternoon.
Emergency procedure
The first-time mum said she was keenly following Hurricane Beryl’s track and was praying that the baby would not come during the storm, but Vinayah had other plans.
She was due on 17 July, but Bennett-Beason said when she went to Doctors Hospital on 2 July, her doctor told her the baby was ready and was getting too big.
“I got induced around 1pm and I went home, and then I came back around 8pm to get admitted,” she said.
Because she wasn’t dilating fast enough, doctors advised she have a Caesarean section.
At that time, Hurricane Beryl was already making her presence felt as the Sister Islands started experiencing strong winds and rain.
“I was anxious because I was wondering what else could possibly happen and then [my husband] was just like, he doesn’t want me to stay home. And I end up in labour while the hurricane is going and I can’t get on the road,” she said.
Anxious moment
Bennett-Beason said she was scared when she was told doctors would have to perform an emergency procedure.
“I haven’t had a surgery in my life before… I kind of panicked before going in the room. But, after all it was good because I didn’t feel anything. It was fine,” she said.
The new mum said going into the operating theatre with the hurricane coming was “tense,” not only because of the storm, but she was also worried about the procedure.
However, she said her main concern was the baby.
“It wasn’t really anything I’d planned, but whatever [was needed] to get her here, I had to do it,” she said.
Husband Vincent Beason, who was at her side throughout the 35-minute procedure, said he was anxious, but not about the storm.
“I wasn’t paying attention to no hurricane. I forgot about that. I was trying to cheer [my wife] up. She was down because she never ever wanted a C-section. But [with the dilating problem] she had to. I was trying to cope along with her and tell her we need to do this to get Vinayah,” Beason said.
Focused on positive outcomes
That task fell to obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr. Lisa Hinzmann, and paediatrician Dr. Tamara Bugembe, both of whom volunteered to work at the hospital while the storm passed.
Both doctors are new to the Cayman Islands, having arrived in May and June from Germany and the UK respectively, and had never experienced a hurricane.
“We had a little baby girl born in the middle of the hurricane by emergency C-section and it was so nice to have a moment of joy during quite a challenging time… I only arrived at the island in June so I was a little bit anxious. I didn’t know what to expect,” Bugembe said.
She said the George Town-based hospital had done a lot of preparation ahead of the storm so she felt comfortable.
“It was nice to have something different to do instead of thinking about the hurricane,” she added.
She said there was a full team on site and “everyone was calm and relaxed”.
“Even though there was a hurricane happening around us, it was just like a normal C-section. We focused on the best outcomes for the mother and the baby,” Bugembe said, adding the procedure was nothing out of the ordinary.
Hinzmann said she felt safer at the hospital rather than at her apartment and was happy to have the team on hand for the emergency procedure.
She said while she was concerned about the storm, when it was time for the surgery, she “forgot about the hurricane because everything felt quite normal”.
She said the procedure went well without any complications and while she had performed hundreds before, this one was special.
“I was waiting two months to do a C-section and I was quite happy when the day came. Unfortunately, it was the same day the first hurricane came for me. But I will now always remember this day in a positive way than a negative way,” Hinzmann said.
Dr. Richard Preece, Doctors Hospital medical director, said he was pleased with his team for stepping up.
“Hurricanes stop many things but they don’t stop babies arriving – when they’re ready we have to be ready, too. I am very proud of Lisa, Tamara, and the whole Doctors Hospital team, and delighted for mum, baby, and family,” he told the Compass.
He said the hospital brought in their pregnant patients ahead of the storm as a precaution and he was happy for the Beason family.
When it came to picking a name for the baby the Beasons said Beryl was absolutely off the list.
Although Bennett-Beason said her stepfather teased her that he will call the baby Beryl.
They picked a name that combined the names of mum and dad.
After the surgery, with her new baby in her arms, her focus then turned to the storm and any impact on her home, which had been spared.
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