Berry A., 16

Beryl is a 16-year-old Grade Seven learner from Nyalenda, Kisumu, who lives with her mother. She enjoys English, poetry and dancing and hopes to become a doctor. During weekends and school holidays, she helps her mother with household chores. Her mother is the family’s sole provider and survives through irregular work such as washing clothes and farm labour. With no medical insurance, the family could not afford Beryl’s treatment and was referred to Helpster for assistance. Beryl presented in the second stage of labour and delivered vaginally. Sadly, the baby had died in the womb at 24 weeks. Following delivery, she became seriously ill with high fever, chills, profound weakness, lower abdominal pain and foul-smelling vaginal discharge. She also developed a rapid pulse, fast breathing and low blood pressure, raising concern for maternal sepsis after the intrauterine fetal death. Her condition required urgent admission, intravenous antibiotics, fluids and close monitoring to prevent septic shock, organ failure and death.

The patient came to the facility with history of second stage of labour, had an svd, intrauterine featal death at twenty four weeks. Post delivery, full haemogram was noted to be 15.6*10^9/l in para 0+1. She reported normal lonchia with on and off lower abdominal pains. The doctor reviewed and recommended inpatient management.The drugs were issued as per the attached prescription. The patient was then discharged home in a stable condition. Maternal sepsis after an intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) is a critical, life-threatening medical emergency that requires immediate hospital treatment and rapid delivery of the uterine contents.