Unexpected Delivery in Hospital Washroom
In a startling medical incident at Ambikapur Medical College Hospital, a pregnant woman unexpectedly delivered her baby inside a hospital toilet on Sunday. The premature newborn became stuck in the commode until alert hospital staff executed a dramatic rescue operation.
The Critical Rescue Operation
According to Dr Ramesh Arya, joint director cum medical superintendent of the hospital, the woman identified as Rambati Bai from Surajpur district was seven months pregnant and admitted for routine check-ups. She experienced precipitated labour while using the washroom and remained unaware that she had delivered the baby.
"She probably underwent precipitated labour when she went to the washroom and didn't realize that she had delivered the baby. The infant was lodged in the commode. She came back to bed and appeared normal, even speaking to her mother," Dr Arya told TOI.
The situation was discovered when cleaning staff entered the washroom shortly after and found the newborn trapped in the toilet. Medical personnel immediately launched a rescue effort that involved breaking the commode to extract the infant.
Medical Aftermath and Viral Video
The rescued baby, weighing only 1.3 kilograms, was immediately admitted to the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) and placed on ventilator support. Doctors confirmed the newborn was in critical condition while the mother's condition remained stable under medical observation.
A video documenting the rescue operation went viral on social media, though hospital authorities clarified that the footage was recorded after the baby had been safely retrieved, possibly during commode repair work. This was the woman's second pregnancy, and she had been initially taken to a community health centre in Pratappur on November 13 before being referred to Ambikapur for specialized care.
Medical experts explained that in rare circumstances, sudden pressure during bowel movements can trigger unexpected deliveries, particularly when labour is already advanced. The incident created significant commotion in the maternity ward but hospital administration reported no disciplinary lapses, emphasizing that their emergency response teams acted promptly to save the infant.
