InterAksyon.com
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MANILA, Philippines - Dr. Mary Grace Mayuga, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the Ospital ng Sampaloc in Manila, could not believe what "Jane" did to herself. The 28-year-old woman from Isabela province was brought by her relatives to the hospital Wednesday night after she performed a Caesarean operation on herself last July 4.
Mayuga said that according to Jane, after injecting herself with anaesthesia, she used a kitchen knife to slash open her abdomen and take out the eight-month-old fetus from her womb.
"Tinanong ko s'ya, sabi nya hiniwa n'ya sarili n'ya at tinanggal ang baby. Tapos iyong itsura ng pagtahi maayos. Hindi ako naniniwala na s'ya lang mag-isa," Mayuga told reporters on Friday.
[I asked her, she told me she cut herself and pulled out her baby. Her stitches looked fine. I couldn't believe that she did it alone.]
According to Jane, who claims to be a graduate of midwifery, she was alone in their house in Sampaloc when she operated on herself. She said that she had stitched back together her abdomen using ordinary needle and thread.
After the operation, Jane wrapped the dead fetus on a cloth and hid it under the bed. Jane's aunt and uncle rushed her to the hospital after they saw her sitting on her bloodtstained bed.
Mayuga said that Jane had told her that she needed to "remove" the fetus from her womb because many would get angry at her if they knew that she was having a baby. Jane's aunt and uncle didn't know that their niece was pregnant. Jane told her aunt that she looked bigger because she was putting on weight.
The doctor said it was possible that the baby was still alive when Jane began operating on herself.
"Pwedeng buhay pa tapos sa tagal ng pagkakatanggal namatay na or patay na talaga...Kaya n'ya raw ginawa 'yon kasi kailangan daw dahil maraming magagalit," said Mayuga.
[It could be possible that the fetus was still alive but it died when it took long for Jane to remove the baby from her womb... She said she had to do it, otherwise, many would get angry.]
According to Mayuga, Jane told her that she had a husband who was working overseas. However, they lost contact and that currently, she has a boyfriend.
To fully address her medical needs, Jane was transferred to Santa Ana Hospital also in Manila. Jane's attending doctor, Dr. Jojo Secson, said no organ was affected after Jane operated on herself. Jane's stitches had been fixed, according to Secson.
"Mentally stable s'ya [Jane] pero kailangan makita ng psychiatrist, kasi we do not want to inflict trauma," said Secson.
[She is mentally stable but a psychiatrist should see her because we don't want to inflict trauma.]
Authorities are investigating the incident. The police said Jane might be held responsible for what she did to her baby. - with Romsanne R. Ortiguero
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