LONG BEACH, Calif. - A 17-year-old girl gave birth secretly at home, then walked four blocks to a hospital with the baby still attached by its umbilical cord.
When I read this story I was so relieved to hear this wasn't another tale of "I didn't know I was pregnant" and the baby being dumped somewhere. It just bothers me and I have no idea how any woman could not have a clue they are/were pregnant. Was I just more in tune with the changes my body went through? This story has a happy ending (for a secret teen pregnancy) and mother and baby boy are both fine. This girl (Xochitl Parra) knew she was pregnant and kept it a secret for fear of being kicked out of her home by her mother.
Kudos to Xochitl for being able to give birth with no interventions or pain relief what so ever. Good for her! I am sure it was one of the scariest moments she's ever experienced. If you look at her photo at the MSNBC.com article she looks so young. A baby herself.
What bothers me a bit is a doctor quoted as saying: "They could have bled to death; thank God that didn't happen. She was very clever. She knew what to do. She wrapped the baby up and walked over here."
I really don't think I'd call it "clever" that she'd walk (and jog) to the hospital while her placenta and umbilical cord were still attached. She could have woken neighbors and asked for help. Obviously the girl is not mature enough to know what is in the best interest of her baby and thought she was doing the right thing. Thank goodness all turned out well. I also can't imagine walking to the hospital right after delivering a baby. She must have had quite the adrenaline rush!
The article also mentions that "Her mother has now accepted the situation and is going to help the teen care for the baby so she can continue attending school." I wonder if this is the truth or if this is what the mother felt she had to say because of all the publicity her child has received. I hope somehow they can work this out and the teen really can finish school and try to make a good life for herself and her child. The odds are not in her favor.
2 comments:
What the heck. When I saw this article before, I misread it and thought the girl was 15. She's 17! And yet she still hid the pregnancy. The thing that struck me the most was that she was too shy/diffident to wake up her neighbors for help. That's crazy.
I'm with you. What's so clever about walking to the hospital with your placenta attached?
Maybe it's a misprint. I read she is a sophomore in highschool so that means technically she should be 14-15, right? 17 would indicate junior or senior. She looks so young I would be more inclined to believe she is 15.
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