Home-going couple's firstborn delivered at remote Padma char
Md Nahid Mia and his wife Surma Akhter live in Dhaka's Lalbagh. They were going to Surma's village home in Barguna's Amtali to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr yesterday.
As long-distance public transport is suspended, they decided to cross the Padma on a trawler and landed on the banks of the river in Jajira, reports a correspondent from Shariatpur.
After walking for five kilometres on the Padma char, Surma -- who was pregnant -- started having labour pain. She was taken to a house in Majhikandi village on the char, where she gave birth to a baby girl around 5:00pm yesterday.
As she felt unwell after giving birth, a man named Razzak Majhi of the village called the Jajira Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ashrafuzzaman Bhuiyan and Upazila Family Planning Officer Mahmudul Hasan.
They later sent health workers with a naval ambulance and took Surma and her newborn to Jajira Upazila Health Complex. They were admitted there around 7:30 pm yesterday.
Both mother and baby a doing fine. The upazila administration even provided gifts to the new mother and distributed sweets to all at the hospital.
Nahid, who works at a furniture factory in Dhaka's Lalbagh, got married to Surma a year and a half ago.
The girl is the couple's firstborn. Surma was supposed to give birth at the end of June according to doctors. Considering this, they were travelling to Surma's father's house so that she could stay there during her delivery.
Villagers of Majhikandi Char stood by their side. Surma gave birth to a healthy child with the help of the women of the village.
After being taken to the hospital, Shariatpur Deputy Commissioner Parvez Hasan congratulated the couple over the phone and declared medical and financial assistance for them.
The couple named the baby girl "Padma" after Surma gave birth on the banks of the river.
They were unaware of the suspension of ferry service on Padma River and got stuck at Shimulia of Munshiganj.
After walking for two kilometres along the riverbank, the couple landed on a trawler at noon and from there at a char in the river. From there they set off on foot. As Surma's labour pain started, villagers came forward to help them, said Nahid.
"By the grace of Allah, I have a daughter now. We are grateful to the people of the village for standing by our side," said Nahid.
"We will cover all medical costs of the child and the mother," Jajira UNO Ashrafuzzaman Bhuiyan told The Daily Star.
"We will transport the family to their house also," he added.
The UNO also announced that he would take personal responsibility for the future education of the child born on this Padma char.
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