Seven babies born amid typhoon’s wrath

DAANBANTAYAN, Cebu  — Seven babies were born at the town’s district hospital here as rainfall and strong winds caused by Typhoon Ruby hit northern Cebu towns last Saturday night.

One of the seven newborns was named by her parents, “Ruby Marie”, in memory of the safe delivery of their first child amid a looming typhoon.

The birth took place last Saturday at 6:10 p.m., just a few hours before Typhoon “Ruby” (international name Hagupit) made landfall in Eastern Samar.

All the deliveries were completed from 6 p.m Saturday up to 8 a.m. yesterday.

Ruby Marie slept in the arms of her 27-year-old mother Juvelyn Paghubasan, when Cebu Daily News visited their ward at the Daanbantayan District Hospital yesterday morning.

Doctors at the Daanbantayan District Hospital expect more mothers to give birth today. (CDN PHOTO/ TONEE DESPOJO)

Labor pains

The hospital’s resident doctor, Clent Banaay, said Paghubasan underwent normal delivery.

“Mura’g siya ang gasa nga gihatag sa Ginoo sa tunga-tunga sa bagyo (She was the gift given to us in the middle of the storm),” said the baby’s father, Eduvigio Luga.

Luga, 28, said the family had to carry their belongings from their house located in the coastal barangay of Aguho due to storm surge advisories.

At 2 p.m. last Saturday, Paghubasan was already at the hospital, along with other mothers who were experiencing labor pains.

Power was cut off in the town at 3 a.m. last Saturday but the hospital continued to operate using their generator set.

Banaay said they expect five more mothers to give birth yesterday afternoon or today at the latest.

He said the high number of patients could be due to the temporary closure of the town’s birthing center situated at the poblacion due to its proximity to the shoreline.

Caretaker

In Liloan town, a baby girl whose mother dropped her off at the San Fernando Parish Church at the height of Typhoon Ruby was saved by the caretaker at 9 a.m yesterday.

Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco said the caretaker brought the baby to the town’s social welfare office.

“When the baby was dropped off, she was just in a reusable SM eco-bag. She was swaddled, but she was in that bag,” he told Cebu Daily News over the phone.  A woman supposedly “found” the baby at the church.

But officials noticed that the woman was pale and gave inconsistent answers to their questions.

She then started to bleed, later broke down, and admitted that she was the mother.

“I felt sad for the baby that this had to happen to her on a day like this,” Mayor Frasco said.

Municipal Social Welfare Officer Mary Fiel Cabua said the baby was checked by a doctor before she was brought to the municipal hall.

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