Christmas moms blank Mt Hope Maternity

For fear of infection and possible death to newborn babies, expectant mothers yesterday opted to deliver their precious cargo at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, rather than at the Mt Hope Maternity Hospital. The mass exodus followed the recent outbreak of the enterobacter bacteria at the Mt Hope Maternity Hospital a few weeks ago. In the early hours of Christmas morning, Luscha St Louis of St Francois Valley Road, Morvant gave birth to a bouncing baby girl at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, the first to be delivered for Christmas 2003, at 1.11 am.

Baby Gabrielle weighed 3.75 kgs, the lone child for the St Louis. The Enterobacter are nosocomial (hospital acquired) pathogens responsible for a variety of infections including lower respiratory tract infections, skin and soft tissue infection, lower urinary tract infection, endocarditis and intra abdominal infection. Misons Industries Ltd presented Luscha with a six-month supply of Teddies disposable diapers, while mothers of other babies born throughout the day would have received a hamper from Misons.