The couple had gone to Maternity Hospital No. 5 in the port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine. The facility is known for its comprehensive maternity care and had achieved some local fame as the birthplace of quintuplets.
But just after Ms Chebotar delivered her baby, an air raid siren sounded over the city, which remains a regular target of Russian missile and drone attacks. Using a mobile incubator, the medical team quickly moved the newborn baby and her panicked parents to the hospital’s underground shelter, along with other patients.
The portable incubators are equipped with artificial lung ventilation and are supplied by UNFPAthe UN Sexual and Reproductive Health Organization, to help bridge the gaps in supplies and services that hospitals across Ukraine are facing as a result of the ongoing conflict.
Increase in birth complications
Maternity Hospital No. 5 has faced unprecedented difficulties during the ongoing war and has implemented rapid, unforeseen changes to support pregnant women and new mothers in dealing with the challenges of childbirth in a war zone.
© UNFPA Ukraine
UNFPA supports frontline maternity care in Ukraine, including mobile incubators.
The war has led to a 12 percent increase in birth complications in this maternity hospital alone, a statistic that highlights the serious impact of stress and disruption on pregnant women, within the context of increasing ongoing shelling.
“Pregnant women come here not only from Odesa, but from all over the south, close to the front line,” said Dr. Igor Shpak, a leading obstetrician at the hospital. “The stress and disruptions caused by the conflict have led to higher rates of caesarean sections and premature deliveries.”
New underground bunkers
Another person who took shelter in the hospital bunker was Radionova Alevtyna Viktorivna. The expectant mother was waiting for a medical check-up when the air raid sirens sounded.
The construction of new underground bunkers has become a crucial initiative to support and protect expectant mothers. Ms Radionova said there is a growing need for safe, well-equipped spaces where women can safely continue their pregnancies despite ongoing threats.
Maternity Hospital No. 5 recently built and strengthened its air raid shelter. These bunkers are designed to provide security while being equipped with the necessary medical facilities to ensure uninterrupted healthcare during attacks.
© UNICEF/Andriy Boiko
The maternity ward of a Kiev hospital has been moved to the basement and is operating under crossfire. (file)
Deepening the healthcare crisis
The situation in Odesa’s maternity hospitals reflects a broader crisis affecting Ukraine’s healthcare system. There is an urgent need for continued support and global attention to improve conditions for maternity care in conflict areas.
In the first six months of the year, the World Health Organization (WHO) verified 160 attacks on healthcare institutions throughout Ukraine. This devastation has left a significant gap in maternal and newborn care, with 23 percent of facilities unable to provide these essential services.
Energy infrastructure in Odesa and across Ukraine continues to come under repeated attacks, causing significant disruptions and increasing costs for basic services.
With power lines and generation capacity damaged, the price of electricity and heating has risen sharply, placing an additional financial burden on families already struggling during the conflict.
These attacks not only impact daily living conditions, but also hinder hospitals’ ability to provide consistent care as power outages disrupt critical medical equipment and services.
© UNICEF/Andriy Boiko
A mother holds her newborn baby in a hospital in Kiev, Ukraine. (file)
The human cost
The ongoing shelling has taken a heavy toll on the mental health of residents, including pregnant women. Reports indicate an increase in preterm births and higher C-section rates across the country, which is directly linked to the increased stress levels experienced by expectant mothers.
The psychological strain exacerbates the already challenging conditions in which these women carry and deliver their babies. Breastfeeding rates during the first six months have also declined due to financial constraints and inadequate facilities, increasing neonatal morbidity and creating a need for breast milk in hospitals.
The ongoing war and the need for reconstruction are stretching government efforts and weakening essential social and healthcare systems.
The UN Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency, UNFPA, is working to fill critical gaps, particularly in sexual and reproductive health and rights – areas critical to the well-being of women and newborns – by providing medical supplies, equipment and provide support services. The support is crucial for women in Odesa to receive the necessary care to safely navigate their pregnancy and childbirth.
© UNICEF/Oleksandr Ratushniak
Newborns are cared for in the Child Intensive Care Unit of the Kiev Regional Perinatal Center in Ukraine. (file)
Support to Maternity Hospital No. 5
Since 2022, UNFPA has provided more than $68,000 in assistance, including mobile incubators and medicines.
Obstetrician Dr. Shpak emphasized the crucial role of external aid.
“Without this support, we would not have the essential supplies we need, such as mobile incubators to move premature babies during emergencies,” he said.
“We need the world to see what is happening here,” Dr. Shpak. “Our mothers and babies deserve better, and we will continue to provide these essential services.”
Read more about how UNFPA is helping in Ukraine here.
