Kyiv City Maternity Hospital No. 2 became a place of both joy and danger this week as two young families delivered babies while the city was under air‑raid alert for Russian jet‑propelled drones. Thirty‑two‑year‑old Alyona Bohatyrenko gave birth to a daughter during the alert, saying, “I gave birth during an air alert! None of this is normal, but you get used to it somehow.”
Doctors at the hospital took a calculated risk, proceeding with the delivery despite the threat overhead. The same situation occurred for 26‑year‑old Yuliia Ishchuk, who also gave birth at the facility last Wednesday.
Families confront the reality of war‑time childbirth
Yuliia’s husband, 30‑year‑old serviceman Vitalii Ishchuk, recalled the frantic early‑morning moment when Yuliia’s waters broke at three a.m. “We hadn’t packed anything, and nothing was ready,” he said. “We thought the house was going to be blown to pieces. We called an ambulance; they came, and everything turned out fine.”
Since August 27, Russia has intensified its bombing campaign, launching swarms of high‑speed jet drones that have kept Kyiv under near‑constant threat. Air attacks now occur around the clock, disrupting daily life for millions and raising concerns that conditions will worsen as winter approaches and Russia targets Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Parents weigh relocation for safety
Both families are now considering moving to safer accommodation. Vitalii Ishchuk explained, “We’ll have to move somewhere to find better shelter – not a basement in a school or a store – that’s no shelter at all.” Bohatyrenko added, “We’re thinking about going somewhere this winter after all. It’ll be very difficult to stay in Kyiv this winter with a small child.”
Below the maternity ward, other expectant mothers and their partners sought shelter as fresh air‑raid warnings sounded. Yuliia Kukhar, 29, noted the somber atmosphere: “No one wants to give birth.”
War’s impact on Ukraine’s demographic future
Ukraine already faces a demographic crisis, with birth rates falling before the full‑scale invasion due to economic challenges. Since February 2022, the war has further depressed births as many men serve in the military and families worry about security. Kukhar, who was expecting her third child, said the conflict made her reconsider her desire for a boy, stating, “We wanted a boy. But there’s a war going on, and I don’t need a boy. Let’s just have girls.”
Officials warn that the ongoing conflict and the looming winter could force more families to relocate, either within Kyiv to more secure housing or away from the city entirely, adding another layer of strain to a nation already coping with loss and displacement.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
