Despite this proverb, labor can often last many days in Africa, where a majority of women give birth at home. When a woman with obstructed labor is finally brought to the hospital, it is often not only too late for the newborn, but also sometimes for the mother.
If she survives, a woman is likely to emerge bearing the effects of her ordeal. Obstetric fistulas are one of the most serious consequences of obstructed labor; it occurs when the soft tissue in the pelvis is compressed by the baby’s head. The lack of blood flow causes the tissue to die, creating a hole between the vagina and bladder, the vagina and rectum, or both. The result is urinary and/or fecal incontinence. Women with fistulas live in shame and are often rejected by their own families and communities.
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