When Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon in early March, Hawraa Houmani, 29, who was nearly nine months pregnant, had to leave her village near Nabatieh and seek refuge in a school in Beirut. This sudden displacement cut her off from the doctor who had cared for her throughout her pregnancy.
“I had prepared myself physically and mentally for that doctor, for her to be the one delivering,” Houmani said.
A hospital in Beirut initially refused her a pre-delivery check-up, but when contractions began a week later, she was admitted. Houmani gave birth to her son, Ali, on March 11.
Displaced Mothers Struggle to Access Medical Care
The day after giving birth, Houmani returned to the classroom where she now lives with her husband, her four-year-old son, and other displaced relatives. They are part of over one million people displaced in Lebanon since the war between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2.
According to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Lebanon currently has 13,500 displaced pregnant women, with about 1,500 expected to give birth in the next 30 days.
Life in Beirut Shelters: Overcrowding and Hardship
Living conditions in the shelter are extremely challenging. Families share bathrooms, and Houmani worries about cleanliness, breastfeeding, and bathing her children. Within two weeks, baby Ali developed a cold and a rash on his face. The family has been waiting for a pediatrician, but none have reached the shelter so far.
Grandmother Sabah Marji, 64, holds Ali in one arm and his cousin Fatima, born just days before the war, in the other.
“Right now, I feel great about them, but the joy is incomplete. It’s not the same as when a person is living in their own home with everything around them,” she said.
Midwives Provide Psychological and Practical Support
Midwife Ahlam Sayegh, who also fled Nabatieh, provides assistance to displaced pregnant women and new mothers in Beirut as best she can, despite limited resources.
“We are giving support, but at the same time most of that support is mainly psychological support – support by telling them what they should do, when the necessities required to put that into practice on the ground are not reaching them,” she explained.
Finding Hope Amid Conflict
Another displaced woman, Sarah Shahla, 31, was five months pregnant when the strikes began. She fled Nabatieh with her husband and two sons. In the shelter, she has set up a small stand selling candy and snacks.
As Lebanon nears a month of renewed conflict, Israel has threatened an occupation of the south, but Sarah remains hopeful about returning home before giving birth.
“Of course, I hope that she comes into a life better than this one, that she comes into a life with stability, safety, a family atmosphere, a sense of home, all of these things,” she said.
