Pregnant woman enta labour, born pikin ontop moving train

Johandri Pacheco belle bin dey pain her wen she enta train.

Di kind of pain wey pesin wey dey eight-and-a-half-month pregnant go feel.

She no enta through di door to siddon for chair so she go fit see di view between Irapuato and Matamoros, from di centre of Mexico to her destination for di border wit United States.

She climb up one side ladder go di roof of one freight train for one old network wey dem dey call La Bestia.

Di 23-year-old Venezuelan migrant bin don tire. She, and her partner José Gregorio and her four-year-old son Gael, bin wait for five days for one bridge for Irapuato for di train to arrive.

Oda migrants say di train na El Bolichero, sake of di small metal balls wey dey stored for di roof wey dem bin cover wit cardboard to rest during di journey.

Johandri and her boyfriend bin collect di cardboard for di trip and dem feed themselves wit di food wey activists and locals distribute for di bridge.

Di couple (and dia pikin) bin travel through many kontris for a month and a half to make sure say Mía, di baby wey Johandri dey carry dem born am for United States.

"one of my friend bin put fear for my body, she tell me say if I born for Mexico dem go return me go di border wit Guatemala and dem go register my daughter as Guatemalan," she tok dis from one migrant shelter wey dey for Aguascalientes, for di centre of Mexico.

"I bin dey fear to go hospital and immigration go take me back."

Di train bin land Irapuato for midnight on Friday 25 August. Na 12 days remain befor her due date go reach, according to di estimate of di doctor wey bin see her for her last prenatal check-up.

'Go back to your own kontri'

Johandri bin grow up for Las Adjuntas, for one humble neighbourhood south-west of Caracas.

As soon as she turn 18, she move to Peru - shortly before di pandemic - without completing her high school or gain any work experience.

"I bin wan see di world by my own means, achieve my own tins wit my own efforts," she tok.

More than seven million pipo don leave Venezuela since 2015, according to di United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), sake of economic palava, lack of access to public services and violence.

Johandri get her first job for Peru as a clerk for one shoe store. "Go back to your own kontri, you Venezuelans dey here to fuck around," she tok say na wetin some clients tell her. She pretend like say she bin no dey listen and waka comot in silence.

"Dis kain comments no dey affect me," she tok. "I dey fight for myself and my family."

Na for Peru she born Gael, her first pikin.

But, for mid-2021, her prospects change. Prices increase and her salary bin no reach to pay her rent and buy food.

With less dan $100 for her pocket, Johandri no gree go back to her family home for Las Adjuntas na so she move to Chile, wia she begin ask strangers for road to travel wit dem.

She get one job as a cleaner for one small clinic for Santiago. She sell clothes on her own and serve drinks for one bar. When she feel say she don balance financially, dem raise money for rent for her new apartment and she bin dey fear say dem go force her return to Las Adjuntas.

"Na me decide say make we leave Chile wen I bin dey seven months pregnant," she tok.

"Wit di baby inside my belly, I use my hands and my two legs to hold on to trees and cross di rivers of Darién [one jungle area between Colombia and Panama wia roads no dey], na one of di most difficult parts of di journey. But if to say she carry her hand up, e for dey impossible."

'Everyone wan steal from you'

Di couple bin get just $700 to make di overland journey wit Gael to US through Chile, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.

Dem make di first leg of di journey by bus, from Chile to Capurganá, one Colombian town wey dey di border wit Panama and one of di main entrances to di Darién Gap, di jungle wia almost 249,000 migrants travel during di first half of 2023, di largest migrant flow on record so far by di Panamanian authorities.

Seeing so many pikin dem wit fever, dey vomit and get rashes on di journey through Darien, Johandri bin happy say she make di decision to travel pregnant. But, she bin no know say di most difficult part dey wait for her for Mexico.

"In Darién you no fit drink water from di rivers and stay under di shade of di trees. But in Mexico we bin need to waka every day for five or six hours under di sun. Everybody wan steal from you, scam you. We bin try to continue by bus and di police dey always hold us sake of say we no get papers."

Afta traveling for one month and a half, boarding El Bolichero for Irapuato and arrive for Matamoros na di last step before you go cross enta United States.

Cardboard warning

Johandri and José Gregorio put cardboard on top di roof of train, dem place Gael between them to sleep.

By 2:00 for morning, Johandri wake up dey squeeze her belly to relieve di pain.

Na 12 days remain before she dey due to give birth.

Wen Johandri born her first child, di labour contractions bin come wit back pain. Dis time she only get stomach ache, so she bin feel say di pain na sake of fatigue and stress of di train journey.

But, di pressure for di belly follow one pattern, e begin pain for intervals and di pain begin increase. Johandri tell her partner to call for help immediately. Mia bin dey try come out.

By 5:00 for morning, José Gregorio take one of di pieces of cardboard dem use to sleep to write say: "Pesin dey dem born baby. We need di train driver to know. Sharp-sharp". Im ask oda migrants to pass di cardboard to di first cars, we di hope say e go reach di driver hands.

'Get ready, love'

While some pipo bin dey shout if pesin fit help woman born, Johandri and José Gregorio see one man wey dey waka from di roof of di first cars of di train.

Na Venezuelan paramedic wey also dey try to reach US. Di man take im mobile phone and call im wife, wey be nurse wey tell am how to assist Johandri during contractions.

"Get ready, love. Look for alcohol, dis na wetin you go do…" Johandri remembers as di nurse dey tell her husband.

Di contractions bin dey happun every three minutes, di paramedic estimate. Then every two minutes. Johandri begin vomit, cry nonstop. She bin no wan born Mia for dirty roof, on top metal spheres wey dey hot under sun and dey covered wit cardboard.

Dem get alcohol, scissors and one blanket so dat di baby body no go touch di cardboard. Johandri forget about di idea say her daughter she go born her for Mexico, for roof of train carriage.

The paramedic tell José Gregorio to hold Johandri from di back and gently push from di top of her belly to help di baby to go down.

'She no go come for dis train'

By 7:00 for morning, lawyer Paola Nadine Cortés, one activist wit di Agenda Migrante association, receive photo of di message wey José Gregorio write to ask for help.

Di lawyer call Civil Protection to arrange one group to go di yards of di railway operators, Ferromex, 222km north of Irapuato.

"Di idea na to allow emergency service to rescue her because dem bin dey send me videos and she bin dey desperate state," di activist tok.

Di train company put Cortés to tok wit di driver of di train wey dem feel say Johandri bin dey travel wit.

"I send am photo so im fit see di train number. Den di driver tell me say: 'She no dey dis train. Na di one wey dey go far.'"

Dat driver contact im colleague and dem agree to stop di train for ten minutes for di city of Aguascalientes.

"Di driver tell me say na ten minutes exactly, on di dot. If dem fit get am out dat time, di train go continue to go," na so Cortés tok.

But di train stop for Los Arellanos, about 108km from di city of Aguascalientes.

"Due to di distance... di emergency team bin no fit arrive within ten minutes wey dem bin give us."

Half an hour later, wen Johandri feel say she no fit bear di pain again, di train stop.

Cortés get permission from Ferromex for a team of Civil Protection and firefighters to lower Johandri from di roof of di train. "Di carriages dey very high, so to get her out of dia dem bin get to dey more careful coordination, to avoid put am in danger."

Emergency response workers, firefighters and one doctor from di railway company come. Dem go up to di roof of di train, dem put Johandri for stretcher and secure her. Di Venezuelan paramedic only let go of her hand just before various migrants helped her down di side of di carriage, next to di stairs wia she board El Bolichero.

Cortés say di section from Irapuato to Torreón, wey dey known as dicentral route, na di busiest at dis time for migrants wey dey cross Mexico to reach US.

"Di increase dem record am dis year because of di Gulf route, wey be di shortest by train and na di one wey poor migrants dey use, e get high criminal activities."

Sake of di increase for di in flow of migrants boarding trains, Ferromex suspend operations of 60 trains on 19 September, to avoid di risk of dem being injured or dying in transit.

Dem carry Johandri by ambulance to one hospital for Aguascalientes. Doctors say her cervix dey 5cm dilated; her labour don advance.

Dem born Mía - without issues - around noon on Friday 25 August 2023.

Di lawyer arrange for officials from Mexico National Immigration Institute to visit Johandri and dem confam say her daughter go be Mexico citizen and say her family fit stay legally for di kontri.

"I dey very grateful because my daughter and my family dey fine," na so Johandri tok from di shelter for Aguascalientes.

"Although we fit stay for Mexico, I neva lose my dream to reach US."