Mothers

I haven't worked in the hospital a very long time. But what I've seen amaze me time and time again. Working in O&G and pediatrics, I've seen durability or mothers, the immense sacrifice and time they take to nurse their kids. Heaven is at the footsteps of our mothers. Witnessing all this, it is justified to have mothers have at least a step in heaven.

I've seen mothers bearing child, while at risk themselves, harbouring life-threatening hypertensive disorders. These mom's are like Tamil Tigers suicide bombers carrying bombs. They can blow up at any moment. That's a metaphor. What I really mean is they can die just because they are carrying their precious child.

Labour comes. Along with the pain. Vaginal delivery, caesarian section. It doesn't matter which path both again carries risk of death. I've seen torrentous bleeding in both cases where the mothers life is just a few minutes away from death. The probability of mothers suffering post labour is like playing Russian roulette.

Then when the baby is out it's not all well yet. If she's the majority of the lucky mother, she'll have a normal baby that will grow to become you or me or better. But if fate has it that she is not, the baby ends up in the NICU for months, nursed til in good shape, if the baby's lucky. Ive seen twins nursed for 3 months for prematurity. And with patience, and support, mama and baby comes home well. And I've also seen baby with stormy post natal period ending up with a hypoxic brain. The baby is bound to grow with neurological defects, unable to live a normal life like you and me. Again the mother will suffer from the extra care the child will definitely require.

But she won't care. Because she's the child's mother. It's an inborn thing to care for her child. Whether her baby is diagnosed with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, a restrictive lung disease with very poor prognosis and life span. She'll stay with the child until the end. Because that's what she does.

I've seen mothers spend almost half a year caring for her child with meningitis with hydrocephalus. She's in a hospital so far away from home with no nearby relatives. Her husband's earning is below average. Yet she stays. Coping with her whinny kid whom complains of everything. Her only company besides her kid is the nurses and the housemen. She'll be around for a long time. Along with other mothers with kids with tracheostomies, leukemia, and kids with malnutrition.

I've also seen mother's with kids whom are fat and thriving but still feel that they do not have enough. Kids whom whines for everything gets into trouble with everybody. Whom shouts back at their mothers when being told off about something. Despite all that, momma endures. For better or worst.

No I haven't seen everything. What I've seen are only fragments of what mothers are made of. Not every mothers are like this I concede, but most are. You don't a 'Mother's Day' to celebrate. That's because everyday is mothers day.

As long as she's around she'll care for you. Whatever you attempt to do to pay back for all that she's done will never ever be enough. But for her it will always be. Because you are your mother's sons and daughters.

Changing Perspectives of People

Being a student, houseman, we tend to 'fear' certain MOs, specialist, consultants. When we fear these certain individuals, we avoid them, we paint very negative views of them, and we infect others with that views so that these people will carry a bad name wherever they go.

I think its not fair to them despite them being damn malignant, and moody. Sometimes we get a scolding for no reason, although I would like to think most with reasons. But these people may actually be nice if you talked to them and meet them outside of work. They are humans too, and being human they have their own characteristic that we may not like but however have to bear.

Here's an experience of mine.

A colleague of asked to switch oncalls with me as he had something that day. Thing is, that call was with an MO with a 'negative' reputation. HOs shudder at his name, and try as best as possible to avoid him. I heard of him even before I started my posting. My colleague couldn't find any other replacement as nobody wanted to be oncall with him. I accepted and just vowed to do my best whatever happens. Gotta face it someday anyway.

And guess what? I went through the oncall without any scolding at all. He listened to my presentations and we communicated well (I think). He even thought me how to do an ERPOC, which nobody wanted to do with him. All I had to do was to call him and ask his permission to perform the procedure and he said OK.

He did scold a few other of my colleagues (some quite severely) but somehow I went through well.

That colleague of mine who changed calls with me said a few days earlier that quite stuck to me, "If you do your work well, and did your best, you have nothing to fear and cannot be scolded. Even if you are, take it as a learning process."

Face it, we'll face people like this at anytime in our life. We just have to deal with them and there is no use in judging someone negatively as you will only react negatively which in the process make life more miserable, for you. I don't think the person gives a damn anyway.

It's easy for me to say this, but it's also a lesson for me.

It's not nice when people paint a negative perception of you. Try thinking positive and see things in a different light, and Insyallah things will improve and work will become less stressful.

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