Motherly

I asked a cousin to tell us a story about his most depressing experience while on duty in the hospital. You see, this cousin of mine is a Medical Student and knowing how depressing it is sometimes to work in such environment, he sure got a couple of sad stories to tell.

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It happened when he was assigned in the delivery room of a government hospital. Unlike in most private and expensive hospitals in the country, the conditions in the public ones were mostly far from being adequate. There was this early forties lady who was currently having a labor. Compared to other soon-to-be mothers in the room, hers was a complicated one. She was the loudest and the most vocal patient to complain about the excruciating pain she is experiencing while giving birth. Her voice was so loud and irritating that the attending resident shouted at her since the resident thought that the woman was merely acting up because of her labor.

However, the woman continued screaming not only because of the pain but she was also having a difficulty breathing as well. To give birth at her advanced age entails a lot of complications, which the attending doctors would soon find out.

After several hours of continuous labor, the attending physicians decided to perform a Caesarian operation on the woman. The operation went well... however the infant began showing signs of fetal distress. Almost immediately, the infant's heartbeat began to slow down until it was no longer visible. The residents performed several resuscitation attempts which all failed. As soon as the infant was delivered, it was pronounced dead.

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The woman regained consciousness soon after while the physicians were closing the last remaining stitches on her tummy. Her first words were according to my cousin was, "nasan na ang baby ko?" while showing signs of severe weakness. "mommy, sorry po..." were the only words the residents could reply to her. The mother immediately knew what happened. It turns out that she's been waiting for the child after 22 years of attempting to have one.

Soon after, her vital signs plummeted. For no reason at all, it simply destabilized. Everyone in the delivery room began to panic. As others performed revival procedures to her, some were continously monitoring her response. The woman fortunately stabilized after and while recovering, my cousin decided to take a nap after a very toxic night in the delivery room.

He woke up 30 minutes after as the entire department was showing signs of emergency. The same woman who they revived earlier showed vital signs of near zero. Once again, the doctors performed revival procedures, which her body doesn't respond to. Since most of the physicians who were present were already showing signs of fatigue attending her, my cousin who just woke up was asked to continue performing the resuciation to revive her.

In his thoughts, he kept on remembering the resident who shouted at the woman he is reviving while she was having a labor several hours ago. As he pictured in his mind how the woman waited nine months and 22 years only to loose the child at the very last moment made him realize that it wasn't the complication alone that lead to the sudden failure of the woman's vital signs - it was the lack of reason to live that made her shut down all her body functions and surrender herself to her weakening condition.

What made him sad was the fact that perhaps the woman might have arrived in the hospital all excited for the moment she would see her child. Perhaps she even made a great deal of preparation in welcoming her child in this world.

After so many attempts in reviving her, the authorities declared the woman dead. It turns out that the reason why she was screaming and complaining that she can't breathe before was because of a rare and very fatal obstetric complication. Apparently, her amniotic sac burst and the fluids went to her bloodstream that blocked the blood going to her lungs.

Although my cousin had not directly attended the patient while she was still having a labor, it was his first true experience of loosing a patient while on duty. What made him feel guilty was he joined the group of residents who "told" the woman to calm down, in a very unheartwarming way. His mother, who is a surgeon said after that the complications of the woman who was supposed to give birth has no cure or prevention. It happens at random, very rare and always fatal.

She further added that in Tagalog, there is this saying that says "kapag nanganganak ang isang babae, ang isang paa nito ay laging nasa hukay." The story which my cousin experienced was a perfect, face to face example of that saying.

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As I reflected on it while on my way home after our reunion this evening, I cannot help but ask myself why some kids got the nerve to treat their mothers in a very negative light. I wonder, after hearing what my cousin experienced while on duty in the delivery room, could they ever treat their mother in the same way again?

Honestly, mine has changed forever. Good thing, I've been quite a good kid ever since.