So, I remember my first day in labor ward, as a big eyed, very green and inexperienced intern. I was
overwhelmed with first and foremost the miracle of childbirth and all
the woman screaming away in labor pains and even more distracted by
those who were pacing up and down the corridors. As it so often happens,
the resident doctor on call was called off to theater and suddenly the
whole labor ward was left under me.
Now I
think skiving all those fourth year labor ward duties came to bite me
back and it bit hard! I had no idea what to do, where to do it and who
to do it to. All the midwives were on my case each wanting me to review
their patients (I think they smell a newbie, green eyed doctor from a kilometer away and I think they also derive pleasure from seeing the
poor hapless doctor sweat....seriously!) Sweat, I did. A whole lot!
All
I remember about that night was a lady who was about 28weeks having
preterm labor telling me that she had an urge to pass stool. I gladly
took her hand and led her to the washrooms! You can imagine my horror
when she squatted right inside the door and pushed out the tiniest
little baby I have ever seen....Thankfully not inside the toilet bowl,
she didn't quite get there. I also CLEARLY remember the midwives screaming at
me, some ridiculing me and others just laughed at this 'doctor'.
<DEVASTATION>. One particular midwife
saw the anguish, confusion, embarrassment (there are not enough verbs to
describe my feelings at that point) and decided to help me out. And
since then, most of what I know about obstetrics, I owe it to the
midwives I have worked with over the years.
As
an OBGYN, I have learnt that the midwife is the one most powerful
friend I could ever have. She knows when things are going on smoothly,
she can tell a fetal distress from a mile, she can see an impending
convulsion from behind the curtain, she can tell whether a mother will
manage to push that baby out, or we need to do an operation. A good
midwife will make a doctor have a smooth delivery or a complicated one,
she can sass out abnormal contractions caused by abruptio placenta from
the normal contractions of an overtly sensitized patient, she knows when
to intervene when things are not going on so well, she knows how to
talk to and encourage the woman in labor. She provides the
motherly,caring and reassuring touch when am busy trying to beat
traffic to get there on time, she will always offer a comforting word, a
shoulder when the unexpected happens. She will definitely warn me well
in advance when she thinks things are not right, ignoring a midwife at
this point is suicidal.
Today, I
salute all the midwives, who risk it all, who give their all, who brave
difficult situations, who work tirelessly, to bring forth the miracle of
birth. And to the Ugandan Midwife, up for the Nobel Prize, you deserve
it and so much more! SALUTE!
