The impact of watching childbirth

It was my first day in the hospital; a bunch of us comprising of seven was posted in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. At the most, we were expecting to see pregnant women all around and a lot of tiny babies crying everywhere. But what followed was nothing short of a shock that had quite an impact on me.

We went to the senior resident to ask her directions to the main ward, but she just said, “Follow me” and took us to the labour room. We were given masks and other equipment and finally taken in, only to be greeted by a lady who was screaming. The doctors were urging her to push as much as she could; and from the look on her face, it was obvious that she was in excruciating pain. We had never seen anyone like that and if just the sight of it was so shuddering, one can only imagine what it must have been like to actually be in that position.

Finally, we could see the baby’s head slowly emerging. It was unbelievably tiny; however, what was more astonishing is how that could fit through the much tinier birth canal! Then we witnessed the baby’s neck, hands and legs come out, one by one. For a couple of seconds, the whole room fell silent. I’m sure the doctors would have seen countless such deliveries but the look of sheer awe on their face on welcoming a new human being in this world was unmistakable!

Then the silence finally broke with the baby’s loud, shrill cry. And what a sound that was! The next year or two would probably go all towards getting the baby to stop crying but right after birth, a baby crying is the most reassuring sound you would ever hear – it would mean that the baby is breathing normally and all is well. The baby was then handed over to the mother. Even though she was obviously in a lot of pain, it looked like she was in the happiest moment of her life.

At the end of it, we were bewildered.  The whole process was over before we could even fathom what was happening. Every step of it was so precarious and hanging on the edge – what would happen if the cord got twisted? What if the baby’s head just couldn’t come out? What if the mother had lost too much blood?

Everything about our lives, right from our birth happens only because so many things fall together in place. Who knows if we are going to be alive even the next moment? We don’t pay much about the little things but the fact is – every second of our lives right from our birth is indeed a miracle. And that’s what made an impact on me.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.