24 Hours of Mine

A knock on the door made me spontaneously stand up, my eyes wide open. While getting out of bed, rubbing my eyes, I focused on my watch that showed 01:20 a.m. While dragging my sandals and putting on my jacket, I quickly closed the door and ran towards the back door of the health care center, which is in the same complex as my official residence.

A patient had given birth, but the placenta had not been fully delivered for more than 2 hours, and the bleeding wouldn’t stop, while the patient’s consciousness began to decrease. I performed a manual placenta procedure with what restricted equipment was available, even long gloves were not available here. You know, this is the countryside…

Before I was done with the postpartum patient, a single traffic accident patient arrived. The drunk motorcyclist hit a bridge barrier and fell into a small river, also with a decrease in consciousness due to massive bleeding from the abdomen. It was said that it took a long time to evacuate him from the scene because the motorcycle was on top of the rider in the narrow river and there was no adequate lighting at the scene where there were no streetlights.

The inpatient health care center where I serve covers 11 districts as its work area because there are no doctors in the neighbouring districts. And there are only 2 doctors, 3 nurses, and 6 midwives working here.

The sun had shone through the gaps of Mount Gergaji, driving away the fog from view, but it still didn’t feel warm enough to my body, which was already shivering. The last patient was safe and was sleeping soundly, while the post-delivery patient also got a little better and her consciousness was stable.

The smell of hot chocolate from the kitchen awakened the other two nurse who were also on call that night. We sat together while drinking hot chocolate and eating fried sweet potatoes. This was our daily morning meal, and we ate it with great pleasure because our stomachs were protesting after not eating from last night until this morning.

After the patients were stable, I went back to the house to get some rest, but when I opened the door, a tiny voice from the room asked, “Mom, have you come home? I miss you, Mom…” My heart was so full I was almost in tears. I came back to the house and saw my younger child sound asleep, but my eldest’s eyes were wide open, looking at me. “Yes, dear… Mom is back, let’s go back to sleep. You’ve been waiting for Mom for a long time, right?” He smiled and hugged me tightly.

In my tired arms, my two children cuddled up until they fell asleep again. I looked at the wall clock, it was 06:00. Time was passing so fast. After they fell asleep, I took a shower and prepared breakfast and lunch for the children and my husband, who was also busy with his own work. I put the laundry in the washing machine, then go to the kitchen to start cooking the whole day’s menu. 

At 08:30 a.m., I packed provisions for my husband who was about to go to work. I prepared his clothes and morning hot chocolate for him. When he left for work, I went back to the bedroom to wake up my children and prepare them breakfast and go to school. My husband works in a different place, so we rarely meet, maybe only 3-4 days in a month. So, I must be a mother and a father at the same time to my two children who are still little.

My day as a mother and medical professional has just begun. After getting the children ready for their respective activities, I returned to the health care center to do my work. All the work had been prepared by the nurses and midwives. After being checked and signed, I went to my office to check the various administrative documents that needed my signature.

When I finished all my work and returned home, the house was already quiet and clean. My husband had just arrived. He cooked dinner and prepared hot water for me to shower. I felt so touched. I always prayed that my husband would always be blessed and have a good heart. After dinner, we gathered with the children, listened to their stories, and laughed together until we fell asleep.

Playing the role of a wife, mother, and medical professional in the remote countryside is not easy for me. This body is sometimes tired, my mental state is often stressed, but my heart is always grateful for all the blessings He has given me.

Boredom often strikes, fatigue often makes me want to give up, but seeing so many patients without any other help makes me grateful that I am still given this job.

Tiredness is undeniable, but seeing the children’s enthusiasm to learn and find out about various things makes me not want to refuse to answer their millions of questions.

The endless exhaustion does not make me tired of supporting my husband in his work, which I always bring to prayer.

Lassitude often eats away at me, but being pampered in my husband’s arms is my most potent medicine. It feels so calming in the midst of the storms of life that keep coming every day.

Which of His blessings shall I deny? I have a job that helps many people who seek healing, I have a warm home that is filled with those I love and who love me, I have enough food on the table every day, I have children who are growing up healthy and smart, and I have an understanding husband, who always supports me in every season of our life. Praise be to the Lord of the universe, who has bestowed all this upon me. My tiredness is nothing compared to the blessings I feel every day. Thanks God!!!

Kreator : Vidya D’CharV