Classification essay

There are people who think that the nurses on the maternity ward at EMMC have it so easy -- they get to hold babies all day long! I'm sure that they wish that this were true, but their job is to take care of the postpartum patient and her child. Usually, this is a happy job, but not always. Sometimes, there are high risk moms, desperate to carry a baby to term, who receive a memory box instead of a newborn baby. Thankfully, there is a much higher percentage of ordinary moms who get pregnant, come in, deliver a healthy baby, and go home. The last type, with a startling increase in numbers, is the woman addicted to drugs, who gives birth to a drug addicted baby that has to detox in a special unit. These three types of women make up the majority of the patient population on our floor.

The first type of mother I've seen on Grant 7 is the desperate mom. She would do absolutely anything to ensure the well being of her unborn child. Some of these pregnant women are on strict bed rest - they can't even get out of bed to go to the bathroom. They lay in bed in the Trendelenburg position, which means that their head is slanted lower than the rest of their body, in the hope that their unborn child will slide back farther into the uterus. With these babies every week left inside their mother greatly increases their chance of survival. Some women are on bed rest for months. Despite all efforts, sometimes these desperate women go through it all and still end up losing their baby. There aren't many things more heartbreaking than a postpartum woman holding a deceased newborn all day long. These women are given a memory box. It contains an outfit the baby was dressed in, footprints, handprints, usually a picture of the baby, the blanket the baby was wrapped in, and a lock of hair if possible.

The second type of mother is the ordinary, everyday mom. They have had a normal pregnancy and come to the hospital with their husbands. Older siblings excitedly come to see the new baby. This is, of course, a very happy time for these families. Most take it for granted that they will have a normal pregnancy and delivery of a healthy baby. They usually have no idea of the ordeal of the desperate moms. We smile as big brother or sister, usually a small child, toddles by with a little munchkin voice.

The last type of mom is trash. These women abuse drugs and alcohol throughout their pregnancy. They don't care that this can cause irreversible damage to their innocent, unborn child. These poor babies have to detox for a week or two before leaving the hospital. If they're lucky, they don't go home with Mom. One woman came in by ambulance. She was covered in crystal meth sores. Apparently, she was too stoned to know that she was in labor, and had given birth in a friend's bathroom. Her baby was absolutely beautiful. The day she came in, still under the influence of drugs, a desperate mom's baby lost its fight for life in our neonatal ICU. Another woman at least made it to the labor room to have her baby. However, being stoned, she wore her sunglasses the entire time and sat on the toilet, fully clothed, until her nurse said that she didn't deliver babies in underwear or on the toilet. Shortly after the baby's birth, this woman couldn't wait to get off of our floor. She wanted to go "to the cafeteria". When she came to the desk to tell me that she was going off the floor I had to hide my revulsion. She had sores on her face, many missing or rotted teeth, and she wouldn't look me in the eye because she was still high.

All women, rich or poor, married or not, naturalist or drug addict have the right to the same quality of health care. The nurses on Grant 7 should be commended for putting their feelings aside and delivering excellent care to all mothers. I'm not sure if I could be so non-judgemental. Despite the circumstances surrounding some pregnancies and deliveries, all newborns are innocent little miracles and are cherished while on Grant 7. Hopefully, when they arrive home, they are cherished there as well.