The Hand that Rocks the Cradle

 The Hand that Rocks the Cradle

I have been practicing Anaesthesia for quite some period.The department which I find most challenging is Obstetrics department because two lives matter....Mother and her baby. 

During pregnancy, the young mother to be...faces many changes in her body....shape,size,hormones,Neurological, Physical, Psychological  .The whole path of Pregnancy is surreal and overwhelming. 

In this blog,I am not delving into technicalities of Pregnancy and childbirth. What is the purpose behind this blog?

Recently,one of a reputed hospital was in social media for wrong news. 

A young girl who had a safe non complicated pregnancy, and a safe normal delivery ,experienced severe bleeding after few hours of delivery. The whole Obstetrics team of the hospital tried very hard to stop the bleeding and help the uterus to contract. But situation got out of hand.Things complicated a lot and the young patient succumbed to post pregnancy complications, medical term is Post Partum Haemorrhage/ DIC.((Disseminated intravascularcoaagulopathy).

The enraged relatives beat the Doctor and staff,vandalized the hospital. Called media,blocked the road ,kept the body on road in front of the hospital. 

The whole incident brought ill repute to Doctors and Hospitals.Also anger in Public and Medical fraternity both.

I am not here to defend or offend anyone.

I want general public to be aware of the intricacies ,complexities and complications of Obstetrics. 

During Pregnancy, the body of the Mother starts secreting Hormones and chemicals which help in well being of fetus and the mother and the entire progress of Pregnancy. 

At the same time,the Placenta and the Fetus too produce hormones and chemicals which will affect the pregnancy.

Labor: Once it is time for baby to get into the world,the Brain,body and uterus of the mother start releasing hormones which activate the muscles,bones,joints and organs( mainly uterus) to contract and expand.The Baby is simultaneously rotated and pushed in the uterus to descend into the bith canal and finally the mother pushes the Baby out.

The whole process called Labor is well synchronized by Body of Mother and Fetus..

Delivery: After delivery of Baby,the Placenta is expelled out and Uterus contracts to its normal size and bleeding stops.

All this is controlled by Hormones and chemicals produced by the body of the mother.

But sometimes, there is irregular production of Hormones which obstruct and complicate the whole process called Pregnancy, Labor and delivery. This could cause Variations in Bloid pressure,Sugars,Electrolytes in Mother.They may terminate pregnancy.Birth process may be affected.Post Delivery bleeding etc complications may arise.

Nature here plays upper hand above Science. 

The Screenings,Scans,Blood tests are done at regular intervals to detect any abnormalities in pregnancy, medical complications like High BP,Sugar abnormalities, Hormonal abnormalities, fetal complications  , Electrolyte imbalance which may alter the pregnancy or outcome of pregnancy, labor or create complications post delivery. 

Everybody wants the Mother and her baby to be comfortable. 

But Science,Technology and Medicine has its own limitations. 

We can detect abnormalities but can't predict outcomes.

The Medical team tries very hard to give best results but Natural calamities obstruct the path.

We can never predict how the body of the Mother will react to the Pregnancy, process of Labor,and safe post delivery 100%.

Something leads to uneventful complications which go beyond our control.No drugsor Modern Science can help  us  to avoid the problems. 

So my sincere request to all readers is trust the Obstetrics team,get regular checkups ,testsand,scans.The Mother to be should eat right.Exercise,Meditate.Be positive and Healthy. Everyone should understand this Physiology of Pregnancy. Avoid unnecessary apprehensions and Anxieties.

The Society should take good care of the Hand that Rocks the Cradle.

At the same time respect the Hands that care for the well being of that Hand.