Mommy, where art thou?
Last Wednesday, I was so ecstatic that I didn’t notice that we had a visitor in the nurse’s station. It was a newborn baby that said to be abandoned by her mom. My co-volunteers and I were discussing and ranting about the mother. How could she leave her baby? What a cold-hearted mother! While my co-volunteers were ranting, I butt in and just told them that we should thank the Lord because the mother kept the baby for 9 months and didn’t abort him.
After a few hours, the mother came back. All the nurses and doctors questioned her about what she did. I didn’t expect that the doctors could be so harsh. There was even this one doctor1 who told her this, “Hindi ka karapat-dapat na maging ina! Hindi mo na makukuha sa amin ang anak mo!” (You don’t deserve to be a mom! You won’t get your baby from us anymore!) Whoa! I know that what the mother did was totally wrong2 but for me, it isn’t just right to tell a mother that she wouldn’t be able to get her baby anymore. It’s not their possession, okay?
This incident isn’t unusual in public hospitals. I’ve heard that there were a lot of mothers who abandoned their newborn babies in the previous months and years. Why? Probably because of: a) lack of money, b) unwanted pregnancy and/or c) mental illness. You see, if these mothers aren’t ready for having a new baby then don’t make a baby! Don’t commit unprotected sexual intercourse or just abstain from doing the deed! That’s really an easy thing to do but really hard to follow because of raging hormones.
Despite the abandonment, I also see it as a blessing for a couple who can’t have a baby. I asked one of the nurses what would happen to the abandoned babies. She said that the DSWD3 will keep the baby and give it to the respective orphanages or to couples who are willing to adopt a child and give him/her the bright future. We should thank God for these wonderful people.
Having a baby takes a lot of responsibility. It isn’t just about feeding and bathing him/her. It’s also about giving him/her the love, care and support that he/she deserves. It’s about guiding and directing him/her to right path so that in the future, he/she will become a good parent as well.
Oh, about the mother? Well, she got her baby. Our assistant nurse supervisor told her to go home since the mother always abscond from the hospital – which is another story I will tell soon.
Picture taking with the baby :) Look how elated I was! Haha
- I don’t know if she’s a consultant or a resident doctor [↩]
- she reasoned out that she didn’t have anyone to get her food or anything that she need so she just left the baby to the patient beside her, who apparently didn’t inform the staff nurses about it, and did all the tasks by herself. [↩]
- Department of Social Welfare and Development [↩]
My name is Xyla, a 24-year-old Filipina unemployed registered nurse. I am a freelance writer for a nursing magazine of a review center. I aim to be a nurse leader in the future. With only 12 units left in my Master's Degree (Major in Medical-Surgical Nursing), I am ready to teach nursing students. During my past time, I kill Zombies, plant Cherry Bombs, Marigold and Melon Pult and make cheesy stuff for my boyfriend. I firmly justify that I am not too old for Glee-addiction. I hate prepositions. They make my life complicated.
I don’t get it, how can mothers let go of their babies just like that? But then again, who am I to judge them especially when I haven’t gone through whatever hardships they must be experiencing.
I’m just so glad to have a God-fearing mom who loves me, a single parent who did everything to raise me well! :)
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Awwww. Ang cute. :) Kaso, anu na ang mangyayari dun sa baby after? I mean, if the mother left him, are we certain that he shall be given the love that he needs from his mother? Hay. :dead:
Macy’s last blog post..Backtrack # 1: More of realizations than a book review
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yes, maybe she was just confused and needed time to think :) It’s better than having your baby abort..
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I really don’t think the doctors were in the position to talk to her like that. Sure, she did the wrong thing and sure, it’s a public hospital but yelling at that woman was unprofessional of them. They should have contacted a social worker right away to check in on the woman and her baby. If she managed to abandon her child once, who knows? She might do it again.
I can’t even think of why someone would want to abandon a child that they’ve carried for 9 months. Then again, I’ve never been in that position and who knows what else is wrong with their lives?
Felisa’s last blog post..Raising Sissies
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Based from your entries, I now understood what does it mean when they say that God is Just. :) When I say Just, it’s when there are others who doesn’t want a baby and there are others who are willing to take care of these babies.
Kisty’s last blog post..Who Won?
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Buti bumalik yung mother =)
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how harsh! but i think the mother deserved those accusations from the doctors however they should’ve asked first the reason why the mother left her child.but anyways, the fact that she left her child in the hospital, it can be considered as a crime. Good thing she came back.
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Whoa. What an experience! I think the mom had her reasons for leaving the baby. I mean, I know it’s not easy for her to do so, and the thought that she carried her baby for nine months inside her womb – I think it was a difficult decision for her. At least she came back to get her baby. :-)
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I hope that the baby’s mom will come up with a very good decision when it comes to her kid. The baby is so cute. I want to pinch his chubby cheeks. Hahaha
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true enough.. it’s a good thing she didn’t abort the baby.. and yes, the doctors didn’t have the right to say that. They should have thought about how the mother must have felt, they should have asked her side of the story before accusing her. But I’m glad she got her baby back. :)
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