A mother’s travail

The labour pains struck suddenly and so intensely that she sat down on the floor groaning and clutching her tummy. "Go get a car," she heaved, panic and pain etched on her face. At 8:30 pm we we were ushered into the maternity wing of the hospital, and as her details were being recorded,  we heard several women in labour wards screaming as the birth pangs hit mercilessly. Every scream gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation of women; what they go through carrying a baby for nine months, and the courage and resilience it takes to finally push that baby out into the world.

By the time our heroine was led into her own room to deliver her child, she was sweating, gritting her teeth, and her face was twisted with untold pain. Soon she was pushing and  screaming like other women. I remembered a friend of mine who had gone through so much pain while giving birth that she had vowed never to get pregnant again.

More screams pierced our ears.  My heart went out to all the women in labour but there was nothing I could do to ease their pain. We could not even be allowed in the labour room to whisper a word of encouragement to our woman, she had to face her pain alone like Jesus at Golgotha. 

Not knowing what else to do, her husband knelt on the hospital floor and prayed loudly and boldly, "Oh God of compassion; God whose breadth and width and length of love is incomparable, have mercy upon my wife and send one of your angels to wear gloves and be in the labour room with her so that she can deliver her baby quickly and painlessly!"

A nurse came out soon after and told my friend that his wife had delivered smoothly, a bouncing baby girl. We were overjoyed beyond measure but from that time my respect for women hit through the roof. You're truly the mothers of the nation, of the world, and deserve nothing but the very best. Happy belated Mothers Day.