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 doctor ((I don't know if she's a consultant or a resident doctor)) 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 wrong ((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.)) 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 DSWD ((Department of Social Welfare and Development)) 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