The joy of motherhood!

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Recently, Angelina Jolie underwent breast surgery called double mastectomy, in which surgeons remove the tissues of breast and insert fillers to keep the elasticity, to protect herself from breast cancer.

Angelina Jolie's mother had breast cancer and she died of ovarian cancer. Angelina Jolie carries the BRCA1 gene that puts her at high risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. She says, she doesn't want her children to live without their mother like she did. It’s the modern healthcare techniques that helped her to retain the joy of motherhood without any anxiety.

Becoming a mother is a very common phenomenon of the world. But ask those women who are deprived of this pleasure! Or those who struggle to attain this most prized designation. Recently, I met two new moms. I was surprised to see them, pleasantly though. Sarita was about fifty and Kalawati, fifty plus!

In 19 years of married life, Sarita tried hard to conceive but couldn't taste the sweetness of motherhood. Kalawati’s story is more tragic. She was a proud mother of two children but she never imagined in her wildest dream that her fate could be so cruel. She lost both her children.

In both cases yearning for a child is quite obvious and justified. But modern medical era did not let them keep hankering.  Finally, both opted for IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). Through this technique, both Sarita and Kalawati are proud mothers of a girl and a boy child respectively. 

Unfortunately, both gave birth to premature babies. I'm startled to see the number of cases of premature delivery these days. A decade before survival of premature babies was a threat and tough challenge (It’s still a challenge in small towns.) but now days medical science has reached a level where you will be pleased to see premature babies survive and thrive.  Mothers at high risk of premature delivery are administered a course of steroids to prevent any respiratory problems in babies as they have underdeveloped lungs at that stage.

It’s so charming and delightful to see your child grow up like normal baby. What if a woman gives birth to a child who is differently able? Physically and mentally retarded, to be precise. Shyamli is a mother of nine year old boy. But she did not have the pleasure to see her son grow up like a normal child. He suffers from cerebral palsy and is unable to do anything.

Shyamli was very apprehensive about having another child. She was scared actually. Finally, after consulting many doctors and to fulfill her emotional satisfaction, Shyamli conceived after nine years. She and her husband were worried about the health of this upcoming child. Then the doctor suggested trimester screening to identify/detect the risk of any disorder in the child at the early stage. Thankfully, everything was normal. After the delivery, doctors said that everything is fine with the baby. Now Shyamli and her husband are enjoying the normal activities of their three months old baby.  A sliver of anxiety still resides in their hearts but they are hoping for the best.

Joy of motherhood is precious and it adds bliss and serenity to life. In my opinion, modern medical techniques have helped many want-to-be mothers attain and retain this greatest joy of life!

My entry for How does modern healthcare touch lives? contest (By Indiblogger) in association with Apollo Hospitals.