A matter of life and death, in the delivery room, translated…
My childhood neighbor, Mei-Mei at the age of twenty, married because she was pregnant, had a male child as a firstborn, solidified her place in her husband’s household as the eldest daughter-in-law!
Because her husband’s family is extremely sexist, all the friends and relatives are all too excited, about this new addition to the family. On the day she was due, because of her contractions, Mei-Mei was pushed into the delivery room, with the blessings of her friends and families. After a few hours, the child’s cries had finally, soothed the friends’ and families’ worries!
The in-laws carried the grandson in their arms, couldn’t stop thanking Mei-Mei. Such, a heartwarming scene, and, all of a sudden, the scenes changed colors, the nurses were running to and fro, and the close families and friends were kept outside of the room, seeing how stressed out the gynecology doctors are all sweating like crazy, all of them looked tense and fatigued, the friends and the relatives knows not what was happening.
After this long and never-ending waiting, the primary doctor came out, told them, that because of the implanted embryo, causing the mother to bleed nonstop, after the doctors’ working hard, she’d still died. The newborn child, has lost the care and concerns, and protection of the mother. Turns out, there’s that thin line of tragedy and blessing in a moment’s time!
Still recalled how a month before Mei-Mei was due, she’d met up with us, good friends, she’d smiled so gently, such a beautiful picture; the next time I saw her, it was, the photograph, that was, hung, on her shrine!
Twenty years had flown by, that newborn infant from back then is now, a father. At this very moment, he is, keeping watch over his lovely pregnant wife, with the blessings from all around, hope that the regrets of Mei-Mei’s death will not happen to any pregnant women again.
And so, this, is exactly what had happened, in the delivery room, a new life was brought to this planet, while the mother slowly died, and that, is just one of many risks that we women will face, when we give birth.