A small story of empathy...

The last day of the week, just before ending my work in the hospital I dropped by at the special care nursery, the ward for babies who need hospitalization but not (or no longer) intensive care. There is a facility for mothers to room in with the babies, meaning there is a bed for the mom and a cot for the baby, so they can stay together. 

There was one mother and the medical officer in charge had told her, as had been planned before, that the baby would be discharged after the weekend. The mother asked to be discharged earlier. As the specialist in charge, I was able to convince her to stay until after the weekend. However as we walked away from the place where mothers are rooming in, a thought came to my mind so vividly: the thought about the time when I was warded myself and how much I had wanted to go home. I discussed for awhile with my medical officer and we both agreed that it would be reasonably safe to discharge the baby the next day, even though it was a weekend. We had just stopped one important medication and felt both that one more night of close observation would be enough. We agreed to assess the baby tomorrow and if OK, to let them go home.

We called the mom in our counseling room for the discharge counseling. Upon hearing that we would most likely allow discharge on the next day (pending a favorable assessment of the baby's condition) instead of after the weekend, the the mom was so happy that tears rolled over her cheeks. The whole session, in which we gave our usual advice on how to take care at home of a baby who had been very sick at birth, was so filled with happiness and smiles that it was such a big pleasure. 

 

The mom was super-happy. The medical officer and I were as happy as the mom. We had just considered for a while in an empathetic way, the feelings of the mom and had made a short reassessment of the baby's condition. It had allowed us to change our decision and this had generated so much happiness. What a wonderful way to start our weekend! 

 

I am so grateful that the thought of my own hospitalization came to mind at just the right time. I think that is conscience. My conscience, the conscience of the world, the conscience of the universe sending us thoughts, feelings, nudges. Many times we ignore these thoughts, but if we are brave enough to take them serious and are willing to act on them, it can have such a big positive effect on our life and also on that of others.