Happy Mother's Day!

At the antenatal clinic last week, 

I was given the chance to operate the ultrasound device 

which detects the heartbeat of a fetus in the womb. 

Taking a while to find the heartbeat, it then took me a few seconds for me to realize how profound a situation I found myself in:

I was holding the device which allowed a would-be mother to hear her baby's heartbeat for the first time.

Cameo role that I played, I was nonetheless part of a precious moment she would probably remember for life.

There is something I've noticed about the nature of Obs & Gynae placement thus far:

it allows you to witness the wonder, the beauty of motherhood.

But it also shows you the blood and gore that comes along with it.

And as much as babies are the most adorable of creatures, 

one cannot help, on this placement, 

but to realize that a baby fits the definition of a parasite quite well:

"An organism which lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other’s expense."

(And by this definition a baby continues to be a parasite even after it leaves the host's body, 

draining the host and her spouse off their physical, emotional and mental vitality as he continues to grow. Sorry Ma 😶)

Anyways what I was trying to get at, Ma,

is that when I was holding the ultrasound device

I thought about you, and 

wondered about that moment when you first heard MY heartbeat;

the heartbeat of that parasite which until today 

has yet to grow up fully and still gives you headaches 😅

Too often we don't appreciate 

the most precious things in life until it's passed us by: 

whether it be a precious moment, like hearing the heartbeat of a baby for the first time,

or a precious person, like the lady who has always loved you unconditionally despite your parasitic nature.

This parasite has got nothing to give you this Mother's Day, Ma

except this message of gratitude 

and a video of an otter and her baby 😅

Love you much, mooch2, assalamualaikum 

(Credits to Norshahkang Shuaib who first showed me this video and thus showed me that sanity is apparently not a prerequisite for postgraduate study)