'She' is your little angel

Paediatrics was my favorite subject in college and so was the department. We had one of the best teachers in the subject and it was a joy to watch her treat the kids. I used to love spending time with those differently abled kids and their parents, there were many things to learn from them.

Some of the kids had been coming for treatment for more than a year and everybody in the department knew them by name. I still remember some of them, how can I forget those cheerful faces so easily? Each day they would come with a big, bright smile on their face in spite of knowing that they would be subjected to a lot of pain during the exercise sessions. They wouldn’t bother. They would always come in smiling.

During our Paediatrics postings, we were required to go to the NICU and treat some of the newborns there, mostly for respiratory conditions. These babies would usually be preterm babies put on ventilator support till their tiny lungs were capable of functioning on their own. We’d have to give Chest Physiotherapy for these infants and it would be such a tough task ‘cos their chests would be so tiny and our hands would seem gargantuan before them. We’d have to treat them ever so carefully. I hated doing suctioning for them ‘cos I was really scared of causing even the slightest injury to their tender throats. Each baby was adorable. I used to love inserting my finger into their tiny palms which would instantly cause them to wrap their Lilliputian fingers around mine, showing just how vulnerable they are.

When I was posted there, there were twins born to an aged couple. The babies had developed complications during delivery and were admitted to the NICU. Their parents had been trying to conceive for 7 years since their marriage and had been blessed with the babies after a long wait. Both the babies were girls. They were in the ICU for almost a fortnight and the desperate father used to just stand outside the ICU all day long, waiting for some good news about his babies’ health every time a doctor walked out of the ICU. When he was let inside, he’d just stand by the cradle and look at them with admiration in his eyes and a smile on his face, afraid to touch them lest he cause them any kind of discomfort. I used to feel happy for those kiddos that they'd got such a loving father. They were eventually moved out of the ICU into the wards, where their mother had been waiting to take them into her arms, and the couple was exhilarated. That day they distributed sweets to the entire staff in the hospital. But their happiness didn’t last for long.

One of the babies developed a chest infection and was re-admitted to the NICU and later passed away after her little body failed to fight the infection. The other one too was too weak and quickly followed her sister. The mother was inconsolable. The father was shocked. He didn’t speak, but tears rolled down his eyes silently. He was too hurt that God had snatched away the tiny little angels that his wife and he had welcomed with so much of hope and love into the world. I don’t know how they are now.

I was reminded of them yesterday when I read of baby Afreen’s death. Why don’t people realize that there are many unfortunate homes that have not heard the cry or laughter of a baby? That there are many forlorn couples that are hoping against hope and praying desperately for God to show His grace on them and bless them with a bundle of joy? They don’t care for the gender, the color or the looks of the child. They just want a baby to call their own.

So, all you heartless parents of girl children, please know that your baby is gravely wanted elsewhere. She can be the hope for someone’s tomorrow, a smile on someone’s face and the answer to someone’s prayers. So, please think twice before you decide to dump, hurt or kill her. She has a right to live, please don’t deprive her of it.

If you feel she’s unworthy of being your child, then hand her over to a good adoption agency which will ensure that she is placed in the hands of parents who will give her the life that she deserves. This is the best way that you can get rid of her.

And one day, when she is grown up and knows the truth, she will thank you for letting her live and pray that you are safe and happy wherever you are. She might even come looking for you, just to check if you need her in your twilight years. Don’t feel guilty that day. Savor the moment and ask for her help if you please. She will go out of her way to make you happy and keep you comfortable. That’s a girl child for you, by the way, she loves you, no matter what!