Episode Four
of Call the Midwife (see reviews of the other episodes below) was among the saddest yet, with a mother dying of eclampsia, not
knowing her headaches were a classic sign of the affliction. Eclampsia remains
one of the most confounding mysteries in childbirth. No one really knows why it
occurs or how to prevent it. But the only way to end it is through delivering
the baby before the mother’s life is threatened. Unfortunately in this case, the baby was
delivered and the mom still died. The midwife who first met the mother – but never
had a chance to care for her – sat by her bedside as the woman lay dying, a
reminder that historically, midwives ushered in new life and ushered it out as
well. They typically cared for the ill and dying – not just pregnant women. There are “midwives
of death” – hospice workers and others who help people pass peacefully at home. I
think we need more midwives at both ends of the spectrum of life.
