I have been so fortunate with my health and that of my family, or indeed in the way it has been cared for. I am ex health care professional myself as I trained as an Occupational Therapist when I was at university. I loved the profession in many ways but the calling to teach was too strong and so I followed my heart but I had a magnificent time working in lots of fields during my training and qualified days including a HRBI unit (HIV related brain impairment), amputees and surgery (at the time the 7/7 bombing went off in London) and acute mental health.
From a personal perspective I have been so well cared for; during my hyperemesis that saw me admitted to hospital after losing 2 stone in 11 eleven weeks whilst pregnant with the twins. The removal of half my thyroid after a 8cm x 8cm lump decided to grow in it after my pregnancy with BBand the safe arrival of BBafter he went into distress in the delivery room, resulting in an emergency rush to theatre but thankfully forceps did the trick. Finally when Little Madam was readmitted at 4 days old as failure to thrive, as she would not feed. I cannot praise the care and the staff that looked after us all so well.
Having multiple toddlers is tough! I know I have to keep up with them everyday so I’ve always tried to make my health a top priority. It’s hard to find time to workout as a mom, but if you start the habits while you’re still pregnant, they will carry over into your schedule after your little one is born. You might be too tired in the 1st trimester, but you’ll want to start pregnant exercise program and make plans to transition into a best postpartum workout plan after you’ve recovered from delivering. A lot of people don’t realize that it doesn’t take much time to workout and stay healthy while pregnant with a 2nd trimester exercise routine. Besides, it gives you an excuse to go shopping for postpartum activewear clothes!
One month ago I told you about my friend and her brother who were in the most horrendous car accident on the M25. They are lucky to even be here. She was admitted to a London hospital and the care she and her brother have received has been phenomenal. In fact it angers her greatly to hear people moan about the service provided in this country. Staff that work long hours because they are so stretched. Staff that always put the patient first. Staff that suffer the abuse of ’us’ on a daily basis and do not deserve a word of it. Staff that carry on regardless because it is what they do and who they are.
Yes my experience of the health service whilst working for it and being a patient in it cannot be more highly commended in my eyes. All the things we take for granted like on call doctors and emergency services, vaccinations, clean water, medicines and pharmacy’s.
Then we look further afield. It is not the same. Children are dying everyday. Dying from diseases that are curable or preventable. Access to health care is difficult, long and costly.
There is a massive shortage of healthcare professionals in these countries. Mummymummymum went to the Save the Children blogging conference yesterday and she say in her post
‘Half of the children who die each year are in Africa, yet Africa has only 3% of the worlds doctors, nurses and midwives. Basic illnesses claim 8 million young lives a year. We CAN stop this. No child is born to die.’
So here is how you can help!
Sign this petition now to help end the health worker crisis.
Share on facebook and twitter and help spread the word. We can be a big loud voice shouting. We can be heard.
To help spread the word @helloitsgemma and @michelletwinmum want to get 100 bloggers linked up before tuesday.
- Sign the petition.
- Then the challenge set by @HelloItsGemma and @michelletwinmum is to write 100 words about a great health professional you have encountered in your life and link up to @michelletwinmum here. Add a link to the petition and either link or add in some information from Save the Children about the #Healthworkers campaign
- Link to a number of other bloggers/ vloggers and ask them to do the same.
- Tweet about this, facebook mention it, remark on google plus, talk to your Mum on the phone, whatever you can do to spread this to just a few more people, please do it.
So my 100 words are:
The hospital was silent. Where was everybody? The phone rang. Everyone was summoned to the wards. We were informed bombs had gone off across London on the tubes and some very poorly people needed to be admitted. We needed to make room and discharge those healthy enough to go home for the night. The wards sprang to action. Nurses, doctors, physio’s, OT’s, health care assistants, porters and cleaners all worked together. Nothing was too much. No job was not ‘their area’. It moved like clock work. No one stopped for a break. Everyone worked together. In a moment of crisis, it was tranquil. Surreal. Amazing.
