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My wife and I are first-time parents of our beloved daughter meg. Knowing that she'd be born April, we took about 6 months earlier to discuss how we can raise up the would-be payment for Hospital Bills, Doctor's professional fees, not to mention our baby's personal needs (diapers, milk, clothes, crib, etc.).
Our doctor estimated the costs to be at least 40,000 for normal delivery and at least 80,000 for caesarian.
It just occured to me that really, marriage and child-bearing is no laughing matter and entails a lot of responsibilities. Financially, as one aspect. That's why entering into such kind of responsibilities require that you are financially able to raise up your own funds, and not depend on your parents' aid.
There is, an alternative, though, however, this method may not be very popular in the current times.
When I was a child, my aunt, who was a rural health midwife in Licab (later on she became Midwife Supervisor in Nueva Ecija), was the go-to-gal whenever there is someone who is about to give birth. People will call her in the wee hours of the night to fetch her and proceed to where the woman is staying.
One time when I was about five years old, she brought us together with my two older brothers in one of her assignments- a woman is about to give birth and she happened to be the owner of one of those sari-sari stores nearby our house.
The operation was successful, and after the usual proceedings, the head of the household presented us with a merienda. Slices of pan americano (tasty bread) lay in front of us, together with an opened can of "Reno Liver Spread". Must I not say that it was the first time I tasted the thing. We, brothers, must have enjoyed it because we finished off with the slices, prompting our host to say,
"Gusto niyo pa?"
To which we all answered with continuous nod.
And so they laid out another set of bread and opened another can.
Back then, midwives, or kumadronas, were a popular town figure in keeping babies safe out into the world. Villagefolks need not pay much for hospital bills or professional fees, and are not obliged to give anything, hence, they just resort to giving the midwife with a little of their harvests as a way of gratitude.
Gone may be those days, however, people still remember and are eternally indebted to others who help them and anwer their call even in the wee hours of the night.
(First posted in Siyetehan) -------------------- Over the years, many families from different parts of the country have migrated and settled in Licab. Some, like us, seldom come home because we are assigned to work in Manila, and many others, abroad. That is why though ours is actually a small community, we are not quite acquainted with the people around us. This tends to let us ignore other people and let them live on their own. However, somewhere, somehow, time will come when we are going to need other people, and time will come when other people will need our help. That is why it is important that we keep this virtue of modern-day Bayanihan alive in our community. There are a lot to do- for ourselves, our families, and our community. And it makes things easier when you know that there are other people who are willing and able to help us achieve it.
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