Examples of Reframing Patients' Narratives

Narrative 1: 

89735183, Charron, Eva 

D.O.B. 06/12/01 

10/15/21 11:00 AM Rm. 6

 

I know I shouldn’t be here. I haven’t gone to class in almost 2 months. I’m on the verge of failing out of my dream school. I haven’t visited my parents since I started showing. I’ve made excuses: I have meetings, I have homework, I am working all weekend, I have dinner plans. I have run out of excuses. All my friends think I shouldn’t have gone through with this. I’ve rationalized it in my mind though. What happened to me was terrifying. I was at a party with a lot of people I considered friends. He grabbed me when I was in no position to say “yes” or “no.” I wasn’t even in the position to say anything if I’m being honest. See, I was celebrating that night. I had just gotten a summer internship offer from Bloomberg; anyone in college knows that with a job acceptance comes a lot (and I mean A LOT) of alcohol. 

 

I don’t want to be here. Trust me, this is the last place I want to be. The birth was painful. The self-doubt and crippling fear was worse. I cried not because of the physical pain, but because I remembered how badly I did not want to be here and if it weren't for that night I wouldn't be here. During the entire birth, I was just replaying everything from that night. He took so much from me and too much damage had already been done. I thought if I could make a tangible, beautiful life from this mess, it would be worth it. My friends told me the baby would just remind me of him. It does. I hate it. I have a baby girl now. She has his eyes but she has my blood all over her. Part of me wants to embrace her and forget everything that happened like I said I would. I can’t look at her right now though. I can feel the nurses judging me through their blank, almost apologetic stares. I don’t know where I’ll take her. I’m too young to be a mother. I wish I was him, he doesn’t even know he is a father. 



 

Narrative 2: 

89735241, Taneja, Aanya

D.O.B. 01/11/1975

10/15/21 12:00 PM Rm. 5

 

My experience was very good. It was also a 100% natural delivery, without even an epidural. Since it was the first birth, I was unaware or maybe non-questioning for a lot of aspects, but never felt unsafe or not respected. My husband was also in the room which was a great support. The labor was approximately 5 hours, so it went by quick as well. The nurses and doctor were extremely attentive. I had a very empathetic and experienced team, of both the nurses and the gynecologist. The doctor that delivered my baby was the same doctor I saw continuously for the prenatal exams for the past 9 months, so he was aware of the whole medical history, my story.

 

I immigrated from India three years ago and my experience giving birth far exceeded all my expectations. Growing up in India with my financial status, it was difficult for me to even imagine this quality of care. In India, depending on your financial status, the experience could have been different. It could vary from a similar experience as in the US if you could afford the private hospitals with the right staff and infrastructure. If not, a public hospital may have been more emotionally taxing based on the stories I heard from friends. The hospitals there are like hotels that have ratings. The private, 5 star hospitals are costly and only available to those of high financial ranking. When my brother in law had a brain tumor, my entire family had to pool in all the money they could find just to get him to a semi-decent hospital. And that was for cancer, which is generally unexpected and costly. Birth, on the other hand, is very natural and common and should be provided equally to all the women in India. Birth and health are turned into a monetary game. The rich get the best care and the poor get the worst care. I learned not to question this, so it came as a shock to me that someone like me, a new immigrant, was receiving this level of empathy and care. Perhaps if another patient had my medical team, they would see it differently. For me, it was remarkable and I felt so cared for. I feel confident about raising my child, even as an Indian, in America.

 

This is my newborn - अमिशी (Amishi). This name is of Indian origin. My husband and I want our daughter to grow up with a strong Indian identity. Her name means “Pure.” Amishi has numerology 6. This means Amishi will be very good at keeping a nice balance between everything. She will be one of the most mature people because she will be extremely responsible for their things and they are also very protective of the people around her. The religion is hindu. Numerology 6 also says people named Amishi are people who believe that they can only move forward in their lives if they have sympathy in their hearts and that is how they believe in nurturing. They are known to be the most sympathetic and kind towards the people around them no matter if they know them personally or not.

 

This is a photo of me, my husband, my father-in-law, and Amishi immediately following the birth. My father-in-law (her dadu) gave her many blessings and was so happy to meet his granddaughter. 

 

This is me and Amishi at home a couple days after she was born. People tell me she looks like Surabhi (my sister)! Regardless, everyone is saying her looks have taken characteristics from my side of the family. You can really tell from her eyebrows and how close they are to the top of her eyes. This is very notable in my side of the family. She also has the same nose as her mama. Let’s hope she grows up to look like me and not her aunt!

 

This is my favourite picture from the day Amishi was born. The birth went very well and I even did the whole thing without an epidural!

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