by Neda Kadivar

The hardest job in healthcare is being the patient. Having to manage your health both on and off the clock means your “sick days” easily become your everyday. This is a truth I have realized as an underdiagnosed patient and pre-medical student, but especially as a volunteer at AdventHealth’s Perinatal High Risk Unit (PHRU). Each shift, I was met with resilient mothers but during my final shift as a volunteer, I met one particular patient who stood out amongst them all.

My first true exposure to the medical field was as a fresh-faced volunteer in PHRU. Perhaps I wanted the thrill of working in a hospital or simply not being the patient for once, but that day reminded me why — or for whom — I chose to be in medicine. The shift began with one of the newest mothers in PHRU hauling a massive balloon arch into the desolate arts-and-crafts space I had taken residence in. Flanked by her husband, sister, and mother-in-law, she began strategizing how the small space could be decorated into her dream Nemo-themed baby shower — one she never expected would be hosted in a hospital of all places. Many mothers only ever expect to enter Labor and Delivery, but those I served were oftentimes faced with unimaginable losses from previous pregnancy complications, the harrowing uncertainty of carrying multiple children, or a myriad of other high-risk concerns that warranted their admission into PHRU. This mother was no exception, and while I will never truly know the extent of her circumstances, I will also never forget the way her face lit up when I joined her family in arranging the space for her baby shower. We started by pinning up the arch and blowing up countless ocean-themed balloons, then navigated our way to setting up the baby-themed activities and cake. I even snuck out to scour the supply closet for a blue “Mom-to-Be” sash and extra party favors, which I surprised her with at the very end of our setup. We finished in time for the rest of her family to arrive and celebrate the upcoming arrival of her beautiful baby boy. In creating a magical experience for her in the otherwise grimmest situation of her pregnancy, I was reminded of why I chose medicine: to be an integral part of peoples’ lives, especially in those moments where they are confronted with the vulnerability and unpredictability of life.

In helping this mother, I knew that my impact could become tenfold with the right team. Fortunately, I was surrounded by seven fellow pre-medical students with a shared interest in supporting the mothers and children in our community. Each of us had a particular experience that opened our eyes to the maternal health crisis and motivated us to better support mothers and their children, ranging from volunteer opportunities like mine, to family experiences and maternal research. One text message later, we met at the John C. Hitt Library and MACH, the Mothers and Children’s Health Association, was born.

Our first order of business was figuring out exactly how we were going to go about tackling the maternal health crisis, arguably one of the most dire situations in healthcare. We started small with the smallest patients we could think of: babies! For every thousand infants born, one will pass from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) before their first birthday. America is amongst the countries with the highest rate of SIDS, the consequences of which are devastating for families. Thus began our partnership with Cribs4Kids to become certified Safe Sleep Ambassadors and spark substantial change for countless families. Our mission is to host Safe Sleep Workshops for new and expectant mothers at hospitals like AdventHealth and low-income clinics like Grace Medical Home. Offered in both English and Spanish, we have since reached countless mothers, educating them on the “12 Steps of Safe Sleep.” The first step is to have babies sleep on their back to prevent the risk of suffocation. This one change has saved 3,000 babies annually since the “Back to Sleep” campaign in 1994 and continues to do so through our efforts with local hospitals and clinics.

Our team has since expanded to incorporate other student advocates and is now registered as the Mothers and Children Health Association (MACH) at UCF. The diversity of our efforts has also grown exponentially — volunteering with the Mother’s Milk Bank of Florida, hosting “Parent’s Night Out” with Base Camp, facilitating advocacy workshops across Seminole County Public Schools, and far more. One of my personal favorite events was bringing Dr. Hill, the Medical Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at AdventHealth, on campus to perform a hands-on labor and delivery simulation. I vividly recall the fear in my eyes when he asked me to apply suprapubic pressure and deliver the life-like baby model under shoulder dystocia conditions. Nevertheless, when the medical director of AdventHealth tells you to deliver that baby, you deliver that baby. I put on my gloves and reset the model, bearing a significant chunk of my body weight above the model’s pubic bone until I felt the baby quite literally slip out and nearly onto the floor. Had Radhika Venkatesan, our founding President, not been my delivering partner to prevent this, I fear Dr. Hill would have considered me a lost cause in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. In the end, he couldn’t have been more supportive in explaining childbirth anatomy and physiology as well as answering our 3-hour impromptu Q&A at the end. Topics ranged from the infamous “husband stitch” to how he is diversifying the physician workforce to improve physician-patient relationships and maternal health outcomes by extension. Many of our members left that night with a newfound purpose in becoming medical professionals and delivering the level of exemplary care Dr. Hill demonstrated.

Having AdventHealth come to our campus and present on the maternal health crisis felt like a full-circle moment. I would be remiss if I glossed over the first Safe Sleep Workshop we hosted at AdventHealth’s Hospital for Children two years ago — before we incorporated pizza and discovered they had an emotional support pony! It may be difficult to imagine a campus more convoluted than UCF’s, but for our first workshop at Advent Health, we spent 30 minutes trying to find parking before scrambling to get visitor passes and entering the Disney-sponsored and subsequently decorated hospital. As we exited the elaborately carved Lion King elevator floor, we finally met our coordinator who had worked alongside us for months to make our workshop possible. He led us to the hospital’s “cinema” space where a handful of families were waiting for our presentation and showcased us as a testament to AdventHealth’s gold-level status with Cribs4Kids. This unique opportunity allowed me to speak directly with expecting mothers and fathers on the importance of safe sleep in preventing SIDS. One first-time mother had brought her newborn baby and trusted me enough to ask questions one-on-one about her own safe sleep practices. Our conversation took me back to my last shift at the PHRU the year prior. The mother I met during that shift likely had the same questions for her own baby boy, and being in a position to now provide information and care for someone else was an experience I will never take for granted.

What began as my very own labor of love has morphed into an entire organization centered on improving the health of historically underserved women and children, tackling the maternal health crisis head-on through purposeful student advocacy. It is truly this type of work that keeps “healthcare” one word rather than two separate entities — reminding us of the impact behind intention. It has been a true honor to see how our members have revolutionized their medical advocacy with us. Whether or not medicine is your calling, the truth is that there is something each of us can do to confront the maternal health crisis. MACH is my gift to you in not only acknowledging it, but starting your journey to do something about it.

For more information, visit the MACH website or their other links.