“Early Labour”
The miracle in “Stage one: Early Labour” is extraordinary; hence, Ruth would never disregard it: “When I tell people this story, they assume the miracle I am referring to during that long-ago blizzard was the birth of a baby. True, that was astonishing. But that day I witnessed a greater wonder. As Christina held my hand and Ms. Mina held Mama’s, there was a moment— one heartbeat, one breath—where all the differences in schooling and money and skin color evaporated like mirages in a desert. Where everyone was equal, and it was just one woman, helping another. That miracle, I’ve spent thirty-nine years waiting to see again.”
The holding of hands is an extraordinary manifestation in view of the proliferating disparity that is pervasive in the household. Louis nativity validates that they are all identical humans who ought to back each other for his birth to be efficacious. Ruth manages to experience the utility of equality as a result of the vanishing of the dissimilarities that would have stalled them from leaning on each other during the dire moment. Had Ms. Mina disregarded Ruth’s mother’s assistance, on the basis of her skin color and class, Louis may not have been delivered efficaciously. The miracle bids valuable suggestions for feminism because it validates that women can prosper in their feminist accomplishments once they transcend the racial and class divergences that quarantine them arbitrarily. The fact that Ruth has never witnessed such a ‘miracle’ again emphasizes the omnipresence of inequity which would not sanction equality to blossom.
“Active Labor”
Ruth’s emotional forte in the case of parents whose child is born incapacitated is amazing. Although the father rebuffs the baby Ruth takes the high road when she tells him, “he is not going to be on this earth for very long. Which means you’d better give him all the love you had stored up for his lifetime right now.” Ruth’s encounter echoes the emotional quandaries that are integral in the nursing vocation. Dilemmas ascribed to grief and disability are difficult to counter, but with emotional vigor they can be delimited. Had Ruth permitted the man not to confront the reality of his son, he would have agonized in the long-term and probably be depressed. Psychoanalytically, the fathers’ endeavors not to face his disabled son is an approach of Avoidance which would delude him that he is not the father of a disabled kid. However, the Avoidance would bid him a temporal liberation for his unconscious would not demolish the reality. Ruth’s resolution emphasizes that nurses should be equipped with satisfactory training to deal with psychological matters, especially those related to disability.
Additionally, Ruth is subjected to superfluous, heart-breaking racism in the course of her nursing profession: Turk demands, “That nurse… “I don’t want her touching my son again…“I don’t want her or anyone who looks like her touching my son.” Ruth is stunned and wounded by the demand: “ For a moment, I honestly don’t understand. And then it hits me with the force of a blow: they don’t have a problem with what I’ve done. Just with who I am.” Perceptibly, Turk is a prejudiced individual who judges Ruth’s expertise using her skin instead of her credentials which certify her as the most competent nurse at the facility. Had Ruth engaged in any unprofessional exploit, Turk would have been vindicated to prohibit her from handing his baby. Turk’s assertions surmise that his resolution is based on the Ruth’s skin tone which he regards to be a peril to his child’s endurance. If Ruth’s skin were white, Turk would not been uncomfortable with her handling the baby. Ruth’s incident discloses the racism that is prevalent even in the healthcare setting; such racism would dishearten African-American healthcare workers from impressively undertaking their accountabilities which would compromise the healthiness of the patients.
