Former lecturer. now nursing assistant, delivers her truth on nursing
Mamokgadi Koneshe tells of her career, which spans 37 years in service to mothers and children.
At this point in her career, Mamokgadi Koneshe imagines she has helped with the delivery of about 5 000 babies, a feat this midwife makes sure not to take for granted. The nursing assistant at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital (RMMCH) tells of her journey, and what led her to be of service to people in this way.
Though Koneshe’s journey started 37 years ago, she has only been a nurse at the hospital for the past four years. Before coming to the hospital she studied to PhD level, and spent years lecturing, teaching midwifery.
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As a little girl, she had aspirations of becoming a doctor. However, her low physics mark put pay to that. So, she thought: ‘If I can’t be a doctor, the next best profession is being a nurse’. “It was still the same field. I felt comfortable that I could still pursue what I had intended.” She also found nursing and lecturing to be inter-related. As she sees it, nursing is an applied science. “When students are being taught, they only spend a quarter of their learning time in the college. The rest is in the practical area.” As part of this practical side, a nurse will encounter many harrowing experiences. Koneshe recounted how there have been instances where she thought that a patient, had they not come to the hospital, would not have made it. Nurses need to be prepared for these sorts of ordeals.
In the maternity ward, where they see many pregnant women rushed in about to give birth, Koneshe’s only intention is to make sure both and mother and child are safe. It’s the moment when the baby comes out of the womb screaming that eases her the most. “Midwives want a baby to come out screaming, because, if the baby comes out quiet, it is worrying. It is that crying that helps the baby breathe.”
Some of her best moments are, undoubtedly, when a healthy baby makes its way into the world. Koneshe said the birthing process is an emotional one, with some mothers crying as it is a deeply emotional experience, as now they are able to see what they have been carrying for all those nine months.
To the next generation of midwives, Koneshe hopes they learn patience, kindness, and compassion. “Even though times are evolving, in all spheres of our lives, they need to know why they wanted to be a nurse, and we will try to carry them through and motivate them.”
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