Learning To Care For My Newborn Was A Humbling Experience-学会照顾新生儿是一段震撼人心的经历。
Leana Wen
Maria Fabrizio for NPR
Wen is an emergency physician and the health commissioner of Baltimore City.
文是巴尔的摩市的急诊医师和卫生员
Two months ago, my husband and I welcomed our baby son, Eli, into the world. Hearing his first cry and getting to hold him were the happiest moments of our lives. When he was placed on my chest and I could see and touch him, I felt like I knew him already. The doctors told us he was healthy and well. I couldn't wait to start our lives together as a family.
两个月前，我的丈夫和我迎来了我的儿子Eli来到这个世界。抱着他并听着他的第一声啼哭是我毕生以来最最幸福的时刻。当他靠在我的胸口，我看着他，抚摸他，感觉我们曾经认识对方。医生告诉我他很好，很健康。我已经迫不及待的想开始我们家庭生活了。
The night we arrived home, Eli wouldn't stop crying. Crying is normal in newborns, my husband and Iassuredeach other. We held him and rocked him. Over the next 48 hours, we took shifts, staying up with Eli to try to soothe him through the near-nonstop crying. We called our friends for advice on how to deal with what we now labeled a "difficult baby."
晚上回到家中，Eli不停在哭泣。啼哭对新生儿来说，是非常正常的，我和我丈夫都很确认这一点。我们抱着他，不断摇晃着他。在接下来的48小时中，我们陪着Eli，试图安抚他，但是他依然不停的啼哭。我们打电话给朋友询问建议如果搞定这个不听话的小家伙。
Things wentdownhill quickly. Ourpediatricianconfirmed that he wasnoticeably jaundiced. In just three days, he had lost 15 percent of his body weight. Though I was feeding him every two hours, it turned out that Eli never had a good latch on my breasts, and I wasn't producing enough milk. We were told that he might need to be readmitted to the hospital.
事情急转直下，我们的儿科医生确认他的黄疸偏高。在接下来的3天中，他的体重下降了15%。我每2个小时喂一遍奶。Eli的胃口很好，但的奶水并不能满足他。医院告诉我们他需要在此住院。
I was overcome with shame and guilt. What kind of mother am I who was barely keeping my own baby alive? What is wrong with my body that something so natural didn't happen? How could I, as a physician, not recognize that my baby was actually starving — and instead, blame him for expressing hunger in the only way he was able to?
我克服了羞愧和内疚，我是什么样的母亲，勉强的维持着孩子的生命？我的身体出了什么毛病，这么自然的事情都没有发生？我怎么能，作为一名医生，不知道我的孩子真的饿了，反而责怪他只用一种方式来表达饥饿。
As Eli began to catch up on feeds,I tried to gain perspective. Becoming a mother brings many new challenges. No matter how much I may know about thescientific benefits of breast-feeding, I needed help. My hospital has a wonderful lactationconsultantand I have a terrific pediatrician; together, they helped us to get back on track. As I learned, I was hardly alone;92 percent of womenhave trouble with breast-feeding initially. This was one of many humbling realizations that caring for a newborn requires many skills that I had yet to learn.
当Eli营养充足了后，我换了一个角度。成为一名母亲需要迎接一系列挑战。不论我对母乳喂养的科学益处了解多少，我需要帮助。我的医院有一个很棒的哺乳顾问，我有一个很棒的儿科医生，一起帮助我们回到正轨。据我所知，我并不孤单，92%的妇女开始母乳喂养有困难。这只是众多照顾新生儿要求中的一个，我还学到了很多其他技巧。
My experience has made me even more dedicated to public health programs to support women and ensure a healthy start for their babies. I'mhealth commissioner for the city of Baltimore, and responsible for overseeing programs like theB'More for Healthy Babies (BHB) initiative, which provides home visits by nurses, social workers and community health aides. They teach parents theABCs of safe sleep(Alone, on the Back, in a Crib) and help with breast-feeding, resources to quit smoking, and other services like assistance with housing.
我的经历使我决定更加致力于公共卫生项目，来帮助女性，确保新生儿的健康。我是巴尔的摩市卫生专员，负责监督BHB倡议，由护士、社工和社区卫生服务人员的家访来帮助他们。他们教父母如何让婴儿安全睡眠，和帮助母乳喂养，告诫戒烟，和其他一些服务例如协助寻找住房。
I'm Pregnant. What Would Happen If I Couldn't Afford Health Care?
我怀孕了。如果我付不起健康保险会发生怎么样？
Since BHB started in 2009, the city has cutinfant mortalitybynearly 40 percentand reduced thedisparitybetween African-American and white mortality by half.BHB's engagementwith every Baltimore hospital and dozens of community groups and churches has resulted in a 70 percent reduction in sleep-related infant deaths in just seven years.
自从2009年BHB实施以来，新生儿死亡率下降了40%，黑人和白人之间的死亡率差距也下降了一半。在短短7前中，巴尔的摩的每一个医院、社团、教堂都在遵守BHB的协定，降低了因睡眠相关的新生儿的死亡率70%。
The program also works to improve on women's health before and during pregnancy. Studies show that women who do not receiveprenatal careare five times more likely to have babies who die than women who do. I wasfortunatethat I received excellent care from a terrific obstetrician at Mercy Hospital. I was also fortunate that I havegood health insurance. Whencomplicationsoccurred that necessitated additional ultrasoundsand blood tests, I didn't hesitate to do what was best for my baby. Not all women are that lucky. We must do everything we can to safeguard programs likeMedicaidso that women who face economic and social challenges have the opportunity to raise healthy children.
这个项目也同时在提高怀孕期间的女性健康。研究表明，未接受产前保健的女性，新生儿的死亡数量是接受产期保健女性新生儿的5倍。我非常幸运的得到了仁慈医院一个了不起的妇产科医生很好的照顾，同样幸运的是我也有很好的健康保险。当需要超声波检查和血液检查是，我毫不犹豫的决定去做，因为这对我的孩子是最好的，并不是所有的女性都能这么幸运。我们必须尽一切可能来保障像医疗补助这样的项目，使那些面临经济和社会挑战的女性有机会抚养健康的孩子。
Furthermore, the United States remains only one of two countries in the world that does not have paid parental leave. Despiteample researchshowing health benefits for maternity leave, including fewer illnesses in babies and reduced maternal depression, up to1 in 4 womenare back to work within two weeks of giving birth. I had an uncomplicated delivery and am otherwise healthy, but I cannot fathom being back at work when my baby required near-constant attention and my body was still healing. Going back to work after eight weeks has been a challenge, and that's with a caring partner, reliable child care and a supportive workplace.
此外，美国仍然是世界上两个没有带薪育儿假的国家之一。尽管有大量的研究表明产假对健康的好处，包括减少婴儿疾病和降低产妇抑郁，但仍然有1/4的女性，在产后的2周内重返工作。这是一个简单的健康的生理过程，但是当我的孩子需要我不断的关注，我的身体还在愈合的时候，我无法正常的返回工作。八周后重返工作岗位是一个挑战，这需要一个关心的伙伴，可靠的儿童护理和一个支持性的工作场所。
If the health of families and future of children are core values in our society, then we should implement policies that foster these values. We need health care for all regardless of ability to pay; paid parental andsick leave; and affordable child care. We must recognize that caring for newborns is hard, and that women and families need support and services to give every child the chance to grow and to thrive. We must uphold our duty to care for the most vulnerable and level the playing field of inequality.
如果家人的健康和孩子的未来是我们这个社会的核心，那么我们应该制定政策来维护他的价值。我们需要全民医保体制、带薪育儿假、病假和负担得起的儿童医保。我们必须意识到照顾新生儿是非常苦难的，新生儿母亲和家庭都需要得到帮助和支持来确保每一个孩子都能健康成长。我们必须肩负起我们的责任，来照顾最弱势和不平等待遇的群体。
This week, hundreds of families will gather at the National Aquarium to celebrate BHB'sanniversary. As I prepare remarks to share there with the families that I serve, I also celebrate Eli's two-month "birthday" with a visit to the pediatrician. I am thrilled that he has more than made up for the initial weight loss and is now a happy and chubby 11-pounder. He also received hisimmunizationsat this visit, which gives me the perfect opportunity to add an important public health message: vaccines aresafe, effective, and life-saving!
这周，数百个家庭团聚在国家水族馆来庆祝BHB实施的周年纪念。我也准备和我所服务的家庭一起分享庆祝，我也和我的儿科医生一同庆祝Eli的2个月生日。我很高兴他已经超过了最初的体重，现在是一个快乐的，胖胖的11磅的宝贝。在这次拜访，他也接受了疫苗接种，这使我有一个重要好机会来传递：疫苗是安全、有效和可以救命的
There is much that I have yet to learn about motherhood and caring for my baby, but I feel so blessed every day to have him and to embark on the next chapter of our journey together.
作为母亲和照顾我的孩子，我还有很多要学的东西，但我每天都很高兴能拥有他，并能够和他一起踏上人生篇章的下一个旅程。
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原文来自 NPR Leana Wen October 22, 20175:00 AM ET