Certain events of late have got me thinking about the noises which are common to my day. Believe it or not, I work in a very noisy environment and not all of the noises are pleasant.
The infernal blare of the fire alarm being tested every morning is enough to wake the dead. The telephones ring hundreds of times a day, the clattering of trolleys up and down the corridors and the far off noises of ambulance sirens bringing us more patients.
In the area where I work the noises are very specific and more animal than human. Students often ask how we can listen to those noises every day and not be affected by them, only to find that after working there themselves for a while, the noises become normal everyday background noise.
The huffing and puffing of women who think they are in pain when in reality the labour has only just begun and there is much worse to come............
The tortured screams of advanced labour and pleas for help. The prayers shouted out loud by some women and profanities by others..........
The gasping and grunting of exertion trying to push out one human being from the insides of another.........like trying to push a football through a hosepipe..........
The first cry of a newborn accompanied by delighted squeals from the mother and father........ The best sound of all...
The tortured animal like howl of anguish when a baby is lost..... The most unforgettable sound which stays with you forever and makes you shiver. Easily distinguishable from any other sound, to the trained ear. A sound which makes students ask "what was that?" and makes midwives stand still. The worst sound a person could ever hear........
The infernal blare of the fire alarm being tested every morning is enough to wake the dead. The telephones ring hundreds of times a day, the clattering of trolleys up and down the corridors and the far off noises of ambulance sirens bringing us more patients.
In the area where I work the noises are very specific and more animal than human. Students often ask how we can listen to those noises every day and not be affected by them, only to find that after working there themselves for a while, the noises become normal everyday background noise.
The huffing and puffing of women who think they are in pain when in reality the labour has only just begun and there is much worse to come............
The tortured screams of advanced labour and pleas for help. The prayers shouted out loud by some women and profanities by others..........
The gasping and grunting of exertion trying to push out one human being from the insides of another.........like trying to push a football through a hosepipe..........
The first cry of a newborn accompanied by delighted squeals from the mother and father........ The best sound of all...
The tortured animal like howl of anguish when a baby is lost..... The most unforgettable sound which stays with you forever and makes you shiver. Easily distinguishable from any other sound, to the trained ear. A sound which makes students ask "what was that?" and makes midwives stand still. The worst sound a person could ever hear........
