Tiếng Việt
From a moment of fear to a lifelong calling
Growing up in a large family, Ngoc always cherished her younger siblings. Her love for children blossomed naturally from a very young age. But it was the memory of the day her mother gave birth to her third sibling that may have changed her life forever.
“My mother had a postpartum hemorrhage. I could only stand there crying while the medical team tried to save her. The image of the calm, dedicated midwife who helped save my mother that day—I’ll never forget it. That was the biggest reason why I decided to become a midwife, because I know that welcoming healthy babies into the world and keeping mothers safe is a true blessing,” Ngoc recalled.
With that determination, she entered the College of Medical Technology 1 (Ministry of Health), now Hai Duong University of Medical Technology, choosing the midwifery program at a time when few even knew the difference between a midwife, a nurse, and a technician. Not many people understood her choice, but she never once questioned it. From the very first birth she assisted during her internship, her journey began—quiet, yet deeply rooted and full of passion.
“We’re right here with you”
At Hanoi French Hospital, midwives are often the ones who stay closest to labouring mothers. Beyond monitoring the health of both mother and baby, they are the ones who soothe and comfort as the pain intensifies.
They understand that only when a mother feels at ease and reassured can the birth proceed safely. “We’re right here with you—it’s going to be okay.” That is the sentence Ngoc finds herself saying most often.
She once leaned in to say those very words to a woman who was fighting for her life after childbirth due to hemorrhage—the same complication her own mother had faced. That day, Ngoc stood with the team and helped save the young woman’s life, just as the midwife had once done for her own mother.
“When she returned to the hospital and found me, she cried and said: ‘I was drifting in and out, I didn’t know who was beside me. But I’ll never forget your voice, or what you said to me.’ Hearing that brought me so much joy—it made me love this profession even more,” Ngoc said, her voice full of emotion as she shared this special memory.
The quiet mothers
“Many mothers say we are like second mothers to their babies in those first few days of life. That is the joy of being a midwife,” Ngoc shared.
In the early days after birth, when mothers are still exhausted and recovering, the midwives and neonatal nurses at Hanoi French Hospital are the ones who stay closest to the newborns. The trust it takes for a mother to entrust her child to someone else is immense.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, babies were often separated from their mothers to prevent transmission. That was when I felt the bond between midwives, neonatal nurses, and the babies most deeply,” Ngoc recalled.
“We used to video call the mothers every day so they could speak to their babies. Just a few whispered words would bring tears to their eyes. There was nothing they could do but hope their babies would be safe, and ask us to care for them as if they were our own. And we did—we loved them as if they were our own,” Ngoc said, speaking softly of her “pandemic foster children.”
All for the mothers and babies
Seventeen years in the profession have also been seventeen years with Hanoi French Hospital. “What I feel most grateful for is that in this workplace, we are always given the chance to learn and update our knowledge—so that we can give mothers the best possible experience,” Ngoc said with quiet pride.
From Japanese breast massage courses to help mothers breastfeed from the very first moments, to neonatal resuscitation training with foreign experts at the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the learning never ends.
And then there are things that no textbook can teach—playing soft music, dimming the lights, easing the pain, guiding mothers as they learn to care for their babies… Every small gesture comes from a place of respect for each patient, and from the deep love held in the hearts of midwives.
There are moments of weariness in this work that are hard to name. But there are also joys so profound they bring tears. Like the moment a baby cries for the first time, and the mother smiles through tears and tries to whisper thank you to the whole team.
That happiness lingers, and grows—especially when, from time to time, Ngoc hears someone call out: “Ms. Ngoc! This is my baby —do you remember us?” The babies she once held in her arms are now tall and grown, returning to visit.
Some people choose a career for opportunity, some for stability, some for passion. For Ngoc, it may simply be a steady, unwavering love—for mothers, and for every child she helps into this world. Seventeen years is not a short journey. But for her, it’s far from the end. She continues to study, to grow, to gather experience—ready to welcome thousands more little lives into the world.
