Mother’s Day is a globally recognised date, a moment where the world pauses to offer flowers and gratitude. But in our corner of the world, motherhood isn’t just a role—it is the very foundation of our social fabric. When we call mothers “Superwomen,” we aren’t using a buzzword. We are describing the sheer, unyielding resilience required to anchor a household in a rapidly changing world. At Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services (SIEHS), we don’t just see mothers once a year; we see them in their most raw, powerful, and vulnerable moments every single day.
This Mother’s Day, we want to peel back the curtain on what it means to protect the “Superwomen” of Pakistan. From the high-speed transit of our ambulances to the quiet, life-saving conversations on our Tele-Tabeeb helpline, our mission is to mirror the care a mother gives—unconditionally and without fail.
In our culture, a mother is often described as the Ghar ki Ronaq—the light and soul of the home. She is the first one awake and the last one to sleep. She manages the budgeting, the tarbiyat of the children, the care of the elders, and often, her own professional ambitions. This multidimensionality is what makes her a Superwoman. However, being a hero 24/7 comes with a heavy price. The pressure to remain “perfect” and “strong” often means that mothers neglect their own health, both physical and mental.
At SIEHS, our perspective on Mother’s Day is rooted in the belief that even the strongest guardian needs a support system. If a mother is the heartbeat of the home, then our 1122 emergency service is the safety net that ensures that heartbeat never falters. We recognize that maternal health is not just a medical category; it is a community priority. When a mother is healthy and supported, an entire generation thrives.
When we designed our Hope ambulances, the goal wasn’t just to build a mobile clinic. We wanted to create a sanctuary. For an expectant mother in the middle of a medical emergency, the outside world is chaos. Traffic, noise, and the physical toll of labour can be overwhelming. Inside a SIEHS ambulance, that chaos must stop.
We often use the metaphor of a “mother’s lap” to describe our service. Think about the feeling of safety a child feels in their mother’s embrace—the sense that “everything will be okay.” This is the standard we set for our paramedics and drivers. When a woman enters our ambulance, she isn’t just a “patient.” She is a life-bearer, a “Superwoman” in the middle of her greatest battle, and she deserves a space that offers both clinical excellence and emotional sukoon.
This commitment to creating a safe haven has led to one of our proudest achievements. To date, over 976 babies have been delivered safely within the confines of our ambulances. That is nearly a thousand families whose lives changed forever inside a SIEHS vehicle.
Each of these deliveries is a story of precision and empathy. It’s about a paramedic who kept their cool while navigating the busy streets of Karachi or the rural stretches of interior Sindh. It’s about the sterile environment maintained against all odds. But most importantly, it’s about the mother. These 976+ births represent women who, in their moment of maximum vulnerability, found strength they didn’t know they had. They are the true heroes of these stories; we are simply the ones honoured to provide the “lap” for those first breaths to happen.
While physical safety during childbirth is crucial, Mother’s Day is also a time to talk about the battles that happen in the mind. The transition into motherhood is a massive hormonal and emotional shift. For some, it isn’t the “glow” promised in magazines; it is a dark, confusing tunnel.
Societal pressure often dictates that a new mother should be nothing but joyful. When she feels otherwise, the guilt can be suffocating. This is the reality of Postpartum Depression (PPD)—a clinical condition that is frequently misunderstood or ignored in our society. At SIEHS, through our Tele-Tabeeb service, we have made it our mission to break the silence surrounding maternal mental health.
True “Superwomen” sometimes lose their way, and that is where the community must step in. We recently managed a case that perfectly illustrates the complexity of PPD and the power of a coordinated medical response.
A husband called our helpline from Punjab, his voice heavy with worry. His wife had given birth just 24 days prior, but instead of bonding with their newborn, she was spiralling. She was suffering from severe panic attacks and a sleep disorder that left her in a state of constant exhaustion. Most heartbreakingly, she had developed a deep-seated hatred toward her own child. She couldn’t look at him, let alone hold him.
In many traditional settings, such a situation might be dismissed as “evil eye” or simple exhaustion. But our team knew better.
The case was initially picked up by Dr Tabaan. In the first two sessions, the focus was purely on medical advice. Postpartum depression isn’t just “in the head”; it is a physiological event. Dr Tabaan worked to address the immediate symptoms—the panic attacks that made the mother feel like the walls were closing in and the insomnia that prevented her body from recovering. Stabilizing the physical self is the first step in reclaiming the emotional self.
Once the immediate medical crisis was managed, the case was transitioned to our dedicated counsellor, Kiran Nisa. This is where the long work of healing began. Over the course of 12 intensive sessions, Kiran worked to dismantle the guilt and fear that had taken root.
One of the most vital aspects of this case was the involvement of the husband. Five of the sessions were dedicated to him. The husband is the primary gatekeeper of the home. By educating him on the nature of PPD, we transformed him from a confused bystander into a co-healer. He learned that his wife wasn’t “failing”; she was ill, and she needed his sabar and support more than ever.
Recognizing that severe PPD sometimes requires specialized psychiatric care, our team facilitated a referral to a psychiatrist. We didn’t just hand over a phone number; we ensured the transition was seamless. After a month of collaborative care, we made a follow-up call.
The transformation was nothing short of a Mother’s Day miracle. The panic had ceased. The mother was sleeping again. But the real victory was the restoration of the bond. The “hatred” had vanished, replaced by the natural, protective love she had been unable to access through the fog of depression. She had “returned to life,” and in doing so, her whole family was reborn.
At SIEHS, we pride ourselves on our technical metrics—our response times, our state-of-the-art equipment, and our clinical protocols. But Mother’s Day reminds us that technology without empathy is hollow.
Our 1122 dispatchers are trained to hear the panic in a mother’s voice. Our Tele-Tabeeb doctors are trained to listen for the things a mother isn’t saying. We operate at the intersection of high-end Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and deep, human-centric care.
When we talk about 976+ deliveries, we aren’t just talking about a number on a spreadsheet. We are talking about 976 moments where our team had to be more than just medical professionals. They had to be the calm in the storm. They had to provide the “mother’s lap” for the mother herself.
We also want to acknowledge the mothers within our own ranks. At SIEHS, we have women who leave their own children at home to ensure the children of Sindh are safe. They are paramedics who work 12-hour shifts, doctors who take calls at 3:00 AM, and administrative staff who keep the machinery of “Hope” running.
These women are the living embodiment of the Superwoman theme. They manage the dual responsibility of home and service with a grace that is often overlooked. To our female staff: you are the heartbeat of this organization, and your “sabar” is what allows us to save lives.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day, we must move beyond the “Happy Mother’s Day” messages and into the realm of action. Protecting the Superwomen in our lives means:
Our mission across Sindh—from the bustling streets of Karachi to the furthest corners of Orangi Town and beyond—remains unchanged. We are here to ensure that no mother has to face an emergency alone.
Whether it is a high-speed transport in our ambulance or a quiet, life-altering conversation with a counsellor like Kiran, we are committed to being the support system that every Superwoman deserves. We will continue to provide that “mother’s lap” of safety, ensuring that the next thousand babies are delivered with the same care and precision as the first 976.
Mother’s Day is a tribute to the resilience that keeps our world moving. It is a tribute to the woman in Punjab who fought her way back from the brink of depression to hold her child. It is a tribute to the mother in Sindh who gave birth in the back of an ambulance while a paramedic held her hand. It is a tribute to the Amis, Nanis, and Dadis who have built our foundations.
To all the mothers: You are the architects of the future. You are the real-life heroes who don’t need capes because your love is powerful enough to heal, to protect, and to inspire.
From all of us at Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services (SIEHS), we thank you for your strength. We thank you for your trust. And we promise to always be there, just a phone call away, ready to provide the care and protection you give to the world every single day.
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