Mother Day, a day of warm appreciation, homemade cards, and family brunches, is a global celebration of the unconditional love, sacrifice, and perseverance of mothers. Yet, motherhood takes on many forms, extending beyond birth to those who nurture. On this special day, we celebrate Nurse Anjali Deshmukh, a neonatal nurse who has quietly mothered hundreds of new babies with her hands, heart, and healing. Her selfless dedication embodies the true spirit of motherhood.
The Nursing Field
When Anjali was 19, she made up her mind to make a career out of nursing and also as a mission. She felt an urge to serve others when she began working in the health sector. She started her work at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a major city hospital in Mumbai upon graduation from nursing school. She found her calling there, both as a doctor and as a caregiver to infants whose lives were threatened.
“I find something new about hope whenever I’m cradling a baby,” she replies.
“They struggle to live—and I struggle along with them—even if some of them are lighter than a loaf of bread.”
The mother figure
The NICU remains an entirely foreign setting—sterile, quiet, and unpredictable. Monitors flash varied oxygen levels and heart rates, and machines beep incessantly. Anjali holds her ground in this high-risk environment. She is a mother, not just a carer for infants. She warms their tiny feet, talks to them softly as if they can hear every word, and rocks them gently through sleepless nights.
Anjali patiently takes up the slack from biological mothers who cannot be present due to sickness, recuperation from giving birth, or burnout. She does not hesitate. She rocks the crying infant against her chest while humming baby songs.
She asserts that these babies need love as much as they need medication. “I have a lot of love to share.”
Assisting Mothers
The incubators are only part of Anjali’s compassion. She extends her assistance to the mothers, especially those working through feelings of helplessness, guilt, or fear. She greets them warmly instead of coldly. She assists parents in cradling their newborns for the first time, guides them in feeding with their fingers, and encourages skin contact.
Months after, numerous mothers return to thank Anjali for standing by their sides with healthy babies. She is even called “nurse-mom.”
Shalini, who is a new mother, says, “My son was in the NICU after I gave birth, and I was in the intensive care unit.” Anjali took the position of his second mother. She talked to him, sang for him, and he recognised her voice when I first held him.
Joy and Grief
NICU nurses often must weigh the risk of death against life. Not every tale has a happy ending. Anjali has known tragedy as well. For infants who never went home, she has lit candles, hugged tearful parents, and cried in secret. But she is a dignified mother even in sorrow.
“I don’t turn away when a child dies in a family,” she explains. “I stay. I comfort. I remember that I am present.”.
Conversely, she also celebrates each minor success, like a successful feeding, a normal heartbeat, or the removal of oxygen tubes. When infants reach milestones, she cheers with parents. She never allows tiredness to make her happy.
Future Carers
For guidance, young nurses flock to Anjali. She teaches them how to manage emergencies, how to monitor vital signs, and how to insert feeding tubes. More importantly, however, she teaches them how to be concerned.
“They don’t teach compassion in textbooks, so it’s not a skill,” she asserts. “When you treat each patient like a child, you learn it.”
Anjali’s belief that kindness heals resonates with her colleagues, who, under her mentorship, become more people-oriented in their care. Her influence extends beyond the unit, shaping a culture of compassion and care within the hospital.
Mother Day
A photographed portrait of Anjali amid the NICU babies she cared for previously in a framed shot is the modest Mother’s Day gesture by hospital staff. When she sees it, she begins weeping.
She asserts, “I never asked for recognition.” “But it’s enough to know that I had made a difference.”
Both patients and colleagues are all in consensus that Anjali’s mom’s through bravery, commitment, and unconditional love and not by biology.
