When they are needed the most, Israeli nurses and midwives are always by your side, providing innovative solutions.
By Rolene Marks
The miracle of childbirth is one of the happiest moments in any parent’s life. Welcoming new life into the world is joyous evidence of family, love – and continuity for a people. In the wake of the atrocities of 7 October and the wars that follow, every child born is not just love, family and continuity – it is a victory over those who seek our destruction.
For many new mothers, the miracle is also a devastating reminder of loss. Many war widows whose husbands have fallen in defense of our home, have to endure this alone, aware that their hopes and dreams for their future family have been drastically changed.
For the midwives and nurses who help expectant mothers who have lost their spouses or partners requires the utmost sensitivity and trust. Midwives or labor and delivery nurses are tasked with becoming the guardians of life during this very complex and emotional time – especially when the father is deceased.
Lily Yehezkel and Meirav Gold are two veteran labor and delivery nurses with Clalit-Carmel Medical Center, who chose to extend their professional compassion far beyond the boundaries of the delivery room. Clalit is the largest of the four Israeli health services providers, and runs its own network of hospitals in Israel, operating 14 hospitals and 1600 community clinics across Israel.
Yehezkel and Gold are a part of “Le Tzidech” (By your side), a very special initiative by the Israeli Midwives Organization that provides close emotional and professional support for IDF widows and women suffering from post-traumatic stress throughout pregnancy and childbirth. They are present for their patients as they bring new life into the world at a time of profound heartbreak for the mother. Balancing so many delicate and complex emotions require patience, empathy and gentle, loving hands.
Meirav is also the mother of a combat soldier and understands the fear and rollercoaster of emotions that anyone who has a loved one on the frontline experiences acutely.
Lily and Meirav understand that the emotional support work during the intensity of the delivery is delicate, and requires their own sense of sensitivity and balance.
“As a midwife, you learn to stand beside families even during unimaginable moments of pain, such as stillbirths,” she says. “Those experiences sharpened for me the importance of human presence. Through ‘LeTzidech’, we meet the real pain of those left alone with trauma while facing something as positive and life changing as childbirth,” says Lily.
One of the expectant mothers who was navigating grief while expecting was Adi. Lily and Meirav created a safe and supportive environment as they gently shepherded her first born son, Ivri, into the world. It was an exceptionally emotional moment.
“During the delivery itself, the presence of familiar and loving hands and eyes surrounded me,” Adi recalls. “It allowed me to break down, stay connected to the moment, and even experience joy and laughter within everything that was happening. Without their support, the birth could have been far more painful. They created a feeling of home and the reassurance that I had someone to lean on.”
It was emotional for Lily and Meirav as well, “To accompany a woman who lost her husband during the first weeks of pregnancy and then have the privilege of receiving her son into my hands during such a powerful birth, it’s a full circle moment beyond words,” Lily says emotionally. “Amid all the loss, there was also a moment of hope and a new beginning.”
Many would ask do nurses Lily and Meirav ever get to the point when “compassion fatigue” starts to set in, after all they are balancing so many emotions during a time when the country is in profound trauma and they surely carry their own? Meirav explains that meaning itself is what fuels them, “What gives us strength is seeing processes of healing and empowerment. A moment when a patient, on her own initiative, shares a small feeling of self-confidence for the first time, that’s our victory.”
Meirav and Lily have seen how important “Le Tzidech” is and hope to see the project become a nationwide model.
“We hope every woman coping with loss surrounding childbirth will know she has an anchor to hold onto,” they say.
“Le Tzidech” is not the only innovative project that ensures the emotional wellbeing of patients through trauma. Nurses are on the forefront of thinking of innovative ways to add that extra layer of protection and care for their patients and are finding new ways to ensure that their patients are protected as much as possible from trauma in its various forms. This includes protecting their modesty during medical procedures which more often than not feel invasive and compound their sense of vulnerability.
Nurse Manager, Orly Rosenblat has repeatedly encountered patients who have felt uncomfortable with the level of exposure required in the operating room – even when such exposure had no medical necessity. Women feel increasingly vulnerable when their bodies are exposed during medical treatment. Rosenblat realized she had to create a solution. The result was “Top Secret” – a single use surgical bra made from soft, opaque medical grade paper in a blue color. The bra is provided to patients before surgery and remains in place throughout the procedure whenever medically appropriate.
The catalyst for Rosenblat was a patient preparing for surgery who was visibly distressed and repeatedly tried to cover herself. She explained that due to a previous medical procedure, she had only one breast and felt deeply embarrassed by having it exposed in front of medical staff. The experience highlighted a broader issue. In many procedures, including abdominal, orthopedic, gynecological, and cesarean surgeries, exposure of the breasts is often unnecessary, yet patients are routinely left uncovered while preparing for surgery.
In a country like Israel where religious sensitivities are paramount, this attention to detail, dignity and modesty is appreciated. In the wake of the atrocities of 7 October, where the visuals of sexual violence and reports of widespread abuse, the project became part of a broader effort to deliver trauma informed and patient centered care during a period of national crisis.
“Since October 7, intimacy and privacy have become even more significant for women. The horrific images we were exposed to and the public discussion surrounding sexual violence and trauma increased the need for Top Secret,” says Rosenblat.
Since its introduction, more than 6,000 Top Secret units have been used at Beilinson Hospital and additional Clalit hospitals.
The question Orly Rosenblat hears the most is why someone hasn’t thought of it before. The importance of privacy has been highlighted by patient advocacy organisations and professional surveying women’s health. Research conducted by the Israeli women’s health organization “Briya Foundation” found that many women experience significant discomfort when required to remove their gowns before surgery.
Some participants reported feelings of humiliation and vulnerability. Others described the experience as emotionally distressing, particularly survivors of sexual trauma, for whom unnecessary exposure can act as a trigger and lead to re traumatization.
Sometimes the most innovative solutions are the simplest. Nurses are at the forefront of the healthcare frontline. “Nurses spend countless hours with patients. We hear their concerns, understand their fears, and notice the small things that can make a significant difference in their experience. Innovation does not always come from technology. Sometimes it comes from listening carefully and understanding what patients truly need,” says Rosenblat.
Le Tzidech and Top Secret are proving more and more that when it comes to patient care, Clalit’s nurses are prioritizing dignity, humanity, and compassion to everyday healthcare, one patient at a time.
*Feature picture: Lily and Meirav
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
