For most doctors, routine is an illusion. For Dr Nabat Lakhani renowned Obstetrician and Gynecologist, days unfold in constant motion. “In obstetrics, you don’t control time, it controls you,” she says. Over the past year, that pace has been interrupted and reshaped by a personal battle with Stage 3 breast cancer, altering not just how she works, but how she sees life itself.
A typical day rarely follows a script. It begins early and stretches into long, unpredictable hours. “Deliveries don’t wait, emergencies don’t pause, and you learn to adapt to whatever comes,” she says. Before her diagnosis, she carved structure within the chaos, starting mornings with strength training, followed by home responsibilities, hospital rounds, outpatient care, and community work. It was demanding, but it was a rhythm she had mastered. Today, treatment, fatigue, and recovery have forced her to slow down. “I still show up, but I listen to my body in a way I never did before,” she says.
What once felt like pushing limits now feels like understanding them. “Like many doctors, I did not prioritise my own health,” she admits. Patient care came first, followed by family, leaving little space for herself. It is a pattern she now recognises in many women. “We are conditioned to keep giving, often at the cost of our own well being,” she says. Health, she believes, cannot be postponed. “It is not a luxury, it is a necessity.”
Nutrition, for her, has always been about balance. “I try to keep my meals simple, home cooked, and balanced,” she says. A typical plate includes vegetables, proteins, and fruits — “adding a rainbow to what I eat.” But long hospital hours often disrupt routine. “Some days, it’s just quick snacks, dry fruits, or coconut water between cases,” she says.
Movement, once intense and structured, has also evolved. “I have shifted from intensity to consistency,” she says. Walks, light yoga, and small daily efforts have replaced heavy training. Stress, in her field, is constant. “Meditation and prayer help me stay grounded.” Painting, music, and even crochet offer moments of calm in a life driven by urgency.
Sleep remains a challenge. “In medicine, sleep is rarely predictable,” she says. Years of training have conditioned her to function despite exhaustion. Even now, rest comes in fragments. “I value sleep more now, even if I can’t always control it.”
Her advice, to women balancing work and family, comes from experience. “Regular screenings, self checks, and listening to your body are critical,” she says.
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