Yolette's victory

The women in our maternity program are all special and unique in their own ways. Some ladies we accept in into the program because of their age, some it's because of connections they have to us, and others we accept because of their stories.

Yolette is a woman we accepted because of her story. Yolette is vivacious full of energy. Her smile is contagious, and her personality is larger then life.

When we initially met with her to talk about her childbearing history, I was taken back by her story. She was pregnant one previous time. Seven months into her pregnancy she started bleeding. She ended up loosing the baby and almost dying herself. I can't imagine what it would be like to loose a baby like that then be pregnant again. She stated her story as a matter of fact and was excited to be pregnant again.

I have a soft spot in my heart for women in this situation. Women who have lost a first child then are faced with pregnancy and birth for a second time. These ladies have a unique vulnerability cause of their situation. Because of the trust we build with each woman, their birth can be a place of love and healing.

Yolette called late afternoon saying that she was in labor. Beth and I jumped in the truck and headed on down to the maternity center to be with her. Yolette labored well. She was centered and confident. She wanted to be upright and work with her body. She was ready to push shortly after we got there. She sat on our birth stool and I sat beside her. She was content being with Beth and I. Slowly with each contraction the baby started coming down. As the birth came closer we suspected that the baby's shoulder was stuck behind his mother's pubic bone. Yolette moved onto her hands and knees which allowed the baby's shoulder to pass under the pubic bone and come out.

The baby boy went straight into his mother's arms. We all rejoiced when he let out a big lusty cry. Yolette's sisters on the porch were singing praises and came to the window to see the new baby.

Yolette grabbed and hugged Beth and I with her baby on her lap and thanked us. In that moment I thought how amazing and special it was for this baby to be born surrounded by such love. Yesterday Yolette wrote a beautiful new chapter in her story.

I can honestly say I do not think I have seen such a healthy baby born here in Haiti. He weighed 8 lbs, 4 0z. at birth.

Guerda

Guerda is one of the lovely ladies in our Maternity Program. This is Guerda's second time in our program. She went through the program 2 years ago when she was pregnant with her first baby. Guerda had a relatively normal pregnancy until she reached her seventh month. In her 33rd week of pregnancy, she developed high blood pressure and started to pass protein in her urine. These are the classic signs of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is still a mystery disease. There are theories about the origin of preeclampsia, but we still do not have the full picture. We know specific groups of women who are higher risk of getting it. Once a woman is diagnosed with preeclampsia we know how to help control her symptoms and we know that birth is the cure to the disease. Women can first have symptoms of preeclampsia starting in their 20th week, but most of the time symptoms start after the beginning of the third trimester or 32 weeks. This was the case with Geurda. We diagnosed her with preeclampsia when she was 33 weeks pregnant. From that point on we've seen her on a daily basis. For the past 2 1/2 weeks she has come faithfully every day to the maternity center. We'd feed her, monitor her blood pressure and urine, give her medicine, and let her rest for a couple hours. Guerda never complained, she understood how serious her situation was and made a way to come every day.

In Haiti, preeclampsia/eclampsia kills more women then any other pregnancy/birth related issue. Women in Haiti know what preeclampsia is and what it can do. When I told Geurda she had preeclampsia, I asked her if she knew what that was. She said it could kill her baby.

Prenatal care is so important for pregnant women. With routine prenatal care, a practitioner will be able to diagnose problems like preeclampsia and treat them accordingly. According to UNICEF statistics, only 54% of Haitian women get routine prenatal care(4 or more check ups) during pregnancy. That means that nearly half of pregnant women in Haiti are not getting the care they need. These women are left in a vulnerable position. If they develop a complication like preeclampsia, they may not get to help they need before their situation becomes life threatening. Help late may be too late. UNICEF reports that the maternal mortality rate in Haiti is 670 out of 100,000. Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate in the western hemisphere. Sixty women in Haiti die to every 1 woman in the US from complications in pregnancy and childbirth. Looking at statistics like these show how important healthcare and education is here in Haiti.

When a woman develops preeclampsia, decisions for her care are based on what is best for mother and baby.

If a woman's symptoms are not severe, it's better for the baby to continue the pregnancy till 37 weeks. At 37 weeks gestation, a baby is fully developed and shouldn't have issues related to prematurity. But if preeclampsia becomes severe before 37 weeks, delivering the baby is necessary. We were hoping Geurda would make it to 37 weeks but her condition worsened in her 35th week.

Sunday evening we had to make the decision to induce. Geurda came in Monday morning calm and peaceful. She knew what was ahead of her and approached labor with a calm strength. With the help of Dr Jen and a consulting OB in the states, we were able to safely provide the care she needed for the labor and delivery. Five hours after we started her induction, she delivered a baby girl. Her baby was born healthy and a good size for her age.

We will keep Guerda at the maternity center for a few more days and monitor her closely.

We are all so thankful and blessed for such a great outcome. Beth and I have talked a few times about what might of happened to Guerda if she wasn't receiving prenatal care. Would she have known she was in danger? Most pregnant women wouldn't know there is something wrong if they weren't receiving care. Would she have seized in her home? Would she and her baby be alive? It is hard to know. We do know that there are women in Haiti who are not getting prenatal care who have preeclampsia. What happens to them? It breaks my heart to think of it.

Please join us in prayer for Guerda as she continues to heal. Lets also pray for the women of Haiti who are in need prenatal care and a safe place to birth their babies.

Water and Vitamins

Yesterday Beth taught an amazing class on water and vitamins to the ladies in our childhood development class. Most Haitians are chronically dehydrated. They do not have an abundance of clean water readily available. They have to put forth effort to get clean water. In the video below you will see some of the tactics Beth used to get the message across about how important staying hydrated is to our health.

Click on the link below to view the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHDujyK2cNI

Grace's Miracle

Friday morning I got a call saying that Ruth was on her way to the Maternity Center in labor. My head was flooded with different thoughts and emotions. Ruth had been in our program for 4 months. Over that time we had gotten to know more about her. Ruth was pregnant with her first child. She lives alone and works selling home brewed liquor. She is soft spoken but exudes independence and self reliance. You can tell the heaviness of life weighs down on her. This isn't something I have seen much in first time moms in our program. I think part of the weight comes with her age. Ruth is older then most girls are, having their first baby in our program. Ruth's birth was something I had great anticipation for. I was excited to get to support her through her birthing experience.

When Ruth got to the Maternity Center she seemed excited that her baby was finally coming. She labored very well. Her quiet, calm spirit worked to in her advantage in labor. She would calmly breathe through contractions, wanting her back rubbed from time to time. She labored quietly into the evening and night. Most women in labor you can tell by how they act and what noises they make how far they are into their labor. With Ruth because she was so calm we really couldn't tell. She never seemed scared of the pain. Both her and the baby responded well with labor all the way through until she began to push.

It is normal for a baby's heart rate to fluctuate some in at the end of labor as the baby is making it's way out. As Ruth began to push, her baby's heartbeat dropped some but returned to normal after the contraction was over. We continued monitoring the baby's heartbeat closely. After a few more pushes the baby's heart rate started dropping and instead of recovering it kept dropping. We were all alarmed by what we heard. We knew that this was a serious situation. With out dramatic improvement this baby could die. We quickly flipped her over on her hands and knees from her side hoping that with a big positional change the baby would recover. Once she was on her hands and knees we started listening to the heartbeat. The baby's heartbeat went from being in the 50's to 150 within seconds. I felt like God had done a miracle. Twenty minutes later she delivered an crying baby girl. We were all so relieved that the baby was okay. Because of the way that the heartbeat dropped, we presume that as the baby was being pushed down, it compressed the umbilical cord in such a way that the pressure did not release after the contraction. We praise God that we were listening right when the heartbeat dropped so dramatically. If we listened only a couple minutes later it might of been too late. If she delivered most anywhere else the chance of this baby's survival would be very low. Without monitoring the heartbeat you wouldn't know about a situation like this. Turning her over on her hands and knees was enough movement to release the pressure on the cord. I believe God has very special plans for this baby's life. Ruth's birth shows me once again just how precious and fragile life is.

Ruth named her daughter Grace. It is not common for Haitians to give their babies a name at birth. Partly this is due to so many babies here dying. The last few women we have delivered have already picked out names before they deliver. This shows us that they are expecting to have a live baby. It is very special to be a place of life and hope.

We have seen Ruth a couple times since she delivered. She is adjusting to a whole new life. Please be praying that God would encourage her and give her much grace and patience in being a new mother.

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

Fractures, amputations, and a baby too!

Last night was another one of those memories that will not fade any time soon. I was at Troy and Tara's house for the night getting ready to go to bed when Troy got a phone call from Beth saying that were was a girl in labor needing a place to deliver. She had fell of her belly during the earthquake and had been bleeding since she started labor. We decided that we would take care of her. With our team of doctors we have an OB/GYN with us right now. He is great. He has done some work in Kenya and other parts of the world and is used to doing obstetrics in more dire situations. When we got to the clinic and initially assess her we discovered that the baby was not doing okay. He was in severe distress. She still had hours of laboring to do before she was ready to deliver. Chris (our OB doc) decided he would do a c-section. We brought her downstairs to our trauma area and called the Steve the anesthesiologist, Jenn our pediatric doc, and Tara to come help. I was trying to figure out how to start the generator while Chris was pulling supplies off the table and creating a sterile field on the desk. I finally got the generator started and got the flood lights working. Chris and I quickly got our sterile gowns on, Steve gave anesthesia through the IV and we were ready to go and got the baby out within 90 seconds of the first incision. When the baby came out he was blueish-white and unresponsive. I clamped and cut the cord and handed him off to Jen who started working on him and resuscitating him. When we opened the uterus to deliver him the placenta had already abrupted. I assisted Chris in closing back up the uterus and abdomen. The little boy came around after a few minutes and pinked up. As of now both mother and baby are okay. That was the first c-section I have ever seen in person or assisted with. I am honored to have been a part of it. If she wasn't able to get a c-section the baby for sure would of died, and the mom would of been at high risk of bleeding to death. I praise God that didn't happen. In the middle of all this devastation it is refreshing to bring new life into the world

A Week Ago Today

Tonight I read one of my friend's blog who lived through the earthquake here in Haiti. Reading it gave me courage to share my story with you.

I arrived back in Haiti five days before the earthquake struck. I had commited to stay in Haiti through the end of July. My first few days back were great. I got to see friends I hadn't seen in a long time. I even made a new friend named Joanna Thiele. She is an OB nurse who came down to Haiti about a week after I left in November. She was helping out at the women's program during my time away. We decided it would be fun for her to stay at the clinic with me Monday through Friday. Monday night was great getting to know her better. We both have a passion for caring for and serving women. Last Tuesday we had our childhood development class for our haitian ladies. It was great getting to see all the ladies and babies. Later in the afternoon Joanna and I were alone at the clinic chilling and preparing pizza for dinner. Pizza is one of my favorite things to make. I made the dough and was letting it rise till about 5pm. A little before 5 I headed down to the kitchen to chat with Cherline, our house helper. As I was walking down the stairs I could feel them starting to shake. I immediately looked at Cherline and smiled and asked her if she could feel it. It started out little at first and then it got more violent. My smile immediately turned into panic. I ran to the kitchen door and pinned Cherline to the door frame. The water jugs started falling off the counters and the fridge opened and started emptying on us. I was trying the best I could not to fall to the ground. I kept looking up at the ceiling watching for cracks, wondering if the ceiling was going to fall down on top of us. Soon Billy, Cherline's brother, came running through the kitchen, slipping and falling on the puddle of water and food on the floor. He yelled at us to get out of the house. We opened the kitchen door and all 3 of us ran outside, jumping over fallen cement blocks on the way to the gate. Once outside the earthquake started to fade off. I started yelling for Joanna who was still upstairs. I didn't hear a response. Once the quake stopped I ran back inside yelling for her. She answered just as worried about me as I was about her. She was also yelling for me inside and she couldn't hear me. She came down stairs and asked what happened. I said there was an earthquake. She knew it was but was in shock. As we were talking my hands were trembling from the high levels of adrenaline in my body. We all went out into the street. The whole city was screaming. I have never heard anything like that before, and hopefully will never again. There was a lot of people on the move on the main street. I kept calling people and couldn't get through to anyone but Sara Wallace in Jacmel. She said she was okay. The haitians living on my street all were freaking out. A few of them thought Jesus was coming. After a little while John McHoul arrived on his bike. He reported everyone else was okay. After a couple of hours we headed down to his house for the night to sleep. It was scary walking down the street at night in the dark with hundreds of terrified people passing by. About 12am Troy stopped by the house to tell John that he went down town to check on an orphange. He stopped by some other missionaries named Bill and Suzette who had started started seeing wounded people outside their house. He said they needed supplies and help. Joanna and I jumped on that. We went to the clinic to get supplies then headed across town to help out. Driving there was my first glimpse of the city. I could see a few buildings down in the headlights, but what made the biggest impression on me was the thousands of people who were camped out in the median of the street, terrified to get near any buildings. When we arrived at Bill and Suzettes I was put right to work cleaning wounds and suturing. It was exciting to get to help out and do something instead of feeling helpless. The reality of what I saw that night was hard. The type of wounds these people had were really unpleasent. Wounds created mostly by flying cement blocks during the quake. The reality of thousands of people still trapped in buildings was hard to even think about. Because the earthquake happened right before dusk nobody really knew how bad it was. Darkness fell before we could see the extent of the damage. In the morning when the sun started coming up I was fearful of what it would show. I didn't want to face the reality of what happened. With dawn arriving their was no escaping the devastation. A helicopter flew over the residence and I knew the world was going to see how bad it was. We kept working hard at the clinic. As the sun rose people started flowing in with extensive injuries, some people covered in cement dust from being trapped under rubble. The 3 main injuries I saw the first couple days was lacerations, broken bones, and compartment syndrome. It was overwhelming to see how badly people were injured. I kept questioning why I ended up so lucky. Any of these people could of been me. It is unbelieveable how one minute can change everything. In one minute Haiti was physically broken. Thousands of people died, and thousands more yet to die. By midafternoon I had sutured five head lacerations and an elbow. I took a break and headed to the guest house. I layed down and started bawling. The reality of what happened was overwhelming. A couple ladies held me and prayed for me. It was so nice to have that comfort. Not too long later Troy came back to pick us up. I was exhausted to the core but didn't want to leave. So many people needed help. Joanna and I left and went back to John's to sleep a couple hours then headed back to the clinic later in the evening. We stayed again through the next afternoon helping take care of the wounded. By the second day we had 4 or 5 haitian doctors from the neighborhood helping. It seemed like the longer I was there the wost the injuries I saw. We headed back to Heartline territory thursday afternoon. By this time we realized their was a gas shortage and we wouldn't be able to get back over to the clinic. I was privledged to get to help out and sobered by all that I saw. Driving back to our house we saw quite a few bodies on the sides of the street. Many buildings were destroyed. Like I said, it is unbelievable how so much can change in just one minute. On friday morning I was up early talking with John. He mentioned the idea on doing a medical outreach at the women's center and having doctors come down from the states to help. I was so excited about the idea. My heart is to take care of the sick and suffering. Later that morning all the heartline people in Haiti met and talked about the idea and decided to go ahead and do it. The idea was to have medical people show up by Sunday and start seeing the wounded on Monday. That gave us a couple days to try to prepare. On Sunday we had our intial team come in. It was such a relief to have more help. Monday we opened our doors and started seeing the wounded. It is incredible knowing that these people have been suffering for a week now without getting good or any care. I am relieved that we are able to physically help people who would otherwise not get help. There are SO many people wounded in Haiti. The hospitals that are still standing are incredibly overwhelmed. There is just not enough medical care for the need right now, and people are dying cause they are not receiving help. Our doors are open to the wounded. We have no idea at this point how long this will last. Is could be a couple weeks or longer. There are many people in haiti who have received amputations this last week, and many more who will need them. This is leaving potentially thousands of haitians disabled. It is overwhelming to think about what these people are up against now. Haiti was bad enough before. One thing I know though is that haitians are tough people. It is unbelievable the pain and suffering so many are going through right now due to their injuries and lose of family and friends. Please continue to pray with me for Haiti.

Mirlande

Last night we had a rather shocking delivery. Mirlande delivered on the street waiting for a ride to the clinic. She said that she was sitting then stood up and the baby fell out of her. Not too long after the birth, a man in a truck picked Mirlande and her family up and brought them to the clinic. Stephanie and I went out to the gate to see what was going on and to our surprise, Mirlande was in the front of the truck with her baby covered in dirt in her arms. We quickly cut the cord and delivered the placenta and got Mirlande and her baby into the clinic. I Primarily took care of the baby. Besides being covered in dirt from his peculiar birth, He seemed to be doing okay. I gave him a bath right away to clean him off, then weighed and clothed him. While I was taking care of the baby, Stephanie took care of Mirlande. Soon after that Beth and Paige arrived. I praise God that Mirlande had a normal birth besides the birth location. She did not lose a lot of blood, and the baby is doing okay. It could have been a lot different. This was Mirlande's third pregnancy. Her second baby died a month after birth.

After Mirlande and the baby were clean I gave the baby to her to breastfeed. With her baby in her arms she smiled and laughed. Then her laughing turned into crying. I think she is such a courageous women having experienced a birth like that. Please pray for Mirlande and her baby that they will recover well and he won’t develop any infections from being born in the dirt.

Malange

Early thursday morning Stephanie and I were woken up by the guard saying that there was a woman in labor at the clinic. Malange was standing outside with her partner and a few friends. Malange is a well known lady in our program. She is seventeen and pregnant for the second time. Last year she lost a baby 6 months into her pregnancy due to preeclampsia. This pregnancy we followed her very closely in prenatals. She fortunately has been fairly healthy. Malange seemed to be in good labor at first impression. Contractions were close together and lots of moaning due to the pain. After 4 hours of laboring at the clinic Malange gave birth to a baby boy. Later in the day our pregnant ladies showed up for the prenatal program. They were all excited to hear Malange delivered. After the health teaching the ladies went in and visited with her. It was really cool for me to see this. The women have been told that they can deliver with us now, and too see one of their peers just delivered with the baby gave a new sense of hope. Please pray for Malange as she adjusts to being a new mommy at such a young age.

Simone Pelle

Last wednesday we held a mobile prenatal clinic in Simone Pelle, an innercity slum. Upon arriving I was informed about the significance of us being there. Lisa told me that a couple years ago this area was completely closed off by the UN cause the area was so unsafe. One of our guards at Heartline Ministries lives in Simone Pelle. He was the one who organized this prenatal outreach. This is the second time the team has gone in. We are planning on going in once a month to do education and prenatal checkups with the ladies. We are limiting the program to 30 women. This last week we accepted 2 women into the program cause two other women delivered within this last month.
Last month the clinic was held in a house. This time we had the privledge of using a church building. We started out by greeting the women then I gave a health teaching on preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a serious condition some women develop during pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a common killer among pregnant women in Haiti. You can reduce your risk and even reverse signs of preeclampsia with a diet high in protein and salt. The women seemed receptive to what I taught. After the health teaching the women had their vitals checked by Beth and Lisa. After vitals they had a prenatal checkup by either Stephanie or I. I really enjoyed getting to do brief check ups on these women and encouraging them by giving them time, affection, and knowledge.

One of the ladies I saw had symptoms of preeclampsia. She also seemed to be carrying twins. It is interesting being in a position of having minimal contact with these women, only seeing them once a month. I doubt they are getting any prenatal care beyond that. It was humbling telling this women the warning signs of late preeclampsia. All I could do was offer nutritional advice and hope and pray that she will follow it and get better, or at least not get worse. Please pray for this women with me. I don't remember her name but God know exactly who she is. I will let you know how she is doing next month when we go back. I was honored to get to go into this community. Walking down the windy congested paths reminded me of being in the slums in the Philippines. Though they live in conditions that are unimaginable for some people, they have community that is unimaginable for some. That sense of community lights me up inside. Until next month Simone Pelle!

New Beginning

Yesterday morning we had our first birth in the clinic with Beth, Lisa, Stephanie and I. This was a birth of significance. Natasha has been in the prenatal program here at Heartline for most of her pregnancy. She has a special place in our hearts because of her circumstances in life. She has 5 children, 3 living with relatives, her 2 youngest living with her. She contracted HIV from the father of this baby. After becoming pregnant and finding out she had HIV she became very angry and wanted to abort the baby. She continued with the pregnancy with the decision to give her baby up for adoption. Towards the end of her pregnancy she began to develop acceptance of her situation in life. I only met her a couple weeks ago when arriving in Haiti. I had a soft spot in my heart for Natasha the day I met her. She is meek, has a smile full of crooked teeth, joy in her heart, and pain in her eyes. I was excited that she had the option of delivering in the clinic now that there are midwives here.

Monday night Stephanie and I were busy putting prenatal vitamins in pouches while watching tv shows on the computer when the guard told us that Natasha was here in labor. Stephanie checked Natasha while I informed Beth that she was here in labor. Beth and Lisa made there way over to the women's center in good time. Natasha was still in early labor so it gave us time to talk about the circumstances. Because there is the possibility of bodily fluids flying around during birth we need to be extra precautious handling birth with HIV. Also because Natasha had decided not to keep the baby, we needed to be sensitive to her emotional needs. Natasha stayed at the clinic overnight in early labor. Contractions got more intense in the morning. After a couple short pushes the baby was born around 9:30am. He gave a couple cries initially then calmly rested in my arms. Natasha had some problems with bleeding initially but did fine in the long run. She decided before the birth that she didn't want to see the baby. She wanted to know though if it was a boy or girl. A couple hours after birth she decided she wanted to see him. She held him for a while and gave him the name David. At the end of the day we took Natasha home and David to the baby home with Heartline Ministries.

I am still in awe of the significance of the birth. We are here for women like Natasha. I was so proud of Natasha for taking such good care of herself during the pregnancy and growing such a healthy baby. He weighed 8 lbs at birth. Please pray for Natasha and she adjusts to the reality of giving up a baby.

High Adventure

Over the weekend I traveled to Jacmel with Sarah Wallace, a friend from the Philippines. She was in the first midwifery class of Newlife in Davao City, Philippines. Sarah started an organization named Olive Tree Project (http://www.olivetreeprojects.com/) She had been in Port au Prince a few days getting some stuff done. It was great to see her and catch up. It has been 2 years since we have seen each other. Thursday night she got a call from a girl in her woman's program who was due to deliver. It sounded like she could possibly be in labor. Friday morning she said her pains were coming often. I was able to go so the both of us headed south east to Jacmel on public transit. After a 2 1/2 hour drive in the back of a packed van we arrived in Jacmel. From the transit station we hired motor bikes to Sarah's house. Jacmel is a beautiful part of Haiti, lush with trees and an amazing ocean line. After a quick lunch we headed out to Crismine's village. She lives in a 2 room cement house with dirt floors. Upon arriving we were greeted by a bunch of kids. There was much excitment in the air in anticipation of a new baby arriving. Crismine was lying on her bed smiling with a few older ladies around. This is Crismine's first pregnancy, she has had the opportunity to be at a few births in her life and felt pretty confident that she was going to do just fine. Crismine layed there quiet, grimacing slightly through contractions. Her mother was in the room and started telling us about how loud woman are in labor when it starts getting serious. She thought Crismine was still early in labor. After watching her we decided the same thing. We were planning to go home and get some rest thinking that we possibly could be up in the night at the birth. On our way out we stopped at another house of a girl Sarah delivered earlier this year. Crismine and the little girls went with us. It was great visiting with them and seeing how big and healthy this baby was that Sarah caught.
We got word that there was another woman that wanted to see us. When we arrived back at Crismine's house there was another girl there in labor, and she looked like she was going to deliver soon. She had come to one of Sarah's classes in April so Sarah had some information on her. Marie Anj had been in labor since the night before and looked like she was going to deliver sooner then later. So we stayed for her birth. She lived in the house next to Crismine.
It was great seeing how the older women acted around these girls in labor. They were excited and loud and joked with them. While waiting for the birth Sarah and I were served 2 coconuts each to drink from then eat. It was great, we were both feeling dehydrated. Every once in a while we'd go check on Marie Anj, she was in her house laboring on the floor. The ladies layed a blanket on the dirt floor for her to deliver on.

Sarah and I walked down the road to meet a friend who was bringing some supplies we forgot. When we got back to the Marie Anj's house a lady came out and said she was inside pushing. Marie Anj was semi-squatting on a cement block on the floor pushing. Here in Haiti it is customary for another woman to "hold" the woman during the delivery. Basically meaning having a woman being behind the one delivering supporting her. Within 10 minutes Marie Anj gave birth to a little girl. Everything went well with the birth. We stayed for a little while after the birth to make sure everything was going well. We were rushed out because of the weather. It was looking like it was going to rain. On our way back to Sarah's the rain came down hard enough for our bike drivers to decide to wait it out. We took shelter at the texaco station. It was crazy, instantly like 100 haitian's crowded there for shelter.

I really wanted to take a picture but haitians are pretty sensitive towards foreigners taking random pictures. Fortunately there was a haitian guy we overheard saying he wished he could take a picture of the scene cause he thought it was picture worthy. I gave him my camera and he took a couple shots. It was great! When the rain died down we made it back to Sara's for some cards and then off to sleep. About 30 minutes after falling asleep Sarah got a phone call from Crismine's sister saying her water broke. So we got up to head back to her house. A missionary friend of Sarah's came over to drive us. On the way there Sarah got another call from Crismine's sister to say that she already delivered. We were pretty bummed to miss out on the birth. We arrived about 20 minutes later to Crismine's house. There were probably 10 women in the small room surrounding Crismine's bed. Crismine was laying there with a big smile on her face with her baby boy at her side. All the ladies were bubbling with excitment from the activities of the day. Sarah checked Chrismine and the baby, both were well. We went home and back to sleep. On Saturday we went back and check on the moms and their new babies. Everyone was doing fine. It was great to see how Sarah has made relationships with these families. They all love her. I was blessed to get to be a part of it. Sunday Sarah traveled back with me to Port au Prince. I will for sure go back to Jacmel to visit her before returning to the states in December. Crismine is pictured on the left and Marie Anj on the right.

Breech Taxi Birth

This last week while on shift we had a memorable birth. The four of us working, Lois, Medea, Jane, and I arrived on shift at 6:00am. We had our first birth just after 7am. Unfortunately the baby wasn't responding well to life on the outside and we had to transport him to the hospital for further care. While that was happening I heard some commotion outside the clinic but didn't really clue into what was going on until 3 women ran into the clinic screaming in pure panic. I realized that that probably meant that a women was delivering in a taxi outside of the clinic. I grabbed gloves and tools for a birth and headed out the door. When I got outside of the clinic I saw Laura in the back of the taxi assisting the mother. She had just gotten off of night shift and heard the taxi from our house and came over to help. I stuck my head in the taxi and was horrified to see that the baby was breech and the body was already delivered and the head was stuck inside. Laura was trying to deliver the head but wasn't able too. Susan (one of our filipina midwives) came down from the 3rd floor of the clinic to help. Laura and her were able to deliver the head. We resuscitated the baby in the taxi on the mother and he came around pretty quick. His first cry was loud and powerful as if he was saying, "I am ALIVE!!" By that point there was quite a crowd around the taxi. It seemed as if everyone at the same time sighed in relief when he started crying. We brought the mother and baby into the clinic to continue caring for them. Later the mother told us her birth story. She said she woke up that morning in pain but wasn't expecting the baby to come for another couple of weeks so she wasn't really convinced that she was in labor. Then in her bathroom her water broke and she could feel the baby coming down. At that point they hopped in a taxi and headed to our clinic. The baby started coming out on the way to the clinic. For those of you who know Davao she said that the body was already out by the time they passed fairlanes. Her friend who came with her also had a 2 month old baby which she brought with her. She said she was holding her baby in one arm and the half delivered baby in the other. Everyone involved was happy and relieved with the ending. This story could of been a devastating one, yet God protected this little boy. He even brought the extra hands we needed to help.
This picture is of Laura and the baby. He was born frank breech meaning that while still in utero his legs were straight up leaving his feet next to his face. After frank breech babies are born they are kind of awkward. They find it unnatural to bend there knees. Breech babies also have a swollen bruised bottom from the birth process. This little boy was most comfortable laying on his side with his legs straight out in a 90 degree angle. He was so cute. The next day Lois and I were mimicking him for fun laying in that position and saying, "Who am I?"

Oh the rain!

Over the past week we have had some substantial weather. The rains have come to Davao. A few days ago I was riding a motor bike to the store to buy groceries. It takes about 5 minutes on bike to get to the store from where we live. About halfway there the rain started pouring down and it came fast. My driver and I were stuck, the only thing we could do was to continue straight ahead. When we got to the store we were both soaked. I was very thankful I was wearing a black shirt cause I still needed to shop. When rain like this comes the city floods in a matter of minutes. Davao does not have good drainage. Our neighborhood in particular is one of the worst. It is very common to have standing water midway up to your knee after an evening down pour. It makes life a little more of an adventure here, especially if you are out stuck somewhere. Life most of the time gets put on hold until the rain stops cause transportation is very hard to find.

As far as clinic news goes, seasons are changing around here. We are having a midwifery class graduate at the end of this month. It is exciting seeing another class reach completion. Are other students who are now half way through their training are going on their 1 month break in the next couple of months. So many girls are leaving, some are coming back and a new school will be starting this August. During the summer months when we have so many girls leaving, we invite midwifery students from the states to come and intern at Mercy. We have 6 women coming to help out during the summer months. The first two will arrive at the end of this month.

I am also excited to update you about baby Kian. He came into the clinic for a check up this last week and he is already finished his corrective cast therapy. He only needed 2 casts to correct his foot. His doctor said the club foot was postural. This is great news. He should be fine from now on.

I'm Back!

Hello everyone!
I am back to blogging after taking a long break, too long actually. I apologize for not keeping you updated on what has been going on in the Philippines. Below are various entrees that I have failed to post. Hope you enjoy!

Anita

In the past few months I have had the opportunity to catch a few babies. Anita though is a different story. I first met Anita in 2006 when I was her midwife with her first baby. We bonded through the birth and postpartum of her first baby Rexan. When I found out she was pregnant again and was having her prenatals at Mercy I jumped at the chance to be her midwife again. It was great to see her again and continue the relationship. One of my favorite things about being a midwife is getting to care for a woman through multiple pregnancies. Knowing a woman’s history helps in giving her excellent care. The challenging thing about committing to being with a woman when she delivers in being on-call. Especially in cases when she waits until the last minute to come into the clinic. This was the case with Anita. She came in and delivered within 5 minutes of arriving. And it just happened to be on a morning that I was out. My friend Laura and I were at a 5k fun run. Within 5 minutes of finishing the race I received a text saying Anita was in labor and to come fast. Then 2 minutes later I received another text saying that she already delivered. It was a bummer, but I was happy to have finished to race before getting the text. It would have been worse to have to quit the race and still not be there for the birth. Laura and I headed back to the clinic and I helped finish up the care after birth. Anita had a little girl this time around. She is so adorable!

Miracle Baby

Like Anita some women time their births perfectly, meaning come in with little time to spare before their babe emerges. Inday was the same way. She came in around 4 in the morning on one of the busier night shifts. We already had 3 deliveries that night making me next up to take care of the next women coming into the clinic in labor. She came in calm but hasty to make to a bed. I could tell that she was ready to deliver. In these cases you try to get as much information in the little time you have before the baby is born. I like to be a part of these births. It is exciting! Almost like a race. Well after a couple pushes she delivered a healthy baby boy. Startled by the cry of a new baby, one of the other midwives hallered from the other side of the birth room, “Jonna did you just have a birth?” I said yep! The other girls didn’t hear her come in. When the placenta came out I was shocked at what I saw. In rare cases the umbilical cord can connect into the membranes instead of the meaty part of the placenta.

This is very dangerous to the baby. When the bag of waters breaks it can tear into one of the blood vessels. If this happens the baby can bleed out in a matter of minutes and die. Luckily for this baby the membranes broke on the other side of the placenta. We thanked God for keeping this baby safe. He is a miracle baby!

Fabie Students

Over the past couple months we have had we have had Filipino midwifery students from a local college (Fabie Midwifery college) intern at Mercy. Monday through Saturday they would rotate working day and night shifts. We have had Fabie girls intern at our clinic in the past but it has been a couple of years. I wasn’t too excited about the idea of having them come. When I was a student we had some intern and I didn’t have the best experience with them. But to my surprise I really enjoyed having them with us the last couple of months. It is a great opportunity to give back to the Filipino midwifery community by teaching local students. Our clinic is different from the birth experience they get in the hospital.

Also by being a part of our team they are exposed too so much more then just midwifery. We regularly pray together as staff between shifts and have devotionals together before clinic. Also they have the opportunity to pray for patients or at least be present when patients are being prayed for. All the girls that came to intern seemed to really enjoy themselves.

Dead Shifts

When coming on shift in the birth room you really don’t know what to expect to what the 8 hours will hold. At times it starts out crazy then dies down mid-shift. Other times it’s the opposite. There are also times where you are endorsed an empty birth room and nothing happens for the 8 hours you work. What do you do? Well I guess there are a lot of things you can do to keep yourselves entertained for hours. On this swing shift we decided to have a book reading where we all took turns reading out loud to each other.

We read The House on Mango Street. It is a book of memoirs of a tweenage latino girl living in a latino community in Chicago. It is a quick read and was a great way to pass the evening hours on our swing shift

Baby Kian

When working a night shift you have to be mentally prepared for anything. It could mean that you will be running around all night or you might have the luxury of sleeping all night. You never know. A few weeks ago I was about ready to go on night shift. I felt pretty good, was in a pleasant mood, relaxed. Then one of the girls mentioned to me that there were 5 labors at the clinic. My eyes got real wide and my adrenals started pumping adrenaline into my veins. I though wow, it is going to be one of those kinds of nights. One thing that I fall back on to keep my sanity is chanting to myself, “It is only 8 hours. I can do anything for 8 hours.” So I headed over to the clinic ready to accept the challenge of the night. The first women delivered even before endorsements were over. Two more were transported for high blood pressure by midnight. Since there are only for midwives working and 5 women in labor I decided to watch 2 of them. Jean was one of the 2 ladies. She seemed close to having her baby, or at least I hoped she was close cause she was not able to handle the pain. She was in labor with her first baby and seemed terrified. Her husband was really great at encouraging her. Thankfully I was right with my assumption and she delivered not to long after that. She had a handsome little boy. Not to long after the birth we noticed that his left foot was clubbed. Jean was devastated. Babies who are born here with disabilities do not always get the care they need. Especially the women we serve are poor, and even though they want the best for their babies, it is not an option most of the time. I referred the baby to a pediatrician we work with for an evaluation. He referred the baby to an orthopedic surgeon. When Jean came in for her 1-week checkup I was shocked to see the baby with a full-leg cast. Baby’s bones are soft, by putting his foot in a cast they are able to manipulate the bones into a correct place. So for now Kian will be put in a new cast every week until his foot has been corrected.

We praise God for making a way to correct his foot. It is common to see adults here walking around on uncorrected club feet. I am thankful that Kian will not have to deal with this disability later in life. Another praise is that the casts are being put on for free at the government hospital here in Davao.

Home For Christmas

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Hey all! I am home in Oregon for Christmas! I arrived 4 days ago and have been having a ton of fun. This was actually a surprise visit home. I didn't tell my mother about it so she was very shocked when she saw me. This is a video of my mother's surprise! Enjoy