Night shift: catch #20

I had night shift last night. It was kind of lovely. I love walking to nightshift. In the tropical evenings. Its never really cold, even if its raining. But walking alone after dark feels wonderful. Its like, a moment where I can really feel the Lord with me. Mmm… 

So I made my way out of my neighborhood to the street to catch a jeepney. I guy stopped by and said the name of the street I was going to! Apparently he knows us already. His route is perfectly timed that he must often pick up the white girls going to night shift at our clinic. I hopped in, gave him my pesos, and sat there waiting to be dropped off at the corner by our clinic. 

I walked into the clinic to see all the midwives were not in sight in the normal area where we wait for stuff to happen, sit doing paperwork, eat between working, or sleep on night shift (on the couches). I was actually hoping for a little shut-eye myself. I went and changed into my scrubs and got into the birthroom to hear a little baby making his first cry after coming into the world! I asked what time the baby was out so I could write it up on our board. Baby out at 9:35pm… Something along those lines anyways. 

I sat down so we could talk about the patients who had given birth on the previous shift and learned that I was 2nd up to catch a baby (if we have a labor come in, she goes to the 1st up, and if a 2nd labor came in, she would be mine). 

An active labor came in around midnight. The midwife took care of her patient, I slept a bit. We had lots of help on our shift! Two births before mine (because a midwife who wasn’t on shift had a personal continuity patient deliver). Then my labor came in. 

She walked in smiling. But she had the look of experience about her. When she sat down, her uterus tensed up, changing shape, narrowed at the top, as it contracted strongly. The guard brought me her chart as I told her to go pee and wash in the restroom. G4. Alright. I took her to the bed and checked her vitals. All normal. IE: Fully dilated with slight amount of anterior cervix, IBOW (intact bag of waters), VERY bulgy, the head was low, coming. I asked my supervisor to recheck due to the cervix, and she was already fully. No more cervix. Her contraction pattern had already slowed down from strong contractions every 3 minutes lasting for one minute. I felt she was in resting phase. Her body was getting ready to push. I prepared the birth cart, got her husband to come in and sign the waiver, gloved up, and we waited. She quickly started spontaneously and naturally bearing down and pushing with her contractions. Slight opening, lots of BOW visible. My supervisor asked me to do AROM (artificial rupture of membranes). It broke easily with a little pinch of my fingers. Moderate meconium staining. A sign of distress for the kiddo. But my assist checked the fetal heart tones immediately. A little high… But this baby was coming. Head out less than one minute after AROM. Shoulders a little sticky, as I reached in and encouraged the mother to push again. Baby out. Baby boy! He was a little blue and floppy at first, but let out a little cry. We wiped his face. He perked up. And we gave a little free flow oxygen. Happy baby. Happy parents. Mama bled about 250cc right after birth. Nothing to crazy, at least not for what we are used to (the mom at my last birth had a 770cc hemorrhage). She was firm throughout the immediate postpartum period. Baby breastfed well (hallelujah!). All in all, a successful birth! Number 20. 

I walked home. A nice cool day in the tropics. Put some sheets over the windows. Crashed. I slept until 2:30pm! I never do that… Even after night shift. 

When I woke up, the day was ending on the other side of the world… Where I found out that, as the clock struck midnight, a friend of mine was having a birthday! I told him, since my baby was technically born on his birthday, it was in his honor. Someone is sharing his birthday with you now Scotty! An adorable little Filipino boy. And my hands were the first to touch him. How special. Bless him, and let him have a wonderful life. Let him live not of this world, but be of the kingdom of heaven. Let him love Jesus with all his heart, mind, and strength. Because thats all we have worth living for. 

Thats all. Goodnight loves.  


Also, some pictures for your enjoyment!

The baby of some friends' helper

 My first catch back! #19

 Checking the fetal heart tones (FHT) with my fetoscope

 How cute is she!?

Rechelle 

Joyful (Joy) with a baby whose mother was transported to the hospital. 

Well, thats my life! 

Back in the Phils! Baby catching year 2

Well, hey there! Its me here, Lindz. I've been back here in the Philippines for almost 3 weeks now. I have to say, as much as last year was a challenge for me, I am so please to be back here! It was really hard for me to leave home. It was really comfortable to be home with family and friends, and I cannot express how much joy it brought me to be with some of the most influential, loving, transparent, gospel loving people I have ever met! It was great being back in the fold of the Table Community for excellent church services, hugging friends babies, and feeling babies in the tummies of my dear friends!
It was awesome being exhorted, challenged, and encouraged by my friends and pastors. Being totally transparent about how I am and how my year was. I was for sure happy to be with some of my most favorite people and celebrate some weddings, graduations, and babies with you all!! I am only sad the time was so short. I wish it could have been longer, because I missed seeing some people that I really wanted to spend time with!

Well, transitioning on to the Philippines. The last three weeks have been really nice. Getting back into the groove has proven to be a pretty natural process. I mean, I by no means have graduated to being ready to midwife on my own or anything, BUT it feels good to be with women again, and catching their babies is of course, one of my all time favorite things to do! As far as school goes... Well uhh... Lets just say it has always been a challenge for me to hit the books. I am generally a last minute kind of girl, which so far has gotten me a little behind. Something I have been praying a lot about, asking God whats up with my attitude, and why is is SO hard for me to get a lot of work done until I am right up against a deadline! Well, He is working on it. Challenging me in that, among other things. So if you think about it, pray for me! I am definitely in need of support of that kind!

Aside from my continuing academic challenges, I feel like year two is shaping up to be a good year for me! I will be a 2nd year midwife here, and I feel like have really come through the most challenging aspects of cultural adjustments. I feel much more comfortable and at ease with getting around the city, with the language. Which, my Visayan is sucky at best but it can still get me through a prenatal, birth, and postpartum. In fact, I just recently learned the word for dewormer and I am pretty excited about it! Now I can effectively tell women why I am giving them the little white pill with one quick word, instead of a ton of other explaining and hand motions!! HAHA. Anyways, yes I am excited about this year. I am expectant for God to do amazing things in my life, and the lives of others!

This last Saturday was pretty fun! I caught my first baby since coming back to the Philippines! It was a sweet G5 mama and she had a beautiful little 6lbs 15oz girl! SO fun! The birth was kind of interesting. I've never been so nervous for a catch in my life actually! I was concerned maybe I would forget everything or something. But it was fine. She started to give birth in a side laying position, which was fine for when the head came out, until I had a heck-of-a-time trying to get the rest baby out that way, so she rolled onto her back and I got her out (I'll have to work on that maneuver later!). Then sweet little Rechelle was born! It was right around 2:15pm (the beginning of my shift), so I got to spend the rest of the evening taking care of them and then discharging her. She hemorrhaged around 700cc at birth, then continued bleeding for about an hour postpartum. We gave some pitocin in an IM (intramuscular injection) and then an IV of NS (normal saline) + 20 units of Pit incorporated to help to restore her fluid volume and contract her uterus to stop the bleeding. I really enjoyed the patient! She did great with breastfeeding, and even breastfed a baby whose mother was transported to the hospital for a bad hemorrhage! What a great mother :)

After that, I had prenatal clinic on Monday, where I took 2 continuity patients! I will do all their prenatal care from now until birth, be at the births (if all goes according to plan), and then provide postpartum care visits as well. One of the patients was a 15-year old G1 who speaks almost no Visayan and lots of English! The other patient was a G2 and happens to be the bookkeeper at our clinic. Super fun! I will probably get to see her way beyond her baby's birth!

Well with that, I should go and get some work done on my Intrapartum assignment! My studies await! Ciao!

Also, if you have a chance, please check out my tumblr! I posted some information about infant and maternal mortality, some things about midwifery, and some great pictures too!  Its kind of like a creative outlet for me, and also an educational tool for maternal and infant mortality, and why midwifery is such an important and growing job throughout the world! I hope you all enjoy it!

Midwife Life