This is My Weird Life: 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!