Well, I just got well enough to go back to work today, and Prudence calls me to let me know we have a mom about to give birth at the Clinic!!!!
We don't 'do' births at the Clinic - we usually send them to the main Hospital in town - Justinien - or wherever the family wants to go.
But every once in awhile there are emergencies. Today was one of them. Mom, Nella (Nay-la), came into the Clinic this morning to get a Letter of Reference to go to Justinien to have the baby, but when Prudence saw her she knew she wouldn't make it into town on a Tap-tap - the baby would probably be born ON the Tap-tap.
So, they set her up in the still-yet-to-be-used-on-a-regular-basis Mother-Baby House.
I got there within a few minutes - Marthe, who is a midwife, (she's also Doctor Rodney's mother) was there. And I got to 'assist'!!!
Mom wasn't *too* interested in pushing - not really - this is her second - but she was still not really doing that much work? We kept encouraging her to PUSH!!! Baby was in the canal - we could see his/her head...she was more interested in scootching around on the bed, and crying out to Jesus, and flailing her arms around then PUSHING...
As far as birth's go I don't think it was too bad/painful - towards the end she got a little more vocal - but she was pretty relaxed up until that point...asked for a Tampico juice drink and sat up to drink it! I said - well, now, I know - Tampico gives you strength!!!
She had a beautiful Baby Boy at 9:55am. I was able to suction him out, cut his cord, lay him skin to skin with Momma, help him feed, and assist in getting him cleaned up and weighed. Put a cute little outfit on him and took him through the Clinic. He doesn't have a name yet - so I just put "Garçon" on the top of the paper - "Boy".
So there you have it!!! :D Here are just a few more pics to tell the story :D
Started off seeing kids in the morning. Had a couple I put in the food program - BUT as we HAVE food in the Depot - this was WONDERFUL!!! And, Lord willing - we will have food for a while!!!
A new project number was just approved to be able to raise money for the Clinic to have funds to get Plumpy'Nut directly from the supplier as the World Food Program has been unreliable in providing food and providing adequate amounts of food.
To give to this project you can go to One Mission Society. The page will look like this: Give a gift of $ to
Select what you wish to give, and the amount, and enter 408048 in the 'to' box!!!
On a sad note, a lady in the local on-campus church who's son has been in the hospital for awhile passed away yesterday at the age of 40, leaving 4 children, and a wife. She was at my house this morning with her husband before 8 asking Erica for help, crying and praying together.
As soon as I got to work I had a patient who I'd helped with rent just last week - they pay a lump some once a year - he already had 2/3rds of the money - come and tell me that his 11 y.o. son had just died in the Hospital yesterday :( he needed money to make a coffin...I didn't think I had anything to give, but as I prayed silently as he told me the story, I realized that I still had some tithe money left - and I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to give it to this man.
Once I came back from getting the money, I had a talk with one of the pastor's on staff - Pastor Daniel, to verify the story and the need. It was as I had been told.
Today I learned more about Ronel then I had known before. I knew that he had something wrong with his foot, because he's on crutches, and the foot turns in badly and is open and weeping until we bandage it for him - about once a week. What I did not know was that up until three years ago he was a mason. It was then that he fell off a roof and broke his back - they didn't know at first that is what he had done - apparently the X-rays didn't show anything. It was unclear to me exactly how long he was without proper medical attention. Eventually the break was found and a metal rod was inserted in his back - which is very visible - a miracle that he is not a paraplegic! He said that when it first happened his hands just hung at his sides - useless...eventually he was able to use them again. He has lost the ability to wiggle his toes on his left foot, and his right foot turns in badly and is the one that has brought him to us.
The accident with his right foot happened a little over two years ago and I was not able to get details on that.
Today, before I just gave him the money I spoke with him, about a lot of things but in particular - dependency - and just because I am 'white' does NOT mean I am rich; and just because I've been able to help him out the past two times does NOT mean I will always be able to do so. That he needed to see if the church could help him, this was part of it's responsibility. He said he understood - which I've gotten a lot - from other people...and then they show back up at your door fifteen times...but this time? This time was different...as I listened to him tell me how he knew he couldn't keep asking and how that even when Dr. Rodney offered to put him on Indigent care to help pay for his visits to the Clinic he had refused - feeling he needed to pay...I felt encouraged to be helping and felt as though I wasn't adding to a problem...
I asked him if he was saved, and where he went to church. He began to explain that he was a Christian and that everything that happens to us has to pass through the hand of God. (Remember he's just lost his son.) I asked if he knew how to read? or had a Bible? He said he could read, a lot - but didn't have a Bible. I asked if he listened to Radio 4VEH - One Mission Society's Christian Radio Station. He said that he could listen from time to time if he happened to visit a neighbor's house who had a radio - but not all the time. I felt impressed to get him a Radio. My first thought was that maybe the team from Greenwood, may still have a few left over and could give me one - but a few texts revealed they had none. Another idea was to ask Met Son (director of radio distribution) if he had any - a phone call revealed he was in a meeting. THEN I remembered that we do have some Radios at the Clinic to give out on a discretionary basis. I told him to please wait and started a search. I found Dr. Rodney and asked him - but he said they'd all been given out! Undeterred and stayed in his office imploring him to think if there was ANYWHERE we might have ONE? He thought maybe we *might* have a few in the Depot? He called Magda and Magda and I had a look...and...sure enough there was one!!! (or two or three? I don't know - she just pulled one out for me :D)
Delighted I walked back to the room Ronel was waiting in and presented him with a pre-tuned Radio with the New Testament in Creole! I explained to him how it worked! He broke into a BIG smile - lifted his hands to Heaven and thanked the Lord.
I had Magda take a picture - and even though it may not *look* it - he WAS grateful!!
All of this took place BEFORE noon!!!
When I was to drive to the beach with the team...get some mountain driving experience!!! To get to the beach though, one was to drive through town...always a bit nerve wracking...even for experienced drivers!!! Never mind ones like ME who are just learning a manual!!! Tap-taps, people, motorcycles all OVER the place...
We did make it - even with the Tap-Tap that was loaded to the GROUND in front of us! Every once in a while it would stop - and two or three people would squeeze out and then it was like a vacuum *schloop* two or three would be sucked in..but it STILL looked just as loaded on the outside!!!
Amos let me drive *almost* the whole way - there was one stretch up the mountain where the road was more riverbed than road so he took over but it was only for a very short while and then he let me take over again :D
And it was worth it!
Team enjoying some sun :D after getting some 'water-time'
The team had already had lunch but some of us hadn't so we cheeseburgers and fries!!! A real treat! PLUS when we went to pay...instead of it being the usual $10/person to get on the beach it was only $5! Amos joked and said it was because I was a 'bel blanc' - beautiful white (person)!
Leonie - one of the translators for this team, Amos - my PATIENT driving instructor, and Erica - friend and housemate :D
The drive home was almost as hectic as coming in - I DID get to do the whole thing myself though :D Traffic was still a bear as school had just gotten out - so lots of kids, and motorcycle taxis, and Tap-taps, there was a School bus in front of us for a good portion of the way through town that was JAM packed! Standing room only..with the back door swinging open and shut to let people on as needed...I don't know what music was being played over the sound system but the guys in the back were REALLY into it and jumping up and down all OVER the place!!!
We got home in just over an hour. Safe and sound - Thank you, JESUS! And found another surprise: dinner at the Holiday House! The family that was supposed to be on schedule had inadvertently double booked with their 'date-night' so...we got to get in one last meal with the team!!! Wahoo!!!
Amos gave me a 90% 'grade' on the overall return trip and said I was now free to drive 'alone' where-ever I pleased!!! Hallelujah!!! Thank you, Lord!
As I was leaving the Holiday House, I saw another friend who's wife recently passed away due to complications from a beating she had received when thieves broke into their house earlier this summer. Thinking he was here to ask for money again, I tried to steel myself. Instead? he simply wished to thank me sincerely for everything that I had done to help him. And that everything had been taken care of. That his kids were in school, that he'd been able to get the money for them and they were continuing in their education. Again, Praise the Lord!!!
At this point in my day - 6:30ish I was pretty much all tired out and ready for bed? But, not a chance - it was chick-flick with the Singles at House 10 - and we watched "While You Were Sleeping!" Thanks to Matt and Stacey - fellow missionaries who have a 'plethora' of movies that I was just able to delve into!
So, got to end this day with a bit more fun packed in the end...my day resembles the Tap-tap - Jam-packed...so now? I am heading to bed!!!
.JPG)
