RENEW Haiti: First Baby

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".