Busy Birth Room.....the academic side of ministry....

Greetings! This is last night's board. Yes, I had the privilege of working night shift and had a great time working with Carmen, Ate Ermie, Serena, Jenny and Rochelle. We definitely had work to do....no sleep, little rest, but healthy babies and happy ones, too!

This is the beautiful baby Jenny delivered at 11:04 pm....his momma was washing up and he needed to be held...I was resting and Jenny just plopped this little boy into my arms....he's really 'gwapo'....handsome.
And this is little John Mark Jr. with his delivering midwife, Rochelle...she is an intern and great midwife who is currently living in Costa Rica....just following the Lord's call wherever He desires for her and her family to go. I have so enjoyed getting to know Rochelle and her heart....she is a fantastic midwife and I was blessed to assist in her delivery of this beautiful boy! I wish she was staying longer than 5 weeks....I am really enjoying the assisting part of the birth.....I love that I am being taught these days...and by such great teachers like Rochelle, Ate Ermie and Ate Susan.

Little John Mark Jr. arrived at 11:01 pm....and between the two cubicles of baby 11:01 and baby 11:04, our supervisor, Ermie, was getting a work-out! It was a heavy, but great night and Ate Ermie delivered one more on this shift, too, all by herself....a baby girl....it was a tough birth and I got to be the gopher for that one.
Before my night shift, this was the sight from our apartment......the camera couldn't picture just how beautiful this was....but you get an idea....I love the sunsets here.....

And this is Josandre....the little muffin was born on my day shift Thursday morning. Again, I had the privilege of working with Rochelle and assisting in Tes' beautiful boy's birth.

And here is the lot of us.....Tes was a fantastic patient and though she tore and needed to be sutured, she was such a trooper.....she said that she needed to be strong because her bana (hubby) couldn't be there and wouldn't be able to see his son until October 17th! She said that she was going to be strong for him....we cried. She was beautiful. And ya know....

sometimes the mood of a certain shift is determined by the supervisor on duty...and I must say that Thursday's day shift was so peaceful, joyful, and full of grace because of this lady pictured above....This is Ate Susan....she is an INCREDIBLE teacher and an INCREDIBLE supervisor. Yes, she is holding a very WHITE plastic baby....Ahhh. (She was teaching me how to deep suction)

She spent a great deal of time with me Thursday morning teaching me all the ins and outs of assisting at a birth....from start to finish using all kinds of situations....I had already assisted in 6 births, but there was so much I wanted to learn. So Ate Susan taught me how to properly wrap the baby, deep suction (a tricky, but necessary action when the baby has thick meconium in its lungs or up its nose), and reminded me of all the things an assistant needs to remember in order to bless the delivering midwife. I was so grateful for her help and her compassion on me.....she is so approachable and easy to talk to .....she never makes you feel stupid or inept. She gently corrects on the spot when needed and points out the things that were done correctly. Her feedback is invaluable and I really appreciate her as a teacher. I feel so blessed to work under her, learn from her, and enjoy her quick wit, gorgeous smile and deep, deep love for the Lord. She makes my experience here a joy even in the hardest of times. God is faithful.

So that's been my week....I might've failed to mention the last post...I got an A on my first exam and I am busy working on the next assignment....please keep me in your prayers, I want to do well....God has been good. I am tired, but good....weary, but God has been really merciful to me.

Next post will be part 2 of Tim's journey, so stay tuned! Our internet has been down the last few days, but obviously it's back on, so he will be posting shortly!

Many blessings to you all!