"Pooky Walnut Brazilia Jo-Jo"

Greetings! Pictured above is my dear continuity, April Lou. At 19, she was so nervous about having a baby. She was due November 22 and this passed Wednesday, I met her for a prenatal exam and discovered that she was having minor contractions. Concerned that she might be heading into labor early, I encouraged her to get an ultrasound immediately to make sure she was actually due November 22 and not earlier. At 34 weeks, she is not allowed to birth at Mercy Maternity as we are not allowed to handle extreme prematurity. We just do not have the equipment and supplies.

I came home from prenatals with an ear infection and head cold, tired and weary, Tim and I ran some errands......then at 4:30 pm, I got a text from the birth room....April was in active labor and needed to be transported to the hospital! Obviously she never made it to the ultrasound appointment.

Concerned, I hopped on a motorbike and told the driver to take me to DMC as fast as he could....well...he did....extremely fast ("pas-pas kaayo") and I made it in one piece to Davao Medical Center. She was crying and in full active labor. She was scared, but so strong and brave. We prayed and asked Jesus to help her.

I stayed with her in the emergency room for hours...she labored intensely, but tried not to make a sound to disturb the people around her! The place was packed with all sorts of crazy emergency patients and there she was - laboring for her baby in the middle of it all.

Sweating buckets and crying together, we hung out until they wheeled her to the delivery area....then they kicked me out saying I wasn't allowed to accompany her....I had to leave her to labor alone. I cried.

Then her boyfriend and aunt showed up and after filling them in on the situation, I headed home to wait for news.....

At 1:30 am, I got a text on my phone stating that April had delivered a FULL TERM baby boy...perfectly healthy. I was overjoyed....and disappointed that I had to work the day shift the next day so that I couldn't see her until after 2 pm!

But....Tim and I raced to DMC after my shift with fruits and gifts in hand for April.
And here we are.....she is such a trooper! While her 7 lb muffin has no name as of yet, he is as cute as can be and she is grateful that the Lord sustained her throughout her totally natural delivery! She is tired, but so happy that her son is strong and finally here.

Needless to say, this week has been super, oober busy......my birth shift earlier this week was just the beginning of the buzz....

This little guy was born on my night shift on Monday....he has EXTREMELY strong lungs....and came like a torpedo out of his momma. He has the cutest dimples I'd ever seen on a newborn, so I took a picture of him only to realize that he had just changed facial expressions and the dimples disappeared. Alas, here's the handsome boy.

Monday's night shift was HILARIOUS! I was working with my teaching supervisor, Jonna, Ate Ermie, Josephine, and Jes. After transporting a woman right at shift change for extreme hemorrhage, we decided to spend some time caring for her baby girl. Somewhat orphaned because of her mother's loss of blood and need to be transported, we cared for this little one and even gave her a name.

Yes, because she was WAY bigger than a peanut (weighing over 8 pounds!) and had some serious anger issues (we understood under the present circumstances), we named her "Pooky Walnut Brazilia Jo-Jo".....then we called Naomi (one of the other students here who has two kids, one of which is still breastfeeding) and had her feed.

But that was just the beginning of a very bizarre shift. Soon after, we had a 16 year-old come in 2 cm dilated and in early labor, but because of her age and her expression of concern for labor, we kept her in the clinic to labor with us.

Wow....she was absolutely crazy! She labored as if she were going to DIE....beating her bana (husband or boyfriend....we weren't sure which it was)..literally BEATING and hitting and yelling at her bana who graciously catered to her every need. We were shocked and tried to comfort her as best we could.

But then she made a bee line for the door wanting to go home...yeah...wanting to go home in labor....not a good idea.

So after 6 hours of grueling labor and us midwives trying to keep her comfortable, our supervisor did another internal exam to see if she was progressing and would you believe it....she was only 3 cm! ARGH!

She was technically "my" patient (meaning I got to do all the checks and assist in the birth, but Jonna would deliver the baby), so I stayed with her as they inserted into her an IV and then transported her to the hospital only to find out there that she had rubbed a lotion on her belly that was to stimulate contractions! ! NOT GOOD! Her chances of uterine rupture were very high with the use of this lotion! Naughty patient!

Needless to say......they washed her belly and I think she may have needed a C-section....crazy.....

Anyways, never a dull moment here....just turned in my second homework assignment and then I have the big exam on Monday...please be praying....this one is particularly tough for me...all about the hormones and all the parts of the placenta....embryonics....that kinda stuff. Thank you for your prayers!

As it stands, I need only one more assist before I start delivering babies, but I am feeling like I might wait a bit longer as I have been humbled by the sheer responsibility of delivering a new life into the world. My teachers have been great and I am feeling more and more confident in the birth room.

Missing the Fall of Vancouver and my mom these days....but looking forward to a month of visitors coming in November....some friends of another student are staying with us for a week, then Lois' parents and then finally.....UNCLE BOB AND SYLVIA!!!! I am sooo looking forward to seeing our dearest friends ever. God is faithful to bring us precious gifts when we are in need.

Be blessed and please continue to comment! Tim's got lots to share next post! :)