furaha na uzima.

Wed – 9/2/11 - 1 delivery - Habiba Mbunga – 29 years old - G4 P3 L1 –SVD of live female infant (Amelia) at 12:45PM BWT 2.5KG APGAR 7/9.

I’ve only ever seen one other mother be so outwardly joyous after the birth of her child. In my experience, it’s very rare to see an African woman express or show emotion after giving birth. We have been taught to place the baby skin to skin on the mother’s belly right after delivery –which isn’t something they practice at the hospital here—and it’s always so interesting to watch the mother’s reaction. By then they are exhausted and mostly just relieved to have survived the painful process of giving birth, but they show no interest in touching or holding their baby. I don’t know whether that is normal or not, but we always encourage them to touch their baby by taking their arm and having them hold on to their newborn as we clamp and cut the cord. That is the most beautiful moment of a delivery. For a few seconds you get to enjoy the relief and excitement with the mother of having successfully brought new life into the world. Pure bliss. And pride.  

Anyways, this delivery was such an honor to be a part of. As is frequently the case, the mother’s card was missing with all of her information on it.  I asked for her name, age, how many pregnancies, how many children. This was her fourth pregnancy and she only had one living child. Of course that immediately indicated to me that there were risk factors involved. I prayed and prayed and monitored her closely for about half an hour until she gave birth. Fetal heart had been a bit low so I was concerned. Another delivery was taking place at exactly the same time on the other side so I did most of the delivery on my own. A girl! She wasn’t crying very well when she first came out but her general condition was good. We used the bulb suction to clear her nose and throat before Jen took her away to weigh and monitor. The mother was so pleased. She held on to her baby and was smiling and grateful. I delivered her placenta and her perineum was intact! Praise the Lord. She was eager to get off the bed and quickly sat up as soon as I finished cleaning her up. She stood up, got dressed and packed up her things. I had to ask her to sit down one more time just so I could take her vitals! After having lost two babies, I think she was especially grateful and overjoyed to have a healthy newborn. A proud mother of two! One boy, and now a girl. I named her Amelia. One of the most gorgeous babies I’ve ever seen. It was an honor to share in the joy of such an amazing gift with a mother who was clearly aware of how sacred and wonderful new life is.