married life and new life

On Tuesday, we were coming back from lunch when one of the student doctors ran out to the hall and asked Jenny to come and help her with a delivery. She seemed really terrified and unsure of herself so we were able to support her and provided good care for the mother.

 Aside from assisting in this delivery, I spent the entire day monitoring and caring for a primi mother who was having intense and regular contractions but not progressing. Once she was fully dilated, she began pushing but was literally unable to push the baby out. Fetal skull had some overlapping and a large capput and there were signs of distress. After an entire hour of this, the doctors came and cut an episiotomy that was at least 2 inches but even then she struggled to get the baby out. I was able to stay with her throughout the whole process and miraculously, her baby boy ended up being fine. I’m sure she must have had a misshapen pelvis or something. Maybe marginal cpd? Near the end when I went to check on her one more time, she grabbed my hand and started to cry saying, “thank you madam” over and over again. She spoke very broken English, but she explained that she had been married for four years without being able to get pregnant and that she had been fighting with her mother-in-law over it. She was relieved and overjoyed to have a healthy, living baby boy. By that point I was so exhausted and emotional that I couldn’t stop myself from crying either. I was so blessed to be able to share in her journey and assist in the delivery.

Wednesday I assisted a student nurse with a delivery – tiny mother, no tearing, beautiful little girl 

jane.

taking blood pressures post delivery

Maheshwari

 Maheshwari – 21yrs old –  SVD of live female infant (jane) at 11:50 AM BWT 2.5 KG, APGAR 8/9

Another delivery in the afternoon.  Shabana Begum – 21 yrs old – G1 P0 – SVD of live female infant (Latika) at 2:09pm, bwt 3.1 KG, APGAR 9/10 I gave an episiotomy and sutured for the first time. She pushed SO well and was so strong. Beautiful woman. 

latika

Shabana

It sounds strange to say that I love suturing, but I do! It is kind of thrilling and so rewarding to be able to provide full care for a woman. It gave me such a huge rush of adrenaline and I feel as though it was sort of like a right of passage into becoming a legit health care worker.

I’m becoming increasingly nervous about going home and facing the realities of normal adult life. In some ways, the BAS gave me the opportunity to escape the problems I was dealing with back at the beginning of last year.  To be honest, I wish I could keep running. Dealing with all that has changed since I’ve been away, as well as the culture shock, as well as trying to figure out my schooling situation… I feel like I’ll be starting from scratch all over again. It’s so frustrating because I know what I want to do with my life and I feel like I’m ready to be doing it. Aside from wanting to have the additional training and acquire more skills as a nurse/midwife –I’m prepared to be doing what I feel called to. I want to be going, doing, helping… But instead, I have to take a few steps back and sit in a classroom for the next 4-6 years?... I am so aware of the needs and so desperate to be involved. I’m tired of waiting and dreaming and hoping. I just want to go!