special delivery...

so, my dream came true. my very first volunteer experience in watamu greeted me with not one, but two deliveries and i got to help with everything from placing the IV, to administering the oxytocin, to the infant care after the babies were delivered. and the best part, i got to hold the tiny little infants after they were born in my arms, all swaddled up in their african print wraps-biggest smile on my face!  the lady was going to let me perform the delivery all on my own at first, however i felt that today i should only spectate her and help with the infant care and be more of an assistant. there was also another lady named betty who was training to be a midwife. i asked her how long it takes and she said she will train for 3 years and she had only been training for 2 days! she came up to me and said that she wanted to learn from me, that she is wanting to do what i want to do! so i got to explain all of the procedures and reasons for administering the oxytocin, be still my heart!

listen to the difference in labor and delivery from africa to america.  so, when the lady arrives she is placed in this room that has two beds that are nothing more than a pad with stirrups. when i asked if there was any pain medication the nurse, mwana laughed at me! they have no way to monitor the baby's progress and health nor to monitor the mother's vital signs, so therefore any pain medication to interfere with the process would be dangerous to the health of the mother and baby.  basically the pregnant woman lies on her side and waits.  the midwife told me that once the woman reaches 8 cm dilation then they don't allow them to get up and move around, otherwise they will encourage ambulation (all of my nursing friends understand this importance!)  okay so, without going into much intimate detail (because it can get graphic), once all of the dilation/effacement/and so on is reached, oxytocin is administered and you again wait for the woman to feel the urge to push.  then, the nurse alone delivers the baby, out the baby comes, is dried with nothing more than a large piece of cotton and suctioned with a very old suction machine (but don't worry, a new suction tube is applied for each newborn) and then the mother waits in another room for two hours before she is released! could you imagine, in america there is a minimum stay of 24 hours? i was amazed at the way these women can power through with no pain medication and no real support.  i stayed with a lady who was experiencing pretty intense contractions and tried to comfort her through massage and counterpressure on her back. she only spoke swahili so touch was pretty much all i could do, but i felt like i had to do something! the nurse just left and said she would be back...tough love here!  there was also another lady who came in, not realizing she was in labor and delivered also!

i also got to speak to simeyu, a HIV counselor who is actually HIV positive but has an incredible outlook on life and how God gives us life and it is our choice on how to live it. i feel like i could have sat and listened to him for hours! the services offered at this community center are really progressive and it impressed me that medication, counseling, and testing were all free and those people at risk for "default" or non-adherence were followed up with for however long was necessary.  they also have a mobile clinic to attempt to reach the community at large, and those that can't get to the clinic by means of transportation.

just to update you rafikis, i am now in watamu which is a little beach town on the east coast of kenya.  it is like a piece of kenya paradise. on the way here i took a very bumpy, very long...i don't think i can stress enough the very long part!  it was a grueling 12 hour bus ride, but ameliorated with the occassional zebra or safari animal running by, as well as the beautiful landscape and interesting towns we would pass through. watamu has a small town feel with the typical matatu and kenyan kindness that reminds you that you are still in africa!  my host family lives in this home which sits right by the indian ocean and has a huge front porch to have meals and sit and talk with new found friends.  last night i slept under a mosquito net for the first time since it wasn't needed in nairobi, and i awoke to no bites-yay, mission accomplished!

i continue to thank you for my following and prayers,

kwa'here (goodbye)