Fresh Newborns

I got sentimental as I thought about how I have delivered/caught 80 babies now and how soon I will be leaving this wonderful place that has made me the midwife that I am today, so spent my morning playing with photographs of babies I have delivered in the last year and a half. I hope it's as fun to look at as it was to make :)

Commitment to finishing the task :)

In order to graduate, we all had to get 30 well woman exams. It doesn't sound so hard, I know, but they take a long time, and one must remember that in my line of work it is semi-difficult to find non-pregnant women (as the exam specifies) to do the examination on...

I needed 6 more a few days ago, and so I figured it was as good a time as any to go out to Panacan to visit a continuity (see old blog post titled Panacan Kids) and try and finish them. I didn't get out there until 3pm which wasn't so good cause when it rains there, the roads are almost impossible - not rocks or sand to break up the muddy clay path and no real lighting to speak of.

It started to rain about 4:30pm, and I knew I was in trouble. I was still doing exams, and after 3 of them, it had been raining pretty hard for an hour, at which point my patient decided it would be best for me to sleep over!

I thanked her for the offer, but she helped me brave the mud, and I didn't even fall! My shoes suffered for sure though - as you can imagine they looked nothing like this before the walk!

Back to Davao!

Lois and I arrived back in Davao on Tuesday, the 13th at noon after a long day and a half of traveling. We left Tabuk on Monday morning at 8am, took a few jeepneys (rode on top of one) to get 2 hours south to the place that I grew up. It was so much fun to take the few hours of that day and show Lois where I grew up and introduce her to some of the people who mean so much to me.

Then, that night, we got on the bus heading for Manila - left Cauayan at 8pm and arrived there at 6am. Got to the airport before 7am for a flight that didn't leave until 10:30am! But that wasn't a problem at all because Lois has an Elite Membership with Phil. Airlines now from flying home and what not, so we hung out in the Elite lounge! It was so great.

We got home, I went swimming for an hour, and as I was finishing unpacking, my continuity, Neda (see pictures) texted me to ask if I had arrived back in Davao yet or not? I thought it was a hi, hello kind of text, but it turned out to be a "I'm in labor and really hope you are back!" kind of text instead! I was surprised, because I had another girl due before her, and so wasn't expecting her to be in labor yet!

But she arrived at the clinic at 9:30pm and had her baby at 10:53pm! God is so good, a nice time spent with her, but not a long and difficult labor which was such a blessing since I could barely keep my eyes open - I hadn't slept well on the night bus before. I was in bed by 1:45am and that was so nice!

Neda did have an ultrasound about 2 months ago, and was given 70% odds that the baby she was carrying was a girl, but when the baby came out - it was most definately not a girl! So this little boy has pink mittens and foot covers and bottles for a while! So funny :)

On top of the world...or a jeepney :)

So, when I deliver a baby in the MMC clinic in Davao, I always take pictures of my patient with her baby and family and do a little bribing action telling them I will have copies developed for them if they come back for their baby check ups. It's not hard for me to get them printed, just a quick ride to a mall nearby.
But... I made the same promise to my patient here in Tabuk and getting pictures developed for her was a whole 'nother story! I found out they only develop film in the town here, and so I would have to go to another city (about 1 hour away) to develop them.

I thought about waiting to go with the people from the clinic, but they were going too late, and I didn't know if my patient would be able to come back again after her appointment tomorrow. So, Lois and I made an adventure of it. We took a van there, which was fun enough, did shopping, printed the pictures and bought yummy stuff to make hamburgers for dinner to celebrate one of the girls here passing her board exam!

But what made it all worth it was the ride home! We saw the jeep pull up to the waiting shed where Lois and I waited with many other people, but couldn't seem to get in - someone was always in front of us! Then, we looked at each other, smiled, and asked if we could ride on top. The answer was yes, and we had an absolute blast. The world is prettier from the top of a jeepney, and we have pictures to prove it! :)