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! :)

1st Tabuk Baby :)

Yesterday a patient came in to the clinic reporting some contractions. She had never been to AGOG (abundant grace of god) clinic, so I went through the whole initial prenatal with her and then did a labor check in. She was in early labor on the brink of entering the active phase.

She went home with her aunt to eat some lunch for a few hours and came back and we hung out for the afternoon, her contractions getting stronger, but still having long periods in between them.

Her baby boy was born at 12:37am, after a difficult pushing stage, but she handled it like a champ.

Tabuk Outreach 1

There haven't been any labors or births yet since I have arrived, but we did an outreach this morning to a village about 30 minutes drive out of Tabuk and had a great time with the people that came out to see us. We did a postpartum health teaching, caring for the mom, the baby etc, and then had merienda (snack) with black very sweet coffee, and sweet bread and then did some checkups. Everyone wanted their blood pressure taken.

This sweet, funny lady (who we guessed through her stories was in her 70's) kept telling us (Lois and I) that we should marry a Filipino man from her area, we laughed and said the problem is that we are both so tall, and so it is hard to find one taller than us! She then agreed that yes, that would be hard :)

The people here speak many different tribal languages depending on where one visits, in this village they mostly spoke a language called Buk-Buk, but most of them could understand and converse well in Illokano (a language I am fluent in from childhood) so that was very fun to sit around and talk with them after the check-ups.

Angus = Ginhawa = Breathe

Just thought I would give you all a few photos of Tabuk where Lois and I are serving for the next 3 weeks. We were given this opportunity to help at this clinic while the director (a girl who interned at MMC for a time) is in Canada. She just gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.

This is the view from my window in the room I am sharing with Lois. We also have the most amazing mosquito net ever over our bed that makes us feel like princesses :)

This is the sign for the clinic with a carabao grazing in front of it. Either he is very friendly and wanted to come and see me or didn't like me and was considering charging at me because he was grazing, paying no one any mind until I got there and took pics. Then he looked up at me and in this next picture started to walk towards me. Needless to say, that was the last picture I took of him before slowly moving back into the clinic gate where his rope wouldn't allow him to go.
This is Zenny (pronounced Senny) the head midwife at the clinic while Georgia is away. She is absolutely wonderful. This is our outdoor shower and bathroom (i.e. CR). The shower is incredible - OC girls - be jealous. :) It may be homemade, but the water pressure is amazing!
This is the pump outside for laundry. Cool looking eh? Sarah de Mello - if you are reading this, I thought of you when I first saw it!
Of course, we do still have time to get online and do computer work as you can see :) We have wireless in the clinic, so keep in touch!