YEE, the bESt!

today on shIft..uhh, i think it was the vERY first time I was truly comfortable/confident being endorsed a labour. WHen I think back to some of the first times on shift, I was AB.sol.utely.terr.I.fied about being responsible for a labouring woman. But toDAY was different. Enday (Rudyleen Labajo) had a few complications that needed to be taken care of before delivery would happen naturally... a handsome baby boy was born @ 4:03pm, but was immediately transported because of meconium inspiration and nostril flaring - so sad because he didn't get his first meal before going off with his dad and leaving poor Enday totally alone and complEtEly exhausted. (this is where I shINE :D). I kicked it into 'nurse' mode, made Enday some 'milo' (kinda like hot chocolate, we always give these girls milo after a birth to boost their energy, like 200 calories a cupful), scammed some food from the kitchen for her! (usually the 'banas' (husbands) will go to get some food after the birth, if they haven't already brought some)...

so, we kinda became buddies, as I was hanging out with her in her cubicle while finishing all the paper work involved with delivering someone's baby. (NORmally I try to leave her, her husband, and new baby alone to bond) And SOMEwhere in and amongst all of her immediate postpartum checks, we started talking about baby boy NAMES! She asked me what I liked, so I began listing off names, starting with the coolESt ones I could think of, and finishing off with some of my friends names (it's hARD to think of boys names on the spot!) After all that, she asked me to repeat the very first one I had listed because thAt was thE ONE!

And, I'm excited to announce...

BRYDEN has offICIAlly had a baby in the philippines named after him! Enday has two other boys, both with two first names, so in keeping with this, her son was named Bryden Liam Labajo Pallor. I was so incredibly excited! BRY!, how COOL is THIS?!

As I was walking home I started thinking about if I'd ever get the chance to meet Bryden Liam when he gets older...THEN I started thinking about the ELEVEN OTHER babies I've delivered...I am the first person to assess, see, touch, and speak to these little babies and I've never really thought about their lives AFTER Mercy Maternity Clinic. [i miGHt be getting too far into this] How cool would it be to meet up with some of them 10, 20 years down the road and be able to say I HELPED you out of your mOm! and, ...would this have an impact on them? Then I started thinking about who delivered ME...and, i don't think i'd really care either way. So, maybe Bryden Liam wouldn't care either. But still, he is a big deal to me right now. I will probably go visit them in the hospital to see how things are.

ALSO. (yikes...) we had student group tonight, where all of the students meet with the directors/founders/active participants in the school AND birthroom. TOnight was all about missions (haha, again.) and Matt named off EIGHT countries they are in contact with who are bEGGing them to send midwives. They are as follows: Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Afghanistan, Romania, Cambodia, Mexico, and India....urghhh. [did i mention, they're BEGGInggg] Matt is such an amazing speaker, so inspiring...I wanted to cry a few times during his little schpeel. i.don't.know.what.to.do/think. Matt and Krys are totally behind supporting 4 or 5 of us going into a country and starting a birthing clinic...my face in this pic best describes my emotions.