ALmost UNbelievable

Another great story...without any pictures (sorry!)

A while back I had a continuity who delivered while I was away on a midwifery mission in the mountains. However she was/is still vERY attached to me and goes so far as to call me her best friend (kIN-da scary, but she means well, for the most part). She started texting me again asking if I could help her "fregnant friend" =), Ludivina Jayme who, according to her, is very poor and will come to Mercy for friday prenatals (my prenatal day). Honestly, I kind of ignored the request because it's tiring helping EVERYone and I really didn't feel the need to.

so thEN, thIS morning during prenatals I pick up a chart, and call the name of the patient "Ludivina Jayme", thinking to myself that I must've done a prenatal on her before because her name was so very familiar...only minutes after talking to her I realize she knows Madel (my other cont). I was surprised because I thought she'd be around Madel's age (17) but she was 37! AND this is her 10th baby! AND her husband just died in october leaving her with her nine children (all still alive, praise God) and one on the way. She didn't know she was pregnant at the time of his death. And I can't even beGIN to imagine her despair on finding out. Needless to say, I took her as a continuity.

Krys (the director of Mercy) did her initial prenatal last time and, given the situation, wrote on her chart that Mercy would pay for the lab works needed to deliver at Mercy: blood typing, HBsAg screening, and a urinalysis. She waited for me to finish prenatals and we went to a clinic in Agdao. It was cool because it was such a small place I asked the technician if I could watch him (I got my blood type also - mom, I'm "A" positive!). UNfortunately, we discovered Ludivina is hepatitis B REACTive. Shoot. The technician was clear she'd have to have all of her kids tested...and, a (+) hepB screen means I'll have to refer her to the local hospital for delivery, as Mercy's policy prohibits delivery. I will still be able to see her through pregnancy though. I wish I had a picture of her, for a 37-yr old mom with 9 kids to take care of, she looks aMAZing!

We went out to lunch after the having the lab works done and I asked her to list off the names of her kids, from oldest to youngest! I took a census as she did:
- Marilyn - 18 yrs old
- Liesel - 16 yrs old
- Liesa - 14 yrs old
- Gerald - 12 yrs old
- Jason - 10 yrs old
- Jessica Lyn - 9 yrs old
- Charlyn - 7 yrs old
- Jeffrey - 6 yrs old
- and little Jay Mark - 2 yrs old
- plUS one due in June!
Please remember Ludivina, and her kids - there is no telling how many of them have the actual hepB infection.. I doubt she'll have them all tested. But, I'll keep you updated on what happens with this family! I suspect she'll just stay at home to have her 10th, that's what she has done with all the others..