Nov.28, 2007

That's funny, because when I started this post i put "sept" instead of "nov"...i'm a little behind. ANYways, just a little story - 2 deliveries ago the baby had to be transported immediately due to complications such as apnea, lack of muscle tone, mec-staining, extremely large caput (basically not breathing on its own, etc.) It was AWful. But the Lord is gracious, and my next birth went much better!

On Nov.28 Shirah Angela graced her mother's presence (literally) because her mom, Nancy, had already given birth to FOUR BOYS and desperately wanted a little girl. She worked incredibly hard to push the baby out, and after the baby was resting on her tummy I ask, "what's your baby?! check, feel between the legs to check!"...

She reaches over and feels the umbilical cord (that was still attached) and exclaims "lalake?!" ("boy?!")...and i said "NO!" and as i wrench her leg open to reveal her little...little...i'm at a loss as to what to even CALL it on this thing! Anyways, you get the picture. Poor Nancy, almost thought she was doomed to never have a girl, she's already 38, and after realizing what I was saying to her, that her BOY was actually a GIRL, she asks, "sure ka?!" ("you're sure?!") ahhahah. oh my...

Later on, she was thanking me for helping her out and said "babaye kaayo!" ("very girl") aweee :D She was oh so sweet! And I agreed that it was very much a beautiful little girl. What a great job.

a very lAte post.

to match a vERY lAte THANKSGIVING! because the directors of our school are American, I celebrated Thanksgiving a little lATe again this year...i was relieved to see the pot of mashed potatoes next to the usual rice...thanksgivin' just wouldn't be the same w/o mashed pot and gravy! and to drink?! what else...but coke (and a little bit of (disgusting!) coconut wine). I love when everyone gets together :)

and on our fREE time.

on the days we DON't have "duty" at the clinic...we pack up and head to an aircon coffee shop :) The favourites are Bo's; Blugre (not so much after they discontinued their green chai tea, but i've heard they've now got vanilla chai, so it'll PRObably become a fav again); Basti's; Cups and Lowercase; Humps (mmm, peppermint latte); 51 japanese coffee shop; Brewedcastor; Nezz Cafe; Wiki-something (i forget cuz i've never actually bEEn to that one...).
the POINt is, this city is brimming with coffee shops, all with wifi, and good tea to drink! We can get a lOt done in an 8 hr day of just sitting there in a cafe doing homework with nOthing to distract except the internet, the good company of other classmates, other patrons, non-stop christmas music played throughout the place, the constant racket of blenders and coffee pots and... the waiters ;) ...just kidding! I hope everyone at home is wEll! It IS the rainy season for me now, and sometimes, around 3am, I get chilly enough nOt to turn off the fan, but to cover up with a sheet. Oh, to play in snow...

with 2 hours left..

around 8pm, in the 14th hour, sweet Marianita came back (the one I'd sent home earlier) more active! She was single, but had her amazingly experienced mom there to help her labor. Seriously, her mom could've been exPLOYed at Mercy - she was sO good at telling her daughter what to do, without being "overbearing".. A veteran laborer, she knew exactly what to tell her daughter to do - she's had at least 5 babies, and her first time pregnant had twins (who had both already died before she pushed them out..)

I got to deliver her baby at 9:33 pm, and because it was so close to shift change, I didn't have to do any of the postpartum things like the baby exam and bath and such (the fun part :P). So I finished up the paperwork and endorsed the rest. I later found out that the father came at some point that night (which was really special for her because he already has a family and told her he was going to stay with the others). It's a common occurrence here, i've kind of learned to accept it, but, as long as they can support all their children, it's socially ok.

It was a great birth! I was completely blessed by the support of Marianita's mother, and just how she handled pushing out her first ever little baby girl.

a 16 hr. shift

I asked Jenny if she could work my sunday swing shift (afternoon-eve) because I planned somewhat of a party in Toril (about an hour from here) with a couple of the women i've delivered - mainly the 2 Aninon sisters. But, I switched her for toDAY, saturday swing although I already had saturday day shift. Therefore, i'm in my 11th hour at the clinic, and obviously there's not much going on. I haven't delivered a baby since the 2nd of november (TWO WHOLE WEEKS) and was looking forward to a busy shift, but so far I've only sent one girl home in early labour and done a tOn of Jenny's baby check-ups! I also did more homework than I probably would have gotten done at home ;) It's been a fun day though...i'm hoping this little blogger break will spur the fully dilated labours to start pouring in here!! (i'll letcha know what becomes of the next 6 hours..)

the funny ways people endure injections.

Yesterday I had prenatal clinic...we each have our own cubicle and our patients sit in the waiting area until they are called. Because we have 5-6 midwives working on our team, we just pick the chart off the top of the pile, call the name of the patient, and carry out the prenatal. I picked up a rather large file yesterday and realized I would be seeing not one, but two patients because of it.

The filipino people have a community within the country called the "Bajaos"...even I can tell, just by seeing someone, if they are Bajao or not. It's hard to explain...they just have a certain look about them, are usually much darker than the average filipino, with different hair also. These people are also extremely uneducated, they do not know how to read or write, when we admit them in labor, instead of signing their name we take their thumb print. They do not know how old they are, or how many times they've been pregnant, etc. That being said - they are thE kindest, swEEtest people you'll ever meet.

I didn't know this, but our clinic just has one big file for the entire community of Bajaos...not that we see a lot of them, home births with a hilot (traditional birth attendent) are popular among them. I saw these 2 particular girls during the health teaching, but it didn't click until I found myself calling 2 single names into my cubicle. YIKES! Truthfully, I was scared at first...it's very hard to communicate with them and not only because I haven't yet mastered the language.

I almost pawned them off onto my supervisor, but really had the desire to work through the prenatal as much as I was able...I took measurements and made sure their babies were doing ok. Then, my supervisor came in to finish the communication and direct me through the rest of the prenatal.

I needed to give them both tetanus toxoid injections...and when I went to give the younger one hers (oh my goodness, she was already sO stinkin' cUTE!) and she saw the needle and immediately threw her hand over her eyes, where she kept it until the shot had been given. I wanted to cry...hahah, it was sO cUTE! After the prenatal we pray over the mom and her baby...the Bajaos are cool because when you start praying, thEY start praying!! (and usually clap after the prayer - It's amazing!). My heart is stILL smiling from the encounter. I wish I had my camera to take a picture of these 2 beautiful women.

and this is just a funny advertisement.. like ANYone would get away with thAT in north america!

You don't know how often -

I can almost feel you right here with me.
I hear your words of advice and support on bad days...
see things you'd find funny and hear you laugh...
and even find myself trying to remember certain things so that I can share them later with you.
It's not as fun as having you here, but I love sharing that kind of closeness.
We're close in all the ways that count -
in spirit,
in understanding,
and in heart.
Being far away will never change that.
I'm so lucky to know that no matter where you are in the world,
You are in my life for keeps!

- Alaire Tennille


And, in the midst of being homesick, and just a little sad...my very first piece of mail since i've been back arrives!!, and not a minute to soon. Thank you oh-so much for loving me. and for making these words so true in our lives.

Last week wasn't so good...thus, i did not blog. I was super sick! and really wantED to be at home, in Vineland, in my OWn bed, and miserable until getting better. inSTEAd, i was swaying, on the top bunk of a bunkbed, sneezingg, and snifflingg, annoyingg and infECtingg my 4 innocent roommates. blahhh. It was not very nice - i, was not very nice. BUt i'm better now! Praise God.

and, i've had some pretty amazing things happen while i was glassy-eyed and hopped up on drugs. I got to visit the Aninon's (sisters of whom I helped deliver their babies, the boy in the pic is almost 5 months now (how crazy is it to think I delivered this little boy!)), I was able to spend some time with Aileen and her son (my god-son, Aijey), had a sKYPee date!, start a life map, play in church on Sunday, and say goodbye to a dear friend named Jamie whose on her way back to Korea.

I also was able to finish an assignment, and take the test for that section on monday. We've only got 11 more assignments to complete! And this next one we're starting, Intrapartum Complications and Risks, will take over a month to complete. Oi, so homework is planned to Christmas. WHICh, by the way, i've already started my shopping (and not jUSt for myself..:P) I'm sO on tOp of things!

aaand yet another..

Last (saturday night/sunday morning) night at 1am Lois called me into the clinic because dear Mary Joy Yahot (another continuity) was in labor. Mary Joy was special because she's 19, was having a hard time with her boyfriend, and had tried to abort the baby with medication in the first trimester. She knew prior to delivery that her baby (boy from ultrasound) could possibly be 'abnormal'. We prayed that all would be okay.

I checked her at 2am, she was 6 cm (first time having a baby..) so I thOUGht there was plENty of time. A half hour later she was spontaneously pushing a bit, but i explained again how waiting until she's fully until pushing is a good thing. Next thing i knew she's like "uhh, jenna...i feel something coming out, like blood or something" (she was pacing the birthroom at the time). I lifted up her dress to reveal the BABY'S HEAD already out :S ye-ahhh, so she waddled over to the bed, while I threw gloves on but the baby was born completely unassisted, without pushing, by miss Mary Joy.. so USually first-timers have a long labor, and have to push hARD to get the baby out. but thIS little boy just fell out! She didn't even tear! We all had a good laugh about it after making sure the baby was ok (he was perfectly fine, by the way).


so thEN I ask, "what will you name your first son?"
to which she replied, "harry john"
then I go "what will the spelling be?"
and she goes "h-a-i-r-y john, you know, like hair" (as she lifts up her ponytail)
and i laughed.. as did the rest of the midwives.
my supervisor then goes "how about hUrry, because he was in such a rush to get out!"

[later on while filling out the birth certificate, I re-checked the spelling with Mary Joy. and she has decided that "Hurry John" is the most appropriate name for her son!! hahah, what a story she'll have to tell at hIS wedding!!]

Being a part of nEW lIFE~

Last night on shift I had the opportunity to deliver Annabelle's 2nd baby. She was my continuity, a particularly cool situation for me because I delivered her sister's (Analyn) baby last spring. The birth was 'perfect', medically-speaking - she came in fully dilated at 3:30am and little Mary Kate was born at 4:34am. Her boyfriend (Michael), along with Analyn's bf (James) brought her to Mercy and were a great support for her. Although, James waited outside in the hall, of course. I cannot wait to visit their entire household!! I am so incredibly blessed to have been a part of their lives. These pictures show Annabelle with her new daughter, Mary Kate (just 3 hours old!).

aMAZinggly relAXEd!

I had a bit of a crazy weekend, with clinic on friday, dayshift sunday, and clinic again monday morning.. we also handed in our Family Planning assignments, and took (and passed) the test for that, AND received our next assignment - all about genetic screening and diagnostic testing (which I'm looking forward to studying!) bUt. after the test on monday, Lois and I met Jenny and her dad who is here "on buisness" visiting Jenny! We were blEssed with the opportunity of staying the night at Paradise. and Uhh. Everything is right with the world (at least for now, in my mind).

the mysterious "Lake Agco"

1)on the way UP!..









2)in front of Lake Agco.









3)a view of the resort..









4)i've ALways wanted a pet monkey :|

Ate May and Kuya Arex, boiling the eggs:)

This past wkd I went with Rose to our supervisor's place in Makilala and took a day trip to Lake AGCO, located at the foot of Mount Apo (the tallest volcano on this island) to experience all of the natural wOnders of the mountain. The "lake", as they call it, turned out to be (for me) more of a pond! But, it was breathtaking, none-the-less! As you can see from the first picture, lake Agco was sO hOt it was boiling and steamy...we actually boiled eggs in it for part of our lunch! The people there say that the lake gets angry if it's noisy and steams up to hide - so we were all whispering :) hahah, it was so cool. Actually, it wOUld steam more if we forgot to be quiet...

Whaaat eeelse, there was a natural spring pool (freezing to everyone except me), a "mud" bath - which turned out to be just muddy water, although still natural, and warm. There was paths and trails, and boiling clay to cover your body with, and a steam cave - the steam was natural and smelled like sulphur, but the cave was man-made.. It started raining around 2pm and we waited it out until 5:30ish to ride back on the motorcycles we packed onto to get there. At that point, I could ACTually see my breath, which was aMAZing because I haven't experienceD that kinda thing since last, last winter. The filipinos kept saying there was smoke coming out of the mouth, and I was trying to think of the word we use for that, and couldn't...i think i've deduced that it doesn't exist.

It was SUCh a nice, relaxing weekend...getting out of the city is pure bLIss! I'll leave you with just one last picture, that was posted before the trail leading to mount Apo. It reminded me of the movie Hitch...right?!

it's finally Friday

and that means i was FINally able to hand out the bags of food we/you supplied, bought, and put together! THe first picture here depicts the girls dividing up all the food into individual blue bags - working hard on a friday night. And the next ones are of our patients receiving the bags after their prenatal, just before going home. We made ~350 bags, and handed out those bags ALL week, and there are still leftovers! It's been so amazing to bless these women in this way, a little extra somethin', for no good reason except that Jesus loves them!
Once again, thank you for your excitement in this. Through trying to show these girls love, i've been learning crazy new things about blessings myself, and growing in the process of putting my 'problems' or 'stuff' aside to help somebody ELSE out (whether that be at the clinic, or in a house brimming with girls who are all also missing home and whatnot).

an UPdate on Mercy.

and i DO mean "mercy"!! The DOH came in monday morning with comPLETely different spirits than before...she was open to the explanations Krys (our director) had to offer instead of cutting her off left and right. SHe was impressed with the changes we have implimented to comply with her demands, AND she agreed to take the issue of training foreigners to CHED (commission of higher education) locally instead of Manila, which is exactly what we wanted. The board here knows us, knows about us, and understands the impact we make in our poor community and I doubt they will have much of a problem with what we're doing. Although not completely resolved, there has been incredible headway made and it lOOks as though I won't be pACKin' my bags any time soon! thank goodness. [not that i don't want to come home, it's just...i wouldn't have anything to dO when i got there!] I'm sure you understand!

a little spIN on thanksGIVing feasts..

Let me start the pictures with the final product you see before you. Last Friday I was fortunate enough to accompany a few of the filipinas who, after calculating food and rations enough for 350 families, went to buy the stock. Here is the rice/noodle/and canned fish fest you see before you in the clinic's kitchen after much work of loading and unloading.

Our girls bargaining with the suppliers to get the best deal possible...when asked what this was all about, they simply replied their foreigner staff wanted to bless their people. Everyone was so interested in what was going on...and why (or how) we could buy so much rice.

A stock boy helping to load those huge bags of rice into the multicab.

The multicab packED full of good food! We got rice, mongo beans, noodles, canned fish, vinegar packets, soy packets, etc. to divide and fill individual bags for our patients.

aaaaand, the UNloading! It's kinda cool how this all worked out. We are ready to start this week handing out the food bags. Therefore, anyone who comes for prenatals this whole week will receive a bag of food. Tomorrow just so happens to be the day the DOH (department of health) is coming in for a "final inspection". The update there is that our clinic is fine, we will have our renewed license in hand this week...bUT, the DOH is concerned with the amount of foreign students working at the clinic. They still have the power to say we are not allowed to be helping out at the clinic in the capcity we currently are, which would ultimately shut down Mercy Maternity for lack of man-power. They are aware of this fact, and will hopefully see the care and compassion we have for the ladies we serve. The DOH has appointed monday morning at 7:30 am as a final review. We are excited it fell on this day, trusting and excited about what the Lord has for the clinic.

Thank you for your suppORt in all of this, it means such a great deal to me as well as the other foreigners living here and the native people of Davao..

@LL wør†h i†..

Last night's nightshift began with being endorsed Genevieve Batoon, an inactive labor who'd been at the clinic since 5pm. She was sleeping at the time, and I decided to let her rest instead of checking vitals right away. Every hour, on the hour, from that point on I'd complete my checks...and kind of sit with her while contractions grew stronger. It was a routine of ours that she would go to the CR (bathroom) at every check, so that was fun because sometimes she'd go before I'd ask! Her sister was dead asleep on the bed in the adjacent cubicle.

At 1am I found her on her knees beside the bed her sister was in, her labor much more active. She had SROM at 1:35 am and at 2 I did an internal exam to check her dilation. With a little anterior lip (left on her cervix), we suggested she move into a "hands and knees" position! OH my, i've delivered babies with women lying on their side before, which is prETTy easy to figure out... But completely upside-down required my fULL attention! (especially because she was emptying her bowels at this time..). It was her fourth time giving birth and therefore the span of time from "head visible" to "head out, baby out" was all within one contraction! I eased the baby down, and unwrapped the cord that had strung up the baby by the heels (literally). The baby thEN went under and between Gen's legs as she flipped over onto her back to wait for the placenta.

The baby needed to be deep suctioned, and was having a hard time with the transition to extrauterine life. I ended up transporting her to the hospital soon afterwards, which is a post in itself beCAUSE I carry in this (somewhat fragile) newborn only to find premature twins beside us in the ICU (one of which was being placed into a shoe box because he hadn't been strong enough to make it). Oh man...it was nuts. They're heads were sO smALL.

I was able to reassure Gen, after seeinG the twins, that hER baby girl would be ABsolutely fine! Our patients stay at the clinic until stabilized before joining their newborn at the hospital. I made Gen some breakfast (special priviledges for pt's without their babiesss :P) and was just finishing up paper work and such when she asks me "what name you?" (the literal translation of her language to mine) And I answered "jenna" - we had gone through this when we met, but she was in labor at that point, soooo. After a bit of silence I asked "do you have a name for your daughter yet?" and, in a tiny sweet voice she replies "jenna." Oh my goodness. How fUN! Next I asked "how will you spell it?" and she goes "just like you". AWE! Anyways, it's cool because now Genevieve has a daughter named Jenna :D

biGGESt Birthday Wishes...

dearest MOM, you know how much you've done for me (I live it everyday)...not only carrying me around for nine months, but for 23 years after this whole process you're still 'mothering', and 'gRANDmothering' now (not for me...for Rob.). Just wanted to thank you for how completely selfless you've been as a mom, and how incredibly helpful you always are to me. I pray nothing but another aaamazing year of your life, on thIS the day of your birth!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MA!~
i misssssssss youuuu.

nEW hobbIEsss..

bADminton!!

a reason to cElEbratE!

We (me and the other girls who were fortunate enough to go home for the month of august, Tiff and Laura) turned in our Newborn risk screening and provision of care assignment on Monday. The test for this assignment we completed (very confidently) on Tuesday. and tuesday NIGht Jonna and Lois took us out as a little reward for these accomplishments. ANd to renew us for the week ahead (Friday is the semester final exam..). Take out and a movie...then ICEcream (milo) and to MTS for a little truth or dare (and by that i mean dare or dare) initiated by Laura. It was a tuesday night, hardly anyone was out and we had to create our own fun and games. The jeepney ride back home, and stopping off for a late-night visit to Ate Nora's house (our ever-so-faithful laundry woman at the clinic) were especially fun.

yet another.. bOATtrip - sept'07

yEEE! amidst the all-nighter shifts handling 4 or 5 births within just a few hours, the constant nag of assignments due, and the stress of up-coming exams (really, it's not all that bad ;)) we were fORtunate enough to get to spend all day saturday out on the water. It's ALways such a fun, relaxing yet tIRing day of sun and snorkling and getting stung by jelly fish.. yes, I have another rash. but I didn't get burnt this time - I wore a big brimmed hat aLL day [fashion sense ANd protection from my wise gramma!] I think my favourite part of these boattrips are the ride back across the channel to the dock because everyone finds cRAZy and nEW places and positions to fall asleep.