Is was around 12:15pm and I was sleeping deeply on night shift. It was quiet and still in the birth room. All the lights were out and only the light of the moon coming in through the windows, filled the birth room, giving all the empty beds a warm glow. All the midwives were asleep, and I remember thinking before I fell asleep, “this is going to be a good night! I’m feeling good Lord, so anytime you are ready, bring on the babies!”….then I rolled over and passed out.
The gate opened and a beautiful pregnant mama (G3/P2) named Maria Angela came in fully dilated and ready to push! Within a matter of seconds...every midwife had jumped off the bamboo couches, flipped on the lights and led her to the birth bed. Except for me...the assist...who apparently hasn't mastered the skill of keeping "one eye open" in the birth room! I was still happily sound asleep, probably drooling and dreaming of only Lord knows what, while the midwives where running past me, grabbing supplies and every time calling louder, "Tiara! Miss Tiara! wake up! wake up!" It wasn't until I heard "BOW (bag of waters) 2 cm visible without pushing." That I woke up in an instant, ran over to the counter, threw on gloves and threw open the curtain, just making it in time as the baby boy's body came sliding out! His mom yelled “Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus!!” As he came out! Haha, I bet she was so thankful that it was over! Half asleep, I grabbed a towel and bulb suction and wiped away the membranes from his face and dried his tiny new body, then suctioned his mouth and nose a few times to remove any mucous and membranes that could constrict his small airways. He was a beautiful baby boy! Looking around at everyone the second he opened his brown eyes. I gave him APGARS of 8 (-1 for color/-1 for muscle tone) and 9 (-1 for color) as he was a little cyanotic until about 6 minutes after birth. It wasn’t until after I had clamped the cord and the bana had cut it, that I looked down and realized that I had NO shoes on! I forgot to put them on in the hustle of the whole situation! Haha. Omg! The Lord really does call us to things that are beyond us! Haha!
Jane, the midwife who caught baby Rike, and I did a head to toe newborn exam and took his footprints. He weighed 6lbs 6oz and was incredibly aware of everything going on around him and was so attentive to us examining and palpating his little body. He had slight molding along his sagittal sutures (overlapping of his parietal bones during birth from pressure and pushing, which is very normal), and he was 48cm long! A short little guy! Wide eyed and awake, he talked to us through the entire exam! He was so so so cute!! I couldn’t get enough of him! His mama laughed as he made funny cooing noises and looked over at her every time she would call his name. He knew her voice! All in all it was an amazing birth and I must say it was SO worth waking up to! :)
Friday, October 16, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
I have gotten to assist with four births already! They were simple, beautifully normal births and so rad! I got to give APGAR scores and do vitals on baby right away, bulb suction baby, and finally feel important in there, haha. Things have been really good, just studying a lot and being with the people here. The Lord is breaking my heart more and more for them. He loves them so much.
I went running this morning early by myself to the market and I ran by a lot of people sitting on the road, so dirty, so broken, begging for food, and all I could do was smile at them but I wanted so badly to tell them that I loved them. That Jesus loves them and so do I. That I cared and I wanted to sit in the dirt with them and visit with them, but I couldn’t, I just kept running by. I just kept running.....I couldn’t stop, I know if I did, I would not leave. I don’t even know why I didn’t, but I didn’t. what good does a smile do? they are hurting so bad, they need love, hugs, someone to listen to them. that SOMEONE loves them, anyone. anyone at all. another humans company. any human contact, connection, love, anything! they are not trash, they are beloved children of the Living God! Christ died for their sins too, they get to have life abundantly too! they get to inherit His kingdom too! He has not overlooked them. even though everyone else does, even myself, everyone that just keeps jogging by....and jogging, and never stopping, afraid that they might get dirty or sick or whatever.
I don’t want to run by anymore, I don’t want to. there was this woman, sitting outside the catholic church that I go to, she was on the ground and I saw her talking to herself and rocking back and forth, in her own world, super dirty, filthy, sitting on a piece of wet cardboard, her clothes all stained and torn, her hair was all matted and gross. she looked whacked out of her mind, really and truly insane. I passed by her and she looked up at me, her eyes so desperate for someone. I made eye contact with her and smiled and said mayyao buntag! good morning! and she looked at me, she snapped out of it, someone made a connection with her, and she stopped rocking, stopped talking to herself, and she became human with another human for that tiny moment. she was waiting for the next thing, more talking, maybe I would stop and visit, maybe something. And, then I just kept running....and I didn’t look back...and I could feel her eyes looking at me, hungry for love, attention, anything! and I kept running....... it must hurt the Lord so much. so much. The next time, I will stop.
I went running this morning early by myself to the market and I ran by a lot of people sitting on the road, so dirty, so broken, begging for food, and all I could do was smile at them but I wanted so badly to tell them that I loved them. That Jesus loves them and so do I. That I cared and I wanted to sit in the dirt with them and visit with them, but I couldn’t, I just kept running by. I just kept running.....I couldn’t stop, I know if I did, I would not leave. I don’t even know why I didn’t, but I didn’t. what good does a smile do? they are hurting so bad, they need love, hugs, someone to listen to them. that SOMEONE loves them, anyone. anyone at all. another humans company. any human contact, connection, love, anything! they are not trash, they are beloved children of the Living God! Christ died for their sins too, they get to have life abundantly too! they get to inherit His kingdom too! He has not overlooked them. even though everyone else does, even myself, everyone that just keeps jogging by....and jogging, and never stopping, afraid that they might get dirty or sick or whatever.
I don’t want to run by anymore, I don’t want to. there was this woman, sitting outside the catholic church that I go to, she was on the ground and I saw her talking to herself and rocking back and forth, in her own world, super dirty, filthy, sitting on a piece of wet cardboard, her clothes all stained and torn, her hair was all matted and gross. she looked whacked out of her mind, really and truly insane. I passed by her and she looked up at me, her eyes so desperate for someone. I made eye contact with her and smiled and said mayyao buntag! good morning! and she looked at me, she snapped out of it, someone made a connection with her, and she stopped rocking, stopped talking to herself, and she became human with another human for that tiny moment. she was waiting for the next thing, more talking, maybe I would stop and visit, maybe something. And, then I just kept running....and I didn’t look back...and I could feel her eyes looking at me, hungry for love, attention, anything! and I kept running....... it must hurt the Lord so much. so much. The next time, I will stop.
I know the Lord is doing so much right now in all of our lives, it seriously blows me away. He is so faithful. He is our strength and refuge. I really don’t know what I would do without Him, I can not live or breath or move or have my being, none of us can.
There is supposed to be another huge monsoon hitting here again, please pray for families and their homes. There is so much desperation here and the Love of Jesus is here, even stronger just waiting to be received. He is waiting with His whole heart open and exposed to His people here. I think they are so humble and have such a fear of the Lord that they don’t know how to come to Him, fearing that He is mad at them for their sin and brokenness, they are ashamed, and so He comes to them, He walks over to them and embraces them....their sin and all. and they fall in love with Him.
The other morning, like around 6am Kayla, Jenna and I went running and ran to the open market to take fruit home with us. In the market, we were completely overwhelmed with begging little kids. The kids had scabs and open sores all over them, missing hair, no shoes, snotty, and big bloated bellies and were touching us and reaching for the food we just bought telling us "humto ka! humto ka!" I am hungry! I am hungry! They were water gypsy kids and their moms would stand back and tell to go beg the white people. There were people crowding in on us from every direction asking for food and to touch them, it was making me physically sick, it was so overwhelming and we felt like we couldn’t breath....and I asked the Lord, "what Lord? what do I do with this? you love your people, let me love them right now. they are desperate" Then we began to lay hands on them and pray for them and the spirit of the Lord took over...they did not see us anymore.....is was Jesus in the flesh and spirit...they got to meet Him, some for the first time. We didn’t even have to speak, He did all the talking….it was silent and yet you could see Him speaking to their hearts. Our hands became His, our faces.. His face. We disappeared completely. It was so beautiful to see the Lord respond to their needs...He came, and filled them.
He reminds me everyday why we are here....He keeps us on our toes!! haha. actually, I don’t know what I am talking about, He knocks me on my butt everyday! Awww! I love following Him, through it all, the pain and blindness, its all worth it, to see even ONE PERSON be touched and changed by the living God!
I’m going with Julie, my housemate to a Muslim village soon to do some prenatal check ups on some Muslim women. We have to dress really covered up, long sleeves, long skirts… to not stand out, even though they know we are Christians, they don’t like Christians and wont let them in their village but because we are midwives and they call us "doktoras" they let us in. I know the Lord is preparing the way ahead of us...I can feel it, His spirit doing things already, preparing hearts already. I cant wait to see what the Lord is up to in this village with these people that he loves so deeply.
There is supposed to be another huge monsoon hitting here again, please pray for families and their homes. There is so much desperation here and the Love of Jesus is here, even stronger just waiting to be received. He is waiting with His whole heart open and exposed to His people here. I think they are so humble and have such a fear of the Lord that they don’t know how to come to Him, fearing that He is mad at them for their sin and brokenness, they are ashamed, and so He comes to them, He walks over to them and embraces them....their sin and all. and they fall in love with Him.
The other morning, like around 6am Kayla, Jenna and I went running and ran to the open market to take fruit home with us. In the market, we were completely overwhelmed with begging little kids. The kids had scabs and open sores all over them, missing hair, no shoes, snotty, and big bloated bellies and were touching us and reaching for the food we just bought telling us "humto ka! humto ka!" I am hungry! I am hungry! They were water gypsy kids and their moms would stand back and tell to go beg the white people. There were people crowding in on us from every direction asking for food and to touch them, it was making me physically sick, it was so overwhelming and we felt like we couldn’t breath....and I asked the Lord, "what Lord? what do I do with this? you love your people, let me love them right now. they are desperate" Then we began to lay hands on them and pray for them and the spirit of the Lord took over...they did not see us anymore.....is was Jesus in the flesh and spirit...they got to meet Him, some for the first time. We didn’t even have to speak, He did all the talking….it was silent and yet you could see Him speaking to their hearts. Our hands became His, our faces.. His face. We disappeared completely. It was so beautiful to see the Lord respond to their needs...He came, and filled them.
He reminds me everyday why we are here....He keeps us on our toes!! haha. actually, I don’t know what I am talking about, He knocks me on my butt everyday! Awww! I love following Him, through it all, the pain and blindness, its all worth it, to see even ONE PERSON be touched and changed by the living God!
I’m going with Julie, my housemate to a Muslim village soon to do some prenatal check ups on some Muslim women. We have to dress really covered up, long sleeves, long skirts… to not stand out, even though they know we are Christians, they don’t like Christians and wont let them in their village but because we are midwives and they call us "doktoras" they let us in. I know the Lord is preparing the way ahead of us...I can feel it, His spirit doing things already, preparing hearts already. I cant wait to see what the Lord is up to in this village with these people that he loves so deeply.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
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