A sweet lady was sent over to the hospital from a local mission clinic. She needed a c-section which, classically, didn't happen until several hours later. Her water had broken three days prior and she knew the risks. Incidentally, she was the first woman I've ever worked with who verbally expressed fear for her unborn child. Because of this, we talked a lot about God's peace and protection and we prayed together multiple times throughout the day. It was a precious time together. When the time came for her to go to the theatre, I changed and went along. Knowing her fear, I made my way to the head of the bed so that I could see her face and ask her if she had heard her baby's cry as they lifted him from her belly. The tears rolled down her temples, pooling in her ears.
It's a delight to follow a labor through to its end and see the face of the reward. And it's just as delightful to present the reward to the waiting family! As the baby was delivered by c-section, he needed a once-over by a pediatrician before being released to the mama so instead of taking the baby out, I took my phone and showed all the eager relatives the pictures I'd taken of their new addition. It's cultural to show affection by cupping two or three fingers under someone's chin and pulling outward - kind of a flicking motion. When I whipped out my phone, there was unspoken eagerness and they huddled closer, but then, when they saw the picture of me holding their baby, they clucked their tongues, flicked my chin and through ear-to-ear grins proclaimed me the baby's second mama. Wow! If that doesn't make a girl feel like a million bucks!
By now, there was quite a crowd gathered. I learned that there were two mamas in the ward from the same village so the joy was shared by all present. I also learned that among them was the baby's great-grandmother - a very unusual thing as the life-expectancy among these people isn't that long! Out of all the women, she was the most eager and pressed forward to see the pictures. She looked at me with her smiling eyes, shook her head and flicked my chin. It was just about the sweetest gesture I've ever received.
Now I was eager to make sure mama was recovering all right so a doula friend and I made our way to her bedside in the adjacent ward. She hadn't seen her own baby so I showed my pictures to her too. Then it occurred to me, maybe, just maybe, they'd let me bring the actual baby out! I walked back to labor and delivery where our guy was still laying on the warmer, untouched. I asked a midwife and was promptly given permission to take him away. (Note: This would NEVER happen in my home country. I'd have to sign a waiver, give blood and leave a limb as collateral before being allowed to carry a child, that is not my own, anywhere.) I scooped him up, tucked the blanket away from his face and paused a moment before going out into the hallway. "Are you ready to meet your family?"
No response, other than gazing up into my face with his big, gorgeous eyes. *melt*
I walked around the corner and all the ladies gasped and rushed over. I laid him in the waiting arms of his great-grandmother. She started to cry so I started to cry, of course. The family couldn't take their eyes off of him. They felt his tiny hands and ears and muttered things to each other in the local language. The entire crowd of us took him to his mama who looked positively exhausted but was still smiling despite half of her village now gathering around her bed. There was lots of picture taking, laughing, crying, story-telling and a lot more chin flicking. My friend and I tore ourselves away to go, leaving the new mama and her baby in good hands. If I didn't think I would make a scene, I might have danced out of there.
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