Beginnings!

Where to begin... I’m new to this - new to it in every sense of the word. Until a month ago, I had never provided labor support to any human (cats and goats certainly don’t count) and being unmarried with no children, I have never experienced labor in all its particulars. As you can imagine, witnessing delivery for the first time was amazing…and eye opening. But I’ll get into that later.

I live in a third world country far from the comforts of sleep number beds and Starbucks or consistent water and power for that matter. My training and background work is medical but not in the realm of labor and delivery. Over two months ago, a dear friend of mine opened my eyes to the difficulty women here have when delivering their babies. Infant mortality rates are through the roof and mother mortality rates aren't pretty either. The records for this country don't take into account the deaths happening in the bush so I'll just tell you the broader picture. Every day worldwide, 32 thousand children under the age of five die. Every day, 800 women die from pregnancy and childbirth. Here, hospital care is meager and cleanliness standards are appalling. In our labor and delivery ward, there is one toilet for all the women. A couple of buckets are used between them all for pre-delivery “bathing” and the ward sports a whopping two (count them – two!) pillows that get moved around between the seven beds.

Not only is the environment rough, these ladies labor almost entirely alone! Family members aren't allowed to come into the ward with them. They are checked in by a nurse or midwife, given a bed and then left to themselves. A nurse or midwife is suppose to come around every 4 hours to check their progress but if the ward is busy or they are short staffed, that can drag out much longer. Only when a mama is ready to push (and I mean seriously you-can-see-the-baby’s-head push) does a nurse or midwife stay with them to catch the baby.

To be in excruciating pain, afraid and exhausted, without the support of a husband or mother or sister must be so incredibly lonely.

This is where my friend comes in. She has been providing doula support to these ladies for some months now but there are more than she can care for alone so she has trained me and one other to accompany her! I'm not paid for this special job but I've gotten to witness God's faithfulness again and again and that is abundant compensation for all the hard work.

I look forward to using this space to tell of my adventures, the heartache and the Father’s provision as I support and love on these special mamas.