Using true stories to promote awareness of the needs around the world...

I want to inspire you to make a difference

Monday 14 October 2013

Doula-ing with a Language Barrier

 
 
Okay.  If you ever find yourself trying to support a woman in labor when you do not speak their language, here are some ideas for you. 
 
Tips for supporting women during  Stage 1  of labor:
 
If there is any way to watch a woman be supported by another woman in her own culture, that is the best way to learn.  
 
Are there any bilingual (English and the language where you are) people that you can interview? Ask them how to support a woman.  Also, come up with a list of things you would like to be able to say and then get a translation.  Memorize those phrases.
 
Smile, love her, be with her, touch her, hug her.  Be there to hold her weight so she can achieve whatever positions feel best to her. 
 
 Use counter pressure and massage if this seems appropriate and is well received.
 
Follow her hands, she will often rub her own back where it feels good to her.
 
 Sing softly, this says... I am calm, there is no emergency, what is happening to you is normal. 
 
Offer water or other liquids to keep her hydrated
 
Mostly just be with her
 
When Labor is Slow:
 
Consider the position of the baby. If the baby is sitting off-center on the pelvis, the head may not be able to put enough pressure on the cervix for dilation.  Changing positions and moving the pelvis every 20 minutes or so may help to change the baby's position.
 
Some suggested positions would be:
·         Lunges with one foot up on a chair or something
·         Hands and knees or standing next to the bed while swaying the hips
·         Walking

 
Tips for supporting in Stage 2
 
When they are pushing, remember that asking them to squat enlarges the pelvis and unsticks stuck babies.  Most women are hot when pushing, they often like being fanned and a cold, wet cloth on their foreheads.  They are usually thirsty too.
 
Tips for supporting in Stage 3
 
 Fill up a water bottle with hot water (not too hot) and wrap it in a towel, and put it next to her.  Most mamas end up cold and shaky after birth.  Smile at her, she will be able to see that you are proud of her and that you think her baby is beautiful.
 I hope this is helpful to somebody!
 

 

 

Wednesday 9 October 2013

I am the Ambulance

I'm hoping for a phone call. 

My friend Jana is due with her second baby and hopes to deliver a 15 minute drive from here at the hospital.  She has been selling bananas so that she can afford to do so.  (My family will be eating A LOT of bananas in the near future as I have been buying them.) 

The thing is, that only the very rich here own cars.  (We do not own one but we can rent one) There is public transportation....but not between 6pm and 7am.  So if a woman goes into labor during the night and things progress quickly...she has no way to give birth under the supervision of a skilled birth attendant. 

That is why I am expecting a call from Jana.  She plans to call and have us drive her to the hospital if she goes into labor during the night. 

Unfortunately for most the women in this country, transportation is not even the issue.  For most, there is no access to skilled birth attendants unless they hike for a couple days to find one.

I'm excited to be a part of her birth.


Saturday 5 October 2013

Classy Doulas and Lifeless Babies

Today I stepped in a pile of poop and then tracked it all the way around the hospital bed before I realized it.  It was really very classy.

With in minutes of arriving, my doula friend and I each stopped to talk to a couple of laboring women.  With in a few more minutes, there were 2 baby heads emerging. (from 2 different women, not the same one - in case you were worried.)  The race was on! Two first time moms yelling, "It's coming!"  The foot of their beds had only about 10 feet between them. 

Anya's baby was coming, but slowly.  She was pushing well and just wanted a hand to hold and someone to give her sips of water.  She had been completely alone for many hours.

Julie was HIV positive and her bag of waters was still intact.  Her baby was coming very quickly! Before I knew it, the baby's head, inside the water bag was completely out.  It was soon followed by the rest of the baby girl.  She splashed into this world as she slipped onto the bed and her water cushion broke simultaneously.  What a blessing that she was protected from the vaginal fluids on her way out.  I didn't get to hear if she was born HIV positive or not.

Meanwhile, Anya kept pushing.  She gently delivered a baby girl about 10 minutes later.  No tears, even thought the baby was delivered with a fist by her cheek. It was a very peaceful birth. 

The entire rest of the day was spent with Mikal.  She was also there to meet her first child.  She dilated quickly, but once she hit 10 centimeters, she grinned at us and basically fell asleep for three hours.  For awhile we encouraged her into a position that would move the second stage of labor along, but she was just not into it, so we let her sleep.  Eventually she awoke, crawled down off the bed, and squatted noisily.  The grunts became screams and I guessed that she was crowning.  Sure enough a peek proved my suspicions were true.  Within the next few minutes, a tiny,. white, lifeless little baby boy emerged.

After about 20 minutes of prayer, oxygen, and CPR, he was breathing, struggling...but breathing.  At that point we all breathed a sigh of relief.  I'm glad he wasn't one of the majority of babies in the county who are born out in the jungle and left for dead if they do not breathe immediately on their own.  The midwives did a great job on that one.

In the end, everybody was doing great...and we headed home after another awesome day of loving the women God loves.


Tuesday 1 October 2013

Tribal Midwives and Jungle Waterbirths


Question: What do you get when you stick 13 laboring women, 6 tribal birth attendants receiving medical training, some hospital staff and a couple of American doulas all in the L&D room all day?

Answer: A very fun Saturday.

I learned a lot, for example....

1.  Don't try and play around with recently donated hospital beds that no one knows how to use.  (It ended up stuck in the  head down position.) Oops.

2. Leave your pants on if you think your baby might just fall out while you stand around visiting.  That way the baby is stuck in your pants instead of falling on the floor.  (This had happened to a lady the night before)

3.  One of the tribal birth attendants had a water birth.  She just got in a dammed up part of the river and sat there since the pain was better that way.  Eventually she delivered her own baby in the water.

4.  The TBAs were from many different tribes and it was so fun to hear about each of their birthing traditions.  A couple of them tied ropes around trees and let the woman hold on in a dangle/squat position while pushing.  Others mostly just squatted. 

5.  They have a lot of beliefs about unity and the baby not wanting to come until everyone is at peace. So when a woman is having a prolonged labor or birth, they bring in the father or other family to talk to the baby and tell it that it can come.

6.  The Tribal Birth Attendants had a very good understanding of birth on an emotional level...and were full of a lot of wisdom that way.

7.  Once again, I saw the squat position save the day when a woman was pushing for a long long time with out much progress.

8.  These tribal midwives open up their homes to laboring woman and help so many.  They are exposed to many diseases and are never paid.  They do it because they feel it is right to help their sisters.  It was a challenge to me to hear them talk about it.

It was a calm and beautiful day there with many babies being born gently and being cared for well.  It was different to have so many people there caring for the moms.