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.

Buried Alive

I have been thinking a lot about the HIV positive lady that I helped through labor. I called her Kahlia on this blog.  I heard stories today of two other HIV positive ladies who lived in my town here.   One woman, when her family discovered her HIV status, they forced her into a coffin and nailed it shut.  Then they buried her alive.  Another they tied up and kept in a pit until she died a month later.  There is such fear and such a stigma here when it comes to HIV!  It makes me really sad. 

Life's Not Fair with HIV

* Names and details were changed...but the story is true

When I first saw Khalia, she was sitting with her mom on the hard wooden benches outside.  Her mother made me promise to take care of her girl.  There were tears in her eyes as she pleaded with me.  Mom's aren't allowed past the heavy, paint chipped door of the labor and delivery ward.  I told her I would be her daughter's "watch mama." 

The nurses took Khalia back to take a cold bucket bath in the filthy shower stall.  Her mother then pulled a very used Coca Cola bottle full of water out of her colorful string bag.  She whispered to me that I needed to take this to her daughter to drink.  It was from Khalia's village where she had grown up.  All the women had "outed" their "heavies" (issues, grudges ect.) and blessed the water.  Now if the laboring mother drinks it, it shows that they are all at peace.  They believed it would make the labor go quickly and easily.  The wrinkled little mother was thrilled that I understood and was familiar with the beliefs from my years in the bush.  I gave it to Khalia, explained what her mom had said, and Khalia drank it up quickly.

Khalia is 17 years old.  Last year her husband bought her for about $3000.  She then went to live in his village as his fourth wife.  She spends her days tending the large gardens and cooking food.  Probably caring for the kids of the older wives too.  Her new husband  gave her HIV on her wedding night.  She is now HIV positive and has TB and herpes to go with it.

Now, here she was delivering her first baby.  The medical staff was standoffish about her medical conditions. (The herpes had done some awful looking things to her) They warned me not to be around her.  I did consider just helping the other 8 ladies in labor but I felt that God would have me to love on Khalia.  It was the right thing to do.  It is what Jesus would do.  I spent the next 8 hours with her. (and I did take precautions with fluids)   She is a sweet and beautiful girl who labored very well.  

She begged me not to leave, even for a minute.  I held her, massaged her, prayed with her, and encouraged her. 

Once she was ready to push, she pushed for almost 4 hours.  They never checked the babies heart tones. 

She got so exhausted.  Her babies head had been slightly in view for two hours.  No amount of squatting or position change was helping.  I finally was able to convince someone to come help us.  I was shocked at how she "helped."   She grabbed a razor blade and cut Khalia four times. Four large episiotomies on her herpes enveloped skin.  A beautiful baby girl emerged over the HIV infected blood. 

Khalia had more love in her eyes as she looked at her new daughter than most of the mom's I see here.  The baby latched on a nursed just fine.  It was hard to say goodbye to her.  I am privileged to have been able to be with her on that day. 
                                                                             

Do You See What I See?

My last doula adventure was a crazy one.  I have seen a lot since I last updated you all.

1. I have seen two new doulas (that I have had the privilege of training) spread their wings and do very well. 

2. I have seen a baby born right on the dirty hospital floor.  Both mom and baby were fine. 

3. I have seen a woman punched repeatedly  while her baby was crowning. 

4. I have seen God answer my prayers over and over again when a mom is having a very hard time or when a baby is not breathing.

5. I have seen an HIV positive mom shunned and shamed. 

6. I have seen serious hemorrhages and babies that took a long time to breathe.

7. I've seen the midwives be very kind and show great skill in order to save a mom and baby.

8. I've seen the midwives share their own things and go the extra mile to be kind to a patient.

9. I've seen a movie on maternal death in childbirth put on for the laboring women to watch.

10. I've seen the squatting position spare many women from c sections and vacuum extractions.

A Little Girl in Labor

She was twelve years old.  She had been in labor for two days and was HIV positive.  As I held her and rubbed her back through the contractons, it was hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that this girl was only two years older than my son.

A smaller clinic 3 hours away had sent her to this larger hospital because they felt her labor was taking too long.  None of her family came with her.  She was so scared, and very much alone.  She kept calling out for her mom.

I encouraged her to walk if she could, and she did. She walked and walked and walked.  Eventually she had a baby boy.  When he started to nurse for the first time, the look on her face made me want to cry.  Her expression was that of  joy and amazement and love for this new little miracle that had been inside her only moments ago. 

I don't know her whole story, and I don't know what life will look like for her as she heads home. I doubt it is pretty.  All I can do is pray for her.



Left: you can see a woman walking away with a bag of firewood.  Right: the next generation of little women

But isn't Birth Normal and Safe?

Now I realize that in North America we are fighting hard to tell women that birth is normal and safe.  This blog may bother some of you. 

It is true that in North America and many parts of the world, there are too many medical interventions which are causing harm to women.  So that is why we have to tell women..."your body knows what to do" and "birth is normal unless proven otherwise."

Now look at a woman in a developing country. (I'm not saying these things don't happen elsewhere, or that they happen to everyone here.)  Add pregnancy to these possibilities:  smoking, unclean water, a husband who beats her, severe anemia from malaria, a poor diet, and maybe some HIV and TB and a couple of STD's.  All this with no birth control, little education, and no prenatal care. These factors cause major issues for women and babies.

That is the difference between here and there.  If you are a pregnant woman reading this, please don't let it frighten you.  These stories are not applicable to mothers in North America, except to raise awareness so that you can help. Yes, I do believe that birth is usually safe and  an absolutely wonderful and NORMAL experience for a healthy, well fed, woman.

I found this list of countries and how many women in each have a skilled birth attendant when they have their babies. I thought it was interesting.


Here is the Link: http://kff.org/global-indicator/births-attended-by-skilled-health-personnel/


A skilled birth attendant can be a nurse midwife, a direct entry midwife, or a doctor.