Tuesday, January 21, 2014

A Pleasant Surprise


Wow. This is the best word to describe today. Our group split into two. The one I was in went to a government maternal health clinic. We had never been to this place before so we were not sure on what to expect. We were brought to a room that had a lady lying sideways on a bed. When we asked what was wrong with the lady, they said she was in false labour.  Well next thing we know the lady’s water broke and they transferred her to the birthing table. The midwife went to check how dilated she was, but when she did, the head was already starting to come out. The lady pushed a couple times and the baby was out. Immediately, the baby was put on the mother while they stimulated the child to cry. The whole delivery seemed to only take minutes.

It is amazing to take a step back and think about the differences between having a baby in Canada versus the baby we saw here. The birthing room was very rudimentary. There was no oxygen, no suction or fetal heart monitor. When I think about it, not much of any devices we rely on heavily in Canada. The mother had no pain medication for the birth, only a bit of lidocaine for when the midwife stitched the first degree tear. Than like nothing happened, the mother got up and was walking. We were also told that within 24 hours the mother and baby would be going home.

This experience left us with a flood of emotion. By seeing the dawning of a new life and shows us  just how beautiful life is. It also made us appreciate how we take for granted all things that we have in Canada. Let us not forget this when we go home.
-Stefany

No comments:

Post a Comment