Day 6: Day Shift

Well, as a few of you have probably figured out, I'm catching up on blogging... Unfortunately, my shifts the last couple days, have made it such that fitting in room for blogging has been hard....especially when you're trying to skype your family too. :D On top of that, our internet has been out most of the last 2 days, due to rain storms, & other unknown causes, which has been VERY frustrating in some ways...but then, who cares.....

I just think back to when my mom went to the Philppines 30 years ago, & how though she & her family wrote letters back & forth the 7 weeks she was there, neither parties received the letters before she got home, so she has zilch contact with her family!!!! I am so blessed...& spoiled!!!

Me & Annie in the Birth Clinic (she was coming off of Night Shift)

We did Day Shift (6am-2 pm): Jordan & I. There were no actual births on our shift, though there were 2 gals that ended up being transported to the hospital. :( Also, 1 labor was endorsed to the Swing Shift. We also did some well-baby/postpartum check-ups, etc. though I was very involved in one of the gal's labor (one who was transported).

I was able to go in the MMC Ambulance with her, & was in charge of making sure her IV fluids didn't fly around too much, & that she didn't fall off her seat (her hubby was across from her, holding one side, & I was seated next to her.). :D (It was definitely an "Ambulance Ride"....imagine, the vehicle's horn is going off constantly, there are a lot of quick starts/stops, & sometimes you're in the oncoming traffic's lane!!!

I don't remember much of what I did the rest of the day....I think I slept a good bit, & read some books, mostly midwifery & biographies (my favorite). Then, when Lydia & Stephanie got off shift at 10 pm, I had just finished reading another book, & we 3 felt like celebrating, so we had some leftover Spaghetti from dinner (Annie makes the BEST Spaghetti--from scratch too--EVER!!!!), & Coffee Icecream (the best ever!! It has a bunch of other stuff in it too....)

Day 5: Dinner, Balut, Shopping

In the excitement of last night's Night Shift, I forgot to post pictures of Kamerie's & my adventure at the G-Mall! We asked the driver to take us to 'Victoria Mall', but somehow, he took us to the G-Mall (which we didn't end up finding out, until this afternoon, when all of us girls & Heidi went to the 'real' Victoria Mall!!).

G-Mall is gigantic...comparable to the Spokane North Town Mall, possibly bigger!! In some parts, it is 5 stories tall!!! The had a "Back to School" sale in one part of it, & it literally looked like a hive of bees at first glance!! (Kinda sounded like it too!)

Kamerie & I ate at McDonald's or "McDo" as they call it here. (The "o" is very soft....kinda French). I know, it was a crazy place to eat, but we thought we might as well try it, & see how it differs from USA! Kami got Spaghetti & I got a hamburger (with lettuce...)

It was definitely better than American McDo, but it still was terrible in my opinion. :D It would have been 10 times better, if I had tomatoes & TONS of onions, but alas, I might a huge amount of work for them, to ask for lettuce on a cheeseburger (they said it was cheddar, but it was definitely NOT!!) In fact, they had to go up to the Manager in a panic, which was pretty funny!!
So, when Kami & I got back to our "house", we found Lydia & Stephanie out on the porch eating dinner, & just then, a cockroach (the first seen) appeared!! Stephanie screamed, & here is what she did next. LOL It was adorable!!! Needless to say, we're trying to scare her to much, but they've been showing up all over the place now.....
Here it is compared to a certain Peso amount (size of a quarter).

Okay, back to today!! This afternoon, a bunch of us girls & Heidi (one of the 1 yr students) went shopping at Victoria mall, which is where we'll get most of our groceries (minus fresh stuff, which we'll get at market). That was a lot of fun...

Then, while I took a nap, a few of the girls went to the Market to get some fresh stuff.

Tonight, a few of us girls went out to dinner at "Boodels", which is an outdoor restaurant, within walking distance of MMC! I ordered rice, & then had a couple bowls of their amazing broth.

As some of you know, I have a pet peeve of LOVING fresh onions-green & regular (& lots of veggies on my burgers :D). It was kinda funny, asking for more for my soup (as the refill didn't have any in it), & seeing their confused faces & partial panic, in trying to understand what I was asking for.... I guess I should learn the Visayan word for "Onion"!!! :D

All 6 of us girls (L-R): Me, Lydia, Stephanie, Jordan, Heidi, & Ashton

I've been staying in constant contact with my family thru Skype & email, & sometimes even through phone!! In the middle of skyping my parents (who are in Washington DC with Samuel & Rebekah for the National Spelling Bee, which Rebekah is competing in this week), one of the Students came over & invited us to a Balut (1/2 hatched duck eggs) party!!

Lydia, Stephanie, & I went over to WATCH. (Remember the word 'watch'...that was ALL it was. :D As most people can attest, most things don't faze me: blood, guts, feces, urine, vomit, etc. But, I gagged at least 3 times, of which, I could of easily thrown up (totally NOT normal!!).

Though I have inherited the trait of serious egg allergies (all kinds, not just chicken eggs), I love them a ton, & so before I came, I had reasoned with myself, that if I got the opportunity, "why not just try it??" Well, now I have 3 REASONS, why I absolutely cannot try it:

1) Egg Allergies

2) I couldn't quit from gagging while just watching others eating them!

3) ....Seriously, I know there was another reason....hmm.....will have to try to remember it! :D

So, I guess I can add Balut to my "Absolutely Disgusting" list, along with Maggots (absolutely disgusting!!), & Mold (which I am also extremely allergic too)...

Heidi with her Balut...
This duckling was ready to hatch!!! That is inhumanely cruel!! LOL :D

I have Day Shift (6 am-2 pm) tomorrow...

Day 5: Night Shift-Baby!!

Well, I just got back from Night Shift, & this time, I didn't sleep a wink!!! There were 5 gals there (Elsa & our shift's Supervisor-Estef--both Filipino, Jacquie (a 1 yr student), Jordan & me.

When we got on duty (10 pm), there was a client (C1) already in labor. For the next few hours, Jordan & I observed the labor, & got to help take b/p, temp, & pulse, & check the FHT (fetal heart tones). C1 had constant back pain with contractions, & once I got to take on the 'doula role', of massaging her back thru a contraction.

NOTE: Until Elsa (& later Estef) were needed with C3, Jacquie was in charge pretty much, while they rested.

About that time, another gal (C2) in labor came in (she was my age!). Because she was only 1 cm dilated, we (Elsa) sent her home, with instructions to rest & keep hydrated/fed.

NOTE: I left C1 to admit C2, & then woke up the midwives to alert them. From then out, I was completely working with Elsa & C2/3, while Jordan stayed with Jacquie & C1.

After dismissing C2, we (Elsa & I) found C3 waiting for us outside the little curtained cubicle (2 am). She was obviously in pain & getting close, & after Elsa commenced an IE, we found that she was almost fully dilated & effaced. At that time, the baby's FHT was a little bit low, & when we next checked it, a few minutes later, we found that it had plummeted. At that time, Estef came & there was a little bit of organized chaos, getting C3 hooked up to oxygen, bringing in the birthing trays, & starting fetal stimulation, & constant FHT monitoring.

NOTE: From the very beginning of C3's admittance, I did all the charting of her labor, & throughout it, she & I really connected on a more emotional/mental level, I guess you could say... I also conducted some FHT monitoring, blood pressure, & helped as possible, which was fun...

C3's labor slowed down some, & since baby's FHT was doing well, we asked her to rest for a while, to regain strength & energy. She did this for almost an 1.5 hrs. Every time she changed positions (from back to side/side to back), she would make faces & groan, but labor did not gotten any harder.

Back to C1: hours had passed of hard labor, & nothing had really happened. That was okay, until baby's FHT plummeted. That turned the tables, & "Super" (supervisor) decided to transfer. So, after completing the necessary paperwork, & inserting an IV, Jacquie & Jordan transferred her in the MMC Ambulance to the Hospital.

At 4:29 am, nothing had visibly changed, & C3 was happily resting. She was lying on her side, & decided to go on her back all of a sudden (which she had done many times in the last 1.5 hrs), & all of a sudden starting crowning!!!

Funny thing was, during this whole time, I was almost always in there alone (except to get something, check in with the "Super", etc.) with C3 & her husband (the midwives were either with C1 or out chatting). :D

No one had called for Elsa to come in right then or anything, but C3 had barely changed positions when Elsa rushed in there (& Estef shortly after her), & in 3 minutes, the baby was born!!! Talk about fast!! :D

Baby had a 7 &8 1/5 minute APGAR (which is good), & though he was quite purple (yes, it was a boy :D), he had no problem breathing or screaming (& boy was he angry sounding!!) It was really sweet too, because C3 was very responsive after the baby was born & handed to her. She kept saying over & over again: "Baby, Baby (Pro: Ba-BEE, Ba-BEE), Praise the Lord, Thank you Jesus!!"

Of course, being that C3 transitioned so fast, there was no time to get her in a better position, & so she ended up with a 2nd degree laceration :(, which had to be sutured.

This next part was really interesting, because not only was I charting everything, but I also had keep track of the time (so we could get APGARs & Vitals every few minutes), hand suturing supplies to Elsa (& watch the whole process), but I also helped take some vitals during that time as well.

Unfortunately, the Ambulance drove up just as C3 was crowning, & so Jordan missed the actual birth!

They named him 'Reyvir', & after I took a shower, I came back & talked to them a little bit, & her husband took a picture of us. Praise the Lord, he accidentally took a short video as well, which I have included below:

I am working Day Shift tomorrow: 6am-2pm.

Day 4: Visit to Agdao Market

Well, all of us girls (Stephanie, Chantal, Terry, Lydia & Annie, Jordan, & me) went to Agdao Market to check out Produce prices, & get a feel for what it's like there, so that we can go back tomorrow, after we get our weekly Ration's Money from MMC.

Our transportation (regal indeed :D) was the Pedi-Cad

Lydia & Annie with their driver

Stephanie, Chantal, & Terry with their driver

Jordan & my driver

When we were almost to the Market, (stopped at one of the few stoplights), a little boy (in red) walked in front of our cad, & accosted me with a big smile on his face, & his pointer finger up (like a number 1).

At first, I thought he was begging for money, but the driver right next to us (Barnett's driver) said 'Camera' (I had been taking pictures of the other girls' cads). So then, I thought he was asking to take a picture of us (but who would give a Filipino kid your camera???). He made some hand motions, & I finally figured out that he wanted me to take a picture of him!!!!

Just then another little boy ran out & joined in for the picture. Of course, I had no problem taking the picture of them (below), before they ran happily off. One of the other girls told me later, that once she realized they wanted their picture taken, she wondered what would happen later...would they want me to pay them for taking their picture?!?! :D

Pictures of Market:

There was this one woman (below) who kept begging for money, it was quite an interesting experience.

We hailed down a Tricei-Cad on our way back, and low & behold, another Trici-Cad driver came up, & started arguing with the other driver, trying to convince us to come with him too!!!

We asked the driver if he thought we'd all (7 of us) fit in his Trici-Cad, & he said we would, so we tried: 3 in the front (4 total) & 4 in the back (I sat on Stephanie & Lydia's laps, & I think they did some of that in the back too. :D).

Here we are, turning onto our street, facing oncoming traffic for 50 feet!!!

All safe & sound back at our place.

Here's a gecko we found on our wall inside this morning, & a toad I found outside last night.

Day 4: 1st Night Shift

Well, if you have read Jordan's last post, you already know that her Swing Shift was "dead" for the first 4 hours, & then boom, they had 3 gals come in, who had 3 babies (2 boys, 1 girl), one of which delivered within 5 minutes of arriving!!! Talk about exciting!!!

Lydia, Kamerie, Stephanie, & I went on Night Shift at 10 pm, after all the excitement had calmed down. There wasn't really anything to do then, & so we eventually all sprawled out on the couches & went to sleep.

Here are 2 pictures I took when I woke up around 4 am, of the Filipino midwives (Lornie & Lydia) & we interns sleeping. :D

Counter-Clockwise: Stephanie, Lydia, & Kamerie

Counter-Clockwise: Kamerie, Lornie, Lydia, & Stephanie

We finally, 45 minutes before our shift ended had something to do, as we needed to check vitals on moms & babies. I was asked to take b/p, respirations, pulses, temps, etc., which was a lot of fun. It's been quite a while since I've needed to any of that, so I was a little slow, & needed some direction/reminders, but isn't that what I'm here for? To learn???

We girls are planning on going shopping this morning for some necessities & food supplies...

I am on for Night Shift tonight as well.

Day 3: 1st Day in Davao

Praise the Lord, this morning, I woke up at 4:15am, after a wonderfully long & deep sleep. For the next few hours, I spent my time reading the 'Welcome/Orientation Book', & then also started reading 'Peace Child' by Don Christiansen (very good).

We had Orientation with Krys(tina) at 9am, which was SO extremely helpful.

Our internet is very scarce at our house right now, so we've been 'borrowing' the Orange House's (another Dorm) internet via outside. :D They're supposed to get it fixed either Monday or Tuesday.

Here we are, contacting our families...

Joy took us out in the MMC Ambulance, & showed us where all the markets/malls are. We're hoping to go shopping tomorrow, for necessities, & more food. (The girls bought enough food to last us for a couple days, but we're running out...)

Some of the girls (including Jordan) are scheduled for the Swing Shift from 2-10pm, & I am scheduled for Night Shift from 10pm-6am tonight....I'll let you if anything happens...

Day 2: Korea to Philippines

As I wrote in my last post, the Flight Attendants have the cutest outfits!!

Jordan being asked what beverage she wanted, on our flight to Manila.

Finding our luggage in Manila

Waiting for the bus...

On the bus....what a happy lot!!! (The rest of the people were such good sports, including the Asian man who volunteered to take our picture!!)

Jordan next to a 'Jordan' Vehicle :D

Getting our luggage together after our airport transfer

Our travels had gone perfectly....until we changed airlines in Manila. Our Travel Agent had assured us that we could bring 2 check-ons & 2 carry-ons, with a limit of 50 lbs. each, & that all the airlines would be okay with that....

That was all good & true...until Manila. :D

At the Manila Airport (Philippine Air), they only allow a certain weight (still not sure what that is...but approximately 35-45 lbs/bag), otherwise they charge you an arm & a leg in 'excess baggage fees'. Then, they only allow 1 carry-on (the other has to be checked), & they cannot weigh more than 7 kg/15 lbs (though they seemed more lenient there...or maybe it was just the lady).

Anyway, I think once it was all said & done, we paid between $80 & $90/bag more, & who knows how much for the extra carry-on...equalling a little less than $200.

We appealed to the higher authorities, & even called MMC, but there was no other available option...oh well!! I think some of it may have had to do with the tickets we got (they were 'cheaper' I guess. ;D)

Anyway, we still had 2+ hrs. left after we got everything figured out, & all of us agreed that the whole ordeal brought us SO much closer. Just imagine 6 girls (ages 18-24), who have been traveling for 3 days, don't have enough sleep, haven't taken showers for ages, & are hot, stinky, & sweaty, with all their hormones/emotions to boot PLUS they're all studying to be midwives....... We had SO much fun!!!

Guess what???? I got to fly on a Boeing 747 on our way to Davao!!!!! I have always wanted to fly in one (I guess I did a long time ago, but I don't remember that), & so this was SO exciting.

We got in around 6pm or so, got our luggage together, & walked out to be greeted by Krys(tina) McNeil & Joy. After packing all of our luggage inside the van & the MMC 'Ambulance', we all piled in after it. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures. :(

There were quite a few young Filipinos gathered by the vans, laughing, talking, waving, etc. & so Jordan and I (amongst others) started waving, saying "Hi", etc. While pulling away, we were yelling 'Bye' back & forth, & were quite tickled when one of the teen guys semi-shouted "Love You!!!"

None of us were sure who he was saying it to, or if he was just saying it generally, but of course, there was a chorus of laughter from us girls as soon as he said it...

And so, that was our welcome to the Philippines!!!

Unfortunately (for my family :D), as soon as I landed in the Philippines, something inside me said "I think I've come home!" I don't know what God has planned for me in the future, but whatever it is, I know that at least for the next 3 months, I am completely in the center of His will.

Day 2: LA/Korea Airport!!!

Well, this is kinda awkward!!! I slept thru Thursday!!! (All 3 hrs. of it :D) It is officially Friday, 5/27/2011, at 5:46 am as I type write now.

Unfortunately, we didn't have Internet access in LA, & my computer was almost dead anyway....but we arrived safely in Seoul, South Korea around 4:30 this morning.

The flight to LA, California was really good, though the 2.5 hr. flight did feel kinda long. None of us girls were able to sit together, except Chantal & Stephanie. I sat between an Asian guy (:D) & a Californian girl, who is interested in possibly becoming a doula. All of us girls had some interesting/fun conversations. :D

The flight to Seoul was fabulous. Julie Sheplay & her husband joined our group in LA (Jordan & I met Julie at the Midwifery Skills Class last October), & so we now have a man in our group. :D

I have to comment that I absolutely love Korean Air. All the staff are Asian, & have the most adorable outfits. The service is A+, & the meals are absolutely delicious. Jordan & I sat together, as did Annie & Lydia, which was really fun, since we had a 13 hour flight.

I slept deeply thru 3/4 of it (Even when Jordan--when trying to get out--sat in my lap accidentally!! :D)

It almost felt like I was drugged!! I remember waking up when Jordan was eating a delicious dinner, & thinking "I'm too tired to even try to eat....(.......asleep)":D

e.g. to show how sweet the Asian flight attendants: I woke up at 7:30 am (PST) after sleeping all night long, & only a little bit after, one of the attendants came up to me & said with her Asian accent: "You were asleep last night during the dinner service. Would you like me to bring your food right now?"

I ordered the amazing 'Vegetable Dinner', which included:

TOP: Hot Pickles (scrumptious!), Orange Slices, water, (empty container)

BOTTOM: Rice (with sesame oil & Hot Pepper Paste on top), Vegetables & Ground Meat (zucchini, sprouts, spinach?, etc.) & Seaweed Soup (my favorite!!)

Breakfast was served 1.5-2 hrs. later. I ordered the 'Omelet Meal', which included:

TOP: Pineapple, (empty cup), Yogurt, Water

BOTTOM: Blueberry Muffin (my favorite!!), & the 'Omelet' (potatoes, eggs, & ham).

Jordan ordered the 'porridge meal'....turned out to be quite 'interesting', & if she hadn't just eaten my eggs (of which I'm allergic to), & I hadn't just eaten dinner as well, we both would have chowed it all down...... LOL

Here are some pictures of the Seoul, South Korean airport at the 'ungodly hour' of 3:30am. :D

Here are most of us using time until our flight many hours later....

ABOVE: Me BELOW: Jordan

Lydia & Annie Barnett

Stephanie Reid

Julie & Anthony Sheplay