7/6: Clinicals and School Visit

Got up at 6 AM, and took a shower. They actually have running water here at the H/C!!! That was really nice, because it meant that instead of having to haul water from the village well, we could just turn on a spicket to fill our buckets. Had an Oatmeal and Milo Mash for breakfast, which was SO good!!!

talking over breakfast

Making Breakfast

The day we got here, Etienne was fixing a light (they stop working constantly), by standing on a table, and when he jumped off, broke his toe (we confirmed that the next day). Unfortunately, he's the only one who is tall enough to fix them, and as the leader, he feels it is his responsibility, so it has become a joke here.

Just Resting

Balong in his Favorite Hammock

The Health Center-Our Home Sweet Home

The view from our front door

Instead of doing visitations or clinics every day, they trade off. Today was Clinic Day, meaning we hung out at all morning, and helped any people who come by, and entertained/talked to the children. 

The Kids took this Picture

MaKayKay trying to use the stilts (the kids love it!!)

The Kids took this too (boy did they love it when I made animal sounds!!)

A few people came by for b/ps and also conducted a few prenatals. One of them was Baby Jane or "Jane". (She was the one we scheduled last night.)

Jane was 19 years old, G3P2, and 42 weeks GA, according to her dates. We did an IE, which showed she was only 2 cm, instructed and did some labor stimulation with her, in hopes that she'll go over before we leave. In past labors, her 1st was born after a 2 hr. labor, and with her 2nd, as soon as started feeling pain, the baby was born!!

They have a belief here that baby will wait to come until the full moon, and so the neighbors are pretty confident that she'll wait until the 15th to have her baby. We doubt she'll go that long though.

Going to get our lunch (see all the kids in the background??)

Siesta Time!!

Katie reading a story to the children (to get this picture, I had my finger on the button,  quickly opened the door, snapped the picture, and closed the door, so as not to disturb them. They thought I was crazy. :D)

After lunch, we took a siesta and then went to the Casiklan Elementary School, where we were supposed to show the 'Jesus Movie' (filipino style) to the kids. I have heard of people 'surrounding' people, but I have never experienced quite what I did then.... A bunch of kids (10-12 year olds) escorted us to the School, and everyone joined in....

They were asked to sit on the ground and scoot back so there was 6 feet spacing, which  they did, only to turn back around and them almost at our feet!!! :)

Originally, the movie was going to held in a classroom, but none of them were big enough for all 150+ kids, so they tried to set it up outside. When that didn't work, they decided just to show it to the 1st and 2nd graders today, and then show it to the older ones on a different day.

During the Movie

When the Movie First Started......

Starting the Second Movie...what a difference!!!

We were almost done with the 2nd movie (1.5 hour total), when a women came and informed us that there were some buntis women waiting for us at the clinic. All 3 of us midwives and Katie went back to see them, while the others stayed oversaw the kids.

There were 4 total, but only 1 had the nerve to come from the Barangay Hall (City Hall), where they were waiting. We were told that they thought that we would only see them if they were in labor. We tried to dispel this myth, but the other 3 didn't come--they were shy.

Coming Back From the School

The one that did come: Lauralen, was G4P3L4 and 40 2/7 weeks GA. Her last pregnancy was twins, which were delivered via Caesarean Section at the Hospital in 2006-nearly 5 years ago. She declared that she wanted to give birth here with us, and was hoping that she'd have her baby soon. We conducted an IE on her, and found that she was 2 cm, so we did some Labor Stimulation, and instructed her on how to continue doing so.

Unlike Baby Jane, it was kind of important that we be there for her birth if at all possible for a few reasons:

1) VBAC - PTL, it was a transverse cut instead of vertical (which means there was a lower risk of Uterine Rupture).
2) She was Pre-eclamptic with her twins, making it a higher risk for that this time as well.

3) Being her 5th baby and in her mid 30's, there was a higher risk of hemorrhaging.

4) Usually, births like this are done in the hospital, and the Helots/Volunteers had no experience with this type of birth/possible complications, whereas Makayla and Sylvette had it. 

5) (the rest we didn't know until she was in labor) :D

Originally, we were supposed to leave tomorrow morning, to go help the Subait team with their 2 days of "Tuli", and so the Casiklan Team started reading the birth section of the medical book I brought with me. But after considering Lauralen's assured oncoming parturition, we unanimously decided to postpone our departure another day, meaning we'd leave early Friday Morning. The Team was grateful. :)

We ate a dinner of Rice, Pancit, and Boiled Eggs (NOT Balut!!) :) We then had team time, and went to bed. Often, part or all of the team sleep out in the Barangay Hall in their hammocks. One of the guys always sleeps out there too, to guard them, which is a good thing.

We Slept in the Top of the Barangay Hall

Tonight, everyone besides Balong, Makayla and Sylvette slept out there. When we went out there, there were 4 guys hanging out below, and one of them had locked the door to go up above, and had to unlock it for us. 

I enjoy heights, but this??? (It was over a 15 ft. drop!!) Go Jilian!!

Katie's was Pink, Jilian's Orange, Etienne's Blue, and Mine Green

Hannah's amazing Hammock

Not that we thought we'd need it or anything, but we placed a small barricade just-in-case at the top of the VERY steep stairs: 2 huge bags of grain or something, and chairs to throw on top of the intruders at the other end. We made some jokes about it, and semi 'planned' what we would do if they made a rude entrance (which we doubted with Etienne there), and then went to sleep.

Since I didn't have a hammock, I put my pair of dusty jeans on the floor as my 'bedroll', and then slept in my mulong with some clothes bundled up for a pillow, and my lime green mosquito net above me--actually quite comfortable!! Just because, I had my cellphone set to the Torch Lite, so I could flip it on with one click of a button.

SETUP: Katie's hammock was pretty right in front of the stairs, Jilian's over the stairs, and Hannah's farthest away. Etienne was sleeping in his mulong at the other end of the stairs, and I was in between them all-central (closest to Jilian and Etienne).

Beds: Katie, Jilian, Etienne, Mine, Hannah

I slept very soundly UNTIL 12:49 AM (that became my 'line' afterwards). At 12:49 AM, I woke up--someone was trying to open the very noisy door at the bottom of the Barangay!! My first thoughts were "They wouldn't dare!! How stupid could they be?? Never in a million years, did I think this would actually happen!! What should I do God?? What is a body actually supposed to do in this situation?? This is hilarious!!! I wonder if any one else is awake?? God, I'm Yours, I know you'll help me through this!!"

Naturally the first thing to do, is try to wake up the man in the situation, and so I screamingly whispered "Etienne!!!" a few times: he didn't wake up. I thought "Oh well, I guess he'll wake up soon. Now, what should my plan of action be God?? Should I go kick the bags on them, drop the chairs on top of them, or wait here ready to torch them, and then spring when they peer through the mosquito net??" :)

Before I knew it, and without a sound, I was almost out of my mulong, with my thumb on my torchlite. I decided to lay quietly, ready to spring on my attackers. I did have a decided advantage, because there was a bright light outside a few hundred feet a way, so I could see the shadows of what was coming.

Preparing myself, I waited as they plodded up the stairs, and who should it be??? The Trio (Katie, Hannah, and Jilian) coming back from the C.R.!!!! Good thing I am a Christian and God has a GOOD hold on me, because at that moment, I wanted to annihilate; exterminate; eradicate; assassinate; mow, shoot, cut down and take out those girls for terrorizing the daylights out of me so exceedingly and intensely!!!

After talking about it the next morning, I found out that Etienne had woken up when the Trio left, but because he was expecting their return, he had no reason to wake up, until I gave my reaction to the girls' unplanned coup.

The rest of the night, I slept with both ears open, and for some reason could quote exactly when each person turned, snored, etc. during the night, though in between, I slept quite soundly. At 4 AM, the electricity went out (don't ask me how I know. ;D), and I heard an animal or person walking around somewhere in the village, and some people with a flashlite were walking to catch the Jeepneys which left at 4, 5, and 6 AM. :)

I was awake before 6, just waiting for 6 AM to come, before getting up, & found it quite funny when, within 10 seconds of my wristwatch beeping, Etienne went from a deep sleep to waking up-just like that! I asked him about it later, & he said it must be his internal clock. Wish mine was like that!! Within 10 seconds of hitting 6 am!!

What I Learned:
- Out in the Bukid, the don't care about credentials. Anything you have to offer is wanted, because people are dying daily without medical care of any sort. Even though I feel like I hardly know anything, I am referred to as a missionary and midwife out there.
- Never take the men in your life for granted...we aren't around very many of them here, and it has made all of us girls realize how special the men in our family truly are, despite their short-comings.
- Always have a plan and be prepared, just hope you don't have to always follow through with it.
- God is so good, and He is our Strength and our Rock. I think this was a testing for future encounters.

The LORD is my Rock and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Strength, in whom I will trust; my Buckler, and the Horn of my Salvation, and my High Tower.

~ Psalms 18:2 ~