Delivering Babies

Worked the night shift again with Liz. My role here is very much a backseat position. It’s good for me to learn to follow. I have to because I am not trained in this sort of field. There were two babies born last night. The first time I’ve ever seen a vaginal delivery. God is quite amazing. These women are so strong. The 1st woman was on her 10th child! So of course she knows the drill. In fact she felt the pains and new it was time. So by herself she gathers her cloths for the baby and herself and walks who knows how far to the hospital. When she gets here she sits on the maternity bed and her water breaks. We knew then that it wouldn’t be long for her. Sure enough within the hour the babies head is appearing and in no time we’ve got him out and tube clamped and cut. A lovely little girl. The most noise the 2nd woman made was when Liz gave her a shot IM (in the muscle of her thigh) of oxytocen – that helps the bleeding stop and firm up the uterus after the placenta has come out. And it was her second child at 22. The first one required a synfisiotomy so the baby would have enough room to come out, so this one we weren’t to sure how it would go and at one point we thought there might be a problem with the shoulders coming out, but nope all is well. The second baby was as Liz predicted a little boy; her theory was because the baby was causing so much trouble and difficulty.

It made me think of this:
For unto us a child is born. For unto us a child is given and He shall take away the sins of the world. A baby was born in the bush many years ago, the mother also didn’t have any modern painkillers, she might have felt very alone without her mother and without a proper midwife.