Baby Delivery

6-16-10

Me and the little baby. I was so excited to be
present for this delivery

We spent another day at the clinic but today the team from Indiana was not present. It was us and the nationals who run the clinics. It was a slow day. Kinda boring. At the end of the day me and my team were exploring the hospital when all of a sudden a woman came in with a ton of women helping her, some of the team was confused as to what was happening but I knew exactly what was going on. I was going to see a delivery-how exciting! The woman laid down on a bed and pushed once and out came a beautiful little boy. The doctor just left the baby at the end of the bed crying while he was going to pull out the placenta, what the heck? Don't they clear the baby's mouth/lungs first? Blood test? height or weight? Nope. I couldn't stand to see the child cry at the end of the bed so I asked if I could hold the baby while he was finishing up with the mother. The mother and doctor consented, so I was able to wipe down the infant and hold him. It was an amazing experience but was rather horrified as to how the mother gave birth. She was not taken care of whatsoever, or her child for that matter.

I got into a long discussion with my team later that evening about what we saw. Maybe the clinic doesn't have the funds or the right equipment for deliveries but something has to be done about it, right? There were no sheets on the bed, no pillow, no gown for the mother to change into. Heck, there were no blankets for the baby to be wrapped in. The mother sat in her own blood and bodily fluids. Was this a normal birth? Yep. Since the mother had no complications while giving birth she would be sent back to her village later on in the evening, ridiculous! I am so impressed with these women here. I could never do it. I never want to give birth Kenyan style. Never.

I am still frustrated by what I saw and I believe change needs to happen. My team saw what I was saying but we had different views, someone said, "There are many things that the clinic could change but we need to be proud of what they have accomplished-do we want it to be more like the states?" No! Of course not, I just mentioned one aspect of the clinic that I didn't like and people started disagreeing with me. Someone else said, "Change doesn't happen overnight, Anna, it's a process..." I know it is but who starts the change? We saw a birth and didn't like the way things were done. Who makes the first move in making a change? Are we gonna wait to get things accomplished? I hope not. I see the positive in things but I also see the negative. When I see negative aspects I see the chance for change, a chance for improvement.
Luckily, I was able to chat with the two doctors from IN and told them of the delivery. They thought it would be a good idea to implement a delivery and neonatal class when they come back in October, thank goodness! I made one move but I feel there is more for me to do with this....will I be able to come back with this team in October to implement this informative class? How can I get my hands on hospital gowns, sheets and baby blankets? I'm looking into it. :-)

I'm still upset by what I saw. Women are not cared for enough out here. It makes me sad.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Mahatma Gandhi