This morning I had a tough time getting started. I woke up about half an hour before my alarm went off to use the restroom, and was starving. I just went back to bed, knowing that David would make breakfast, but when I went to eat I suddenly had no appetite, like the way you feel when you’re very hungry but you don’t want to eat because you think it might make you sick. Eventually I just made myself eat some fruit snacks and went to Morning Handover.
After Morning Handover I followed Dr. Erdi on her rounds in the children’s ward. The children’s ward has been filled past capacity for a while now, but two there were only 27 patients, and there are 28 beds. Dr. Erdi was so surprised that we had an empty bed! And she discharged about six, and about another five will be discharged tomorrow if they continue to improve. I’m still so impressed by the blind spots the locals have to children’s health. One mother told Dr. Erdi that her two-year-old son was much better and that she wanted to take him home, but he was too weak to even take two steps by himself. Another patient, a nine-month-old boy, had a large soar on his chest that his mother says is from him scratching himself. When Elizabeth said, “That’s an awfully big scratch,” the mother laughed.
After quick rounds in the maternity ward, when we found out that two women were in labor, I went back to the house to work on my project. Mr. Swaray came by to ask for help with the excel document I made for him, so I went down to the TFC with him. He really didn’t need my help, he just wanted to be sure that he was doing it right. On my way back to the house the boys that I played with on Friday were playing in the field again and ran up to say hello. They had a piece of paper for me that had everyone’s name on it, and it was titled, “Please Mrs look that this.” It was so cute, and they wanted to play with me again, but I had to work more.
After getting some work done on the project I went back to the maternity ward to see if either of the pregnancies had progressed. When I walked in Mary, one of the midwifes, said, “Yes, yes! Go in! She’s pushing!” And sure enough, I walked in and could see just the littlest bit of the baby’s head. I went back out quickly to talk to Mary and make sure she called Tanis, who has really wanted to see a vaginal delivery. By the time I just made sure she was calling her and that she had the right number and went back to the delivery room, the head was already out! I got to witness the rest of the birth, and not thirty seconds later Tanis came running in. She was a little disappointed, but also extra determined to see the other delivery, especially because it was twins.
I asked David, our cook, if I could help him make dinner, because I want to learn how to cook some of his dishes he’s made for us. He was very happy to show me, and told me that tomorrow he will let me help earlier in the day, when he’s doing more of the preparations, so that I can write down what he puts in and how much. He’s also going to teach me how to fry eggplant! It was fun.
After helping David for a bit, I went back to the hospital to see how the delivery of the twins was going. As I was talking out of the doctor’s housing area, Dr. Abel and his family were arriving, followed by all of the boys. I had to tell them that they are not allowed in the fenced in doctor’s house area without being invited, and showed them the private sign. Then the older boy who’s been sort of translating for me gave me a note that read as follows:
On the front, before unfolding that paper:
To you my Frend
Love you
On the inside:
Dear miss,
I am write this lelter to you that reson we write this letter please miss, we like to healp we please my frend, now we writ now we there in the school please frend healp we that why we write this letter to you
your fafulay,
Ibrihim Karama
Musa Barrie
and Abu Lavlhoh,
When I asked them what they wanted my help with, the older boy Abu said that he wanted to go to school. I sensed then that he was asking me to give him money so that he could go to school, but I decided it was best to pretend not to understand, and I asked him how I could help him go to school when I am not a teacher and I cannot be his teacher. He didn’t really respond, but when I said that I couldn’t play then because I had to go help delivery a baby, one of the other boys said, “You must pay his school fees!” I tried to explain that I couldn’t pay his school fees because I have to pay my own school fees, and at first they laughed. When I said, “I have no money,” they looked confused but seemed to accept this answer. I told Abu that I was sorry that I couldn’t pay for his school, but that I know he’s very smart and will be able to go back to school someday. They asked me if I could play with them tomorrow, and I said maybe, but I have a feeling that they have officially become by groupies.
When I arrived at the maternity ward, they told me that they had ruptured her membranes to make the labor progress, and an hour later a baby girl was born! After another forty-five minutes a baby boy followed. Both are quite small, but seem healthy. And after the wonderful dinner that I had a hand in preparing, we are relaxing with a movie.
This post is dedicated to the woman who came in for scanning today to have Dr. Erdi check on her pregnancy for twins because she couldn’t feel any fetal movement. One of the babies was fine, but the other is dead in the uterus. Dr. Erdi believes that it wont affect the growth of the other baby, so she’s not going to do anything at this point, but it will mean giving birth to at least one still born child. Please pray that the other baby makes it to term without complications.
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