Keeping Hope

The small cloud that's been following me around, started to lift a bit yesterday. It was a day that made me feel good once again about myself and about working as a midwife here. First, I happened to be standing in the hall outside the labor ward when one of the cleaners came to tell the family of a laboring woman that she had just pushed a little girl into the world. The cleaner said, "wamkasi" (girl) and small group of women, several with babies on their backs all clapped and hollered in unison, then started laughing and slapping hands. In a place where women, more often than not, get the extremely short end of the proverbial stick, it was wonderful to see and hear such a joyous welcome for a little girl.

Later, towards the end of the day, one of the nursing students who is in the labor ward this week, came to me and said, "The woman in the last bed is pushing and there's a foot coming." I rushed down to the bed and sure enough a foot was dangling from her introitus and with the next contraction legs and bottom quickly followed. Footling breeches (when one or both feet come down first) are more dangerous than frank breeches (when the baby is in a pike position) because the umbilical cord can slip down, become compressed, and cut off the oxygen supply, but thankfully I when I checked the heart tones the little valves were ticking away. I was just focused on the woman but from all the voices coming from behind me seemed that most of the people in the labor ward came to witness and participate in the birth. A nursing student started the delivery, then another midwife helped us with an arm, and I finished by delivering the head. It was so amazingly wonderful to see that sweet pink baby boy and place him screaming on his mom's belly. I turned around to ask for the delivery pack and saw a sea of smiling faces. That was great. Just what I had been missing -support from co-workers, and the opportunity to share the sense of elation that comes from witnessing a beautiful birth.