so long fare-well I wish to say adeu...

Oh the joys of the kitchen...midwives like to eat so I got my fav foods...coke and fried chicken and we had us a little party...the midwives did all the work and I got to chill and enjoy my little goodbye...Re-enacting a birth scene so we would all feel more comfortable in front of the camera....

Getting alittle carried away...I measured up against the REAL buntis...

the nearest and dearest...they have showed me that birth is wonderful, hard work, exciting, tiring, never-ending...that birth is life...they are the best of the best...I would let them deliver me in a heart beat...yes, you heard right mum...i say if we're supposed to be born again as christians than my vote is for the clinic; they don't cut epesiotomies so you'll be OK mum!...i say go to Shiphrah Bahay Paanakan...the little ones are midwives in training...they know more than me about birth and prenatals...

Carl

I 'caught' a baby on May 14th who was abandoned 12 hours later by his mum. She went to work and no one even knew she was preggers...he stayed at the clinic, ended up at the children's hospital and finally is back at the little children's home run by the missionaries who run the birthing home...it is next door to the birthing clinic. So here's my 'neighbor'; he is a chunky monkey and has grown exponentially from his 4.4lbs birth weight. He was a bit grumpy when I got there but then I was told he was hungry so I got to feed him and settle him down a bit and what do ya know...
blissfully sleeping...but then he started farting around cause i guess he NEVER sleeps in his bed so off we went again...
I would just like to say I had just been at a birth and been without a shower for 30 hours and well, it's just not pretty after awhile...birth is NOT for celebrities...
in his little cloth diaper, and his rocking chair...stinkin cutie...I miss seeing babies and their jowels...he's definitely got a pair of kissable cheeks...can I just say that Carl is waiting to be adopted!...I prayed for his family and hope for the best for this little guy...

Life is goodbye's...

Back to the ole stomping grounds...my first three months here were spent in a squatter village called Pinkian...Grace is our midwife's daughter and she is also the third girl in her family...we bonded.
Me and Alex. We lived, laughed, cried, and worked our way thru Pinkian, Mandaluyong and now Beverly Hills...
Grace was doing a little commercial with my lotion...she changed about three times while we were visiting and also got me to polish her nails...hannah, where are you girl, i found you a kindred spirit.
Alex visit's one of her mums with her new baby girl...Nancy lives on this bed...this is her house...her boys are alittle hyper being couped up with a new baby all day...but during rainy season they have to stay in with mum...
me and ate Doris, she is so precious...
playin in the street...while the rain comes down...

Charlie...

So here is Charlie, he is so cute and gaining weight. He came in for a postpartum and guess things are going ok...still waiting for surgery though. I can't believe I caught him. He was the perfect little guy too-didn't tear his mum, came out with wonderful apgars....seriously, he is already a blessing and he was in the world for a few seconds...I just think that he is such a cutie...can't get enough of this babe...

suprise, suprise

What Your Hands Say About You

You are logical, analytical, and rational. You have good verbal skills. Idealistic and dreamy, you tend toward the impractical. You have a knack for getting yourself in sticky situations. Consistent and reliable, you like to count on structure and routine in your life. Your emotions tend to be nervous and potent. Your energy - both positive and negative - deeply impacts your life.

Birth, sutures, insomnia and prenatal exercise...

Well, Monday started off with me feeling anxious and not sleeping well thru the nite...decided to go to the clinic just to check things out...well, there was a birth and it was one of my continuities. She had seen me for all her prenatals for the past month and a half and then had her baby girl before I could get there...Jolia, so cute. I was ther in time to bath her-which is my fav part anyway-and then had to get busy cause there had been 3 births that nite. 3 hours later I was called into help a 21 year old deliver her first baby. She was stoic, I have seen some quiet births but this girl was steller and I was happy to just direct her to breath and then push during contractions. After 1/2 and hour she had made such good progress that it was time to get the head midwife in to be at the birth in case of complications. Well, her little girl flew out and was a bit premature so we made sure to give her oxygen and see how she adjusted. She did fine. Her mum tore and so i was deligated to 'be the one' to suture. NOT my favorite job.
God has just been so gracious to me in that he has given me the girls who are stoic and don't even open their eye's or move while the suturing takes place...I'm sure if the patient started crying uncontrollably, well her wimpy midwife (me) would also start crying and begging to stop. I am just not into pain. I am a comfort girl. And although birth is natural and a miracle and exciting and bearable...it's not comfortable.
But today was a bit more fun, the midwives saw us doing the macarena in the living area of the clinic so today we taught the macarena and did birthing exercises before prenatals. 3 white girls in front of about 30 little filipina pregnant women. It was fun, we were all laughing as we stretched and then did hip rolls and lunges...

Clowning around at the clinic...

Kayla is just checking up on the babe situation and giving the mum a much needed rest...she is an incredible midwife.
so you just can't say no to these cuties...
lets go round and round about a hundred times....makes for one dizzy midwife!

Here's the 4th of July Festivities...

My brilliant idea to eat the cookie dough BEFORE making the hamburgers...hey, we had a half day off for the fourth and I just wanted to mix it up a bit...keep it real...basically I needed a chocolate fix really bad!
I luv American food! WE made burgers (just like back home) and seriously it felt like a summer afternoon with friends and a cookout...
and yes, mum...when Kayla prayed she thanked God for the food and the country too...American's never forget that one...Happy belate 4th of July...mine rocked the house!

laundry anyone?

so lately i have been making some big decisions and realizing that i have an even larger load of work ahead of me if i want to do all that I want to do...
I have decided to go to Indonesia for a few weeks in august to tour a hospital there and also see everyone that I haven't seen for over 10 years...yes, I can officially say things like that cause I'm old...a decade has past and I guess if time heals, or distances us, or you know; does whatever it does...I should be able to go back and have fun thinking about all the people and places that meant so much to me...a life-time ago.
Because I am going for afew weeks it just seems like a good time to end off my time here with mercy in action and finish my school requirements as well as push thru all the mounds of paperwork needed to get straightened out to finish. Paperwork and Organization are the top two words on Maria's-most-heinous-words list. Thanks for buying me the Spiritual disciplines book dad, but is it a spiritual discipline to work on it at the expense of being responsible? Kidding Dad, I'm still not spiritual or responsible...
Experience-wise, I can't believe that in 6 months i will have gone to over 60 births as an assistant or primary student midwife as well as hundreds of prenatals and even some ordinary check-ups on the not pregnant population.
I know how to take blood pressure, I know that a woman's hemoglobin levels can dip at 28 weeks gestation cause thats when the fluid in her body reaches an all time high proportion compared to her red blood cells...or something:) Still needing to study up to take my exam in August of next year.
Currently, I am doing laundry to deal with some of the stress of trying to be responsible and organized. But I'm also getting contacts back home to try and see birth in a first-world setting. I have been emailing people that I don't even know very well to ask favors of them...which is something I don't do very gracefully...but I am finding that midwifery is full of making opportunities and trying my hardest and putting myself out there. Even when no one writes back. There is still along haul before exams next year but I still have alot to do. and study.
Plans are to go to Indo. for august. Hang out in singapore studying and randomly emailing more strangers...and trying to make some contacts while waiting for my airmiles ticket October 14th...then on to Canada...the land of space and no traffic and hot cider and andi's basement maybe even IGA (haha)...only if Simone's still there...I'm stoked.
I wouldn't be able to make these decisions if I didn't know that friends and family were interested and still going to luv me even with all the changes and crazy schedules...and your prayers are much appreciated.
My sis, tris, gave me a song to encourage me thru all this...so thanks tris, I bought the CD and i lie down on the floor and listen to the rain and put on your song...
I will bless the Lord forever,
I will trust Him at all times,
He has delivered me from all my fear
He has set my feet upon a rock
I'll will not be moved, I'll say of the Lord

You are my Sheild, my Strength, my Portion, Deliverer
my Shelter, Strong Tower, my very present help in time of need

Whom have I in heaven but you
There is none I desire but you
You have made me glad

a day at work continued...

my favorite part of the day...nap time
later on in the evening getting my face picked and cared for by our Burmese seminary student...Shan Man...she lives at the clinic while she goes to seminary and doesn't know very good Tagalog or english so conversations are always interesting...
trying yet another gimick to look beautiful...

the three amigo's...nitey nite...

A day at work...

sometimes starting off the day by doing a newborn exam with a ton of nursing students...I teach, scary thought!
what we look like after prenatals from 9am to noon...my partner alex...
snack run after prenatals...
a little pampering and also fixing my in-grown toenail...two of our teaching midwives...apparently I have interesting feet...

Charlie

okay so i delivered a little guy with a cleft lip and palate...his name is charlie. he is pretty adorable and I just would ask that if you think about him, you would pray he gets the surgery he will need and also while he waits for up to three months for the surgery that he will be able to eat and not get dehydrated...
Just worried about him choking and not getting enough down the right tube.
His dad was pretty devastated when he was born, he left the room right away and couldn't smile...but after a couple of hours he came back in and mum, Hydie, showed how Charlie was sucking away and laughing at how cute he was and then Dad cracked a little smile. I hope that they will be fine, I hope that charlie and his Dad keep bonding...
and you can all pray K?

The Week in Pictures...

Imelda getting a thank-you card from Linds-that was a picture of us looking our best-and she didn't recognize the one in the middle...it was ME!
Oh, Oh, now I see the resemblance...
Good-bye dinner for Linds...it was our own little grad party for ourselves...Winner of the best technique with getting babies named after her is Kayla...Winner of being able to endear every child she ever meets is Alex...
Winner of best and most nutritious food prep and contentious student is lindsey...winner of the gatorade walk and also ability to have consistantly LOOOOOONG labors is Mia
What can I say, just a couple of cheeky girls hanging out...our midwives daughters are about the cutest little people I know in the Phils.