What to talk about

Sometimes it is hard to think of what to blog or to journal or what to talk about on the phone.
This is because there are so many wonderous and painful and heartbreaking and joyful and funny and colourful moments in every second of time here.

In my almost 3 weeks here (and less than 3 weeks on the wards) I have attended 29 births. I have almost passed my Canada birth numbers.

More than that, we have used almost all our emergency skills (except for that one that will not be named because we don’t want to jinx ourselves). We have dealt with severe PPH, each done bimanual compression, removed clots, assisted/observed manual removal of the placenta, delivered stillbirths, done PPV, dealt with shoulder dystocia, delivered breeches, delivered twins, supported moms who are HIV + , have malaria, gone to “theatre” (the operating room) to do rescusitation, and we have sutured a few tears (while learning great ways to reduce the risk of tears!!).

I have assisted with surgery for an ectopic pregnancy, I have taken complex health histories cross-culturally (with translation from the Jinja midwifery students), and I have kept cool in the intensity of dealing with loss. I have also experienced very sweet moments of connection with moms and babes.

I have worked with 3 awesome classmates, 4 amazing Canadian preceptors and many, many amazing Ugandan Doctors and midwives and students. They have all taken time to teach and share and learn and laugh and sometimes cry. But also, have taken the time to connect. I feel like the reality of this placement forces you to step up and take on your role, as midwife, to safely and respectfully and carefully support each mom through labour and through a time that she fears in a very profound way. Because she knows that taking this journey could mean she could die or her baby could die. And to see, first hand, that lack of resources means loss of life, in a very real way, everyday for women in Uganda. And to see, first hand, how hard they try to save lives with very little.
I am in awe of the health care professionals that do this everyday here. I am in awe of the women who carry themselves with such grace through the pain of labour and childbirth and poverty.

Thank you.