A Toast to Life!

Meet Gagay. She is a beautiful 16 year old, strong, happy, adorable. I met her for the first time in her home, just a few streets behind the clinic. Her house is a simple one, built up on stilts, where a couple chickens can be found squawking their way around the narrow beams. She greets us with a warm smile and a bulging tummy, and we will soon learn that she is already 38 weeks pregnant!

I visited her twice in the following 2 weeks, checking heart tones, taking her blood pressure, ruling our danger signs... I couldn't wait to see the precious little being that was curled up so perfectly inside her womb. To see the little body that I could feel wiggling against my fingertips during exams...

It's 3:00 am Thursday morning, June 28, 2007. My cellphone rings and as my mind creeps out of its deep haze, I read the message that lights up my screen: "Gagay's in labor. Come quickly." A surge of adrenaline pumps through my body and I'm up in a flash. I jump into a pair of scrubs, grab my toothbrush, my birth bag, Gagay's folder and we're off into the night. We walk fast, squinting with each passing headlight, until finally we see the soft glow of a vacant tricycle that will hurry us past the cemetery and on to the clinic.

One hour later, after a succession of adamant contractions, baby Christine has taken her first breath! The miracle of life is once again celebrated, with all its wonder and in all its glory. The Creator looks down with pure pleasure on the perfection of His work, her tiny nose, two grasping hands, 10 perfect toes.

And so goes the story of my very first delivery... how did I ever afford to hold such a blessing. That my feeble hands would catch the wonder wrapped up in life itself! I don't know, but I'm so grateful.

As soon as Christine was finished with her first nursing, we boiled some water and I got to give her her first bath! The tub was just big enough for her, and once she was clean and dry, I started her newborn exam. I examined a head full of hair, dark little slanted eyes, the smooth bend of her ears, and her pink pursed lips. In a nut shell, Christine is perfect in every way.

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

Psalm 139:13-16

Giving Christine her first bath and checking her lungs...

Precious first moments together...

Gagay regaining her strength -

time for me to steal a moment with Christine

A perfect welcome to a new day, and a snap shot with my indispensable reinforcement, Shi

Click Here to See Christine

A Birth Day for my Birthday

June 13, 1984, the day of my birth.

Twenty-three years later, and I get to be the one to bring a baby into the world! Well, not completely, but let me tell you how the day unraveled...

I woke up to a beautiful banner in our living room, "Happy Birthday Debs!" There were fresh flowers on the table with a bright orange fan wrapped in crepe paper! The girls had gotten up early that morning to find the flower vendors that line our street down the way... we live near an enormous cemetery, which makes it all quite convenient :) Somewhere, they found some sweet rolls, some perfectly ripe mangoes (my favorite), and a few eggs to scramble - all of which made for the best birthday breakfast!

*ring* Sarah Ann's familiar cell phone tune alerts us of a woman in labor! It was the first since our arrival, and we all knew that only 2 of us could go... Shi and Hannah were first on our prearranged list, but in an act of deep generosity, Shi offered me the best birthday present I could have ever imagined, and I went in her place, hoping to see a baby born on my very own birthday...

Judy is 16. Her labor was not very advanced, so we went about our daily routines, anxiously waiting another call. We went to a church to perform some prenatal exams, got a bite to eat for dinner, and came home exhausted. I went to bed wearing my scrubs and was awakened 30 min. later to go attend my very first birth!!!

Sarah Ann was leading the way. It was dark except for the dim lights of the few street vendors making their final sales for the day. She disappeared into the wall, and after a moment's confusion, I realized that she was slithering her way through a nearly invisible alley. It was just wide enough for my shoulders and seemed endlessly long. Finally, we reached the end. It opened up to a stack of tiny houses and as we staggered our way up a makeshift staircase, we found Judy, holding her protruding tummy and breathing deeply in the heat. Their television was almost loud enough to muffle the hum of a couple rickety fans, and as we looked around to get our bearing, my mind began reeling with how much I take for granted: running water, a mattress, food, a bathroom, a clean place to call home... It seemed nearly impossible that Judy would labor and give birth in this tiny place.

We took turns falling in and out of sleep the entire night through, making sure to monitor Judy's vitals and reassure her that her labor was progressing well. Morning came, but still no baby. Conditions were getting close to critical. Judy was exhausted. Her blood pressure rose to 150/110. Her waters were tinted with meconium. And the baby's heart rate dropped to 80 bpm. We had to transport.

After a lot of prayer and a lot of patience, we got news that Judy gave birth to a beautiful 6.2 lbs baby boy, Jason. I felt so sad that I wasn't able to see this little life take his first breath, but was deeply relieve and grateful to the Lord for His protection over them both.

We stopped by today to give them a bowl of fresh fruit and a baby blanket. The blanket seemed like a nice idea until we got to their home and remembered how overwhelmingly hot it is in this country! Nevertheless, the small gift was appreciated and brought smiles to everyone's lips.

And once again I am reminded of why I am here. To serve, to love, to give, to learn, to build, to live as well as I can for the glory of my God. If you've made it this far on this long entry, I would ask you to take just a minute to pray for Judy, Michael (the father) and baby Jason. They have a hard life ahead of them, but by God's grace they will know the incredible sweetness of knowing Him.

Firsts

I find myself once again in a season of firsts. Every part of every day feels new. I know that it won't last forever, that this 'honeymoon stage,' as they call it, will soon become a comfortable routine, but that is a big part of its charm.
For the time being, I am relishing in the unknown, the mysterious, the unpredictable...

Yesterday was a big day in so many ways. We all woke up early with our hearts full of anticipation: we were about to perform our very first prenatal exams. Ate Gerlene, who has transformed her humble little house into a peaceful birth clinic, invites women to get examined every Saturday afternoon, beginning at 2 o'clock.

We spent our morning brainstorming creative ways to educate the expectant mothers about breastfeeding... and let me tell you that 4 midwives-in-training can get quite creative when asked to! Then, it was off to the market to pick up some fresh watermelon and bananas for an afternoon snack at the clinic. We arrived to find a dozen beautiful pregnant women quietly gathered in the smallest living room you've ever seen. Kids were running around playing with each other, dressing up, watching TV, and hanging upside-down on the single couch in the room.

I stepped into the bright blue birthing room, where there was just enough room for 2 beds, a cupboard, a scale and a few other medical supplies. My first mother was Andrea - a shy but lovely 25-year-old who was carrying her third baby. Her chart was handed to me, and I jumped right in. I was terrified. I knew I would be closely supervised, but did I really know what I was doing? I couldn't find the baby's heart beat, and even once I found it, I was so nervous that I had trouble counting it correctly. I was so frustrated with myself but grateful that the couple tears that fell down my cheeks afterwards were so easily mistaken for drops of sweat in the hot room.

A quick moment in prayer and I was off to do another exam. This one and the next were so much better - I would even venture to say they were enjoyable! Shirley, a 34-year-old mother of 2, is due July 12th and might very well be my first continuity (4 prenatals, birth, 1 post-partum). I'm so excited to be able to get to know these women, to visit them in their homes, to learn about their way of life, to share God's love with them and have the honor of bringing their little ones into the world! I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing.

God has been so faithful in my first week here in Manila. The transition has been incredibly smooth, and the friendships He began forging a year ago are growing ever so deep. There is so much for me to learn, so much for me to experience, so much for me to be thankful for. I feel that my prayers of gratitude to the Lord are endless. That His provision is so abundant and His timing so perfect! I know that harder times will come, and my prayer is that I will praise Him even then, remembering His faithfulness and trusting in His promises.

4 Little Kittens Have Lost Their Mittens

We woke up today to the helpless little whine of kittens in our roof. The landlord came over promptly and stuffed them into a bag of shrubs, ready to dispose of them in a way I can only imagine...

But how could we let him? 4 little squirming fur-balls, with their eyes still closed, lost and orphaned. We are midwives, after all. Called to care. Called to save. Called to protect. A voice for the voiceless, right? We each picked one out of the bag, snuggled, cooed - and there was no turning back. In that moment, we became surrogate mothers to Manila, Amythest, Himlayan, and Mango.

What ensued afterwards is a tale that I must tell. We found a washing pan and lined it with a towel. We found an eye-dropper and filled it with warm milk. And we cuddled, snuggled, and cooed.

We've estimated the kittens to be almost 3 weeks old. After some thorough research, we learned that long-haired kittens keep their eyes closed longer than short-haired. That their eyes stay a deep blue until 3 weeks old, when they also start to walk. What a precious little welcoming gift in our new little house.

We fed and cuddled them all day. Distracted by their innocent little faces and soft fuzzy coats, we thought of them when we were at the market, when we were visiting neighbors, when we were in the shower. But we weren't sure they would survive.

Last night, the mama cat came by. Small and scrawny for having had a full litter, she meowed and cried in search of her little ones. There was no room for selfishness. We had to do what was best for everyone. We put the washbin on the roof.

We took shifts last night, feeding the kittens every 4 hours. By this morning, Amythest was the only one left. Had she rejected him? Would we get to keep this little one? We half hoped so. But at the 8:00 o'clock feeding, I heard a familiar whimper. I followed it to a flower bed on the other side of our fence. There she was, in all her beauty. Mama cat laying on her side with 3 little kittens nuzzling and nursing peacefully. We put Amythest back where he belonged with a feeling of utter joy and accomplishment!

... Now, we're just hoping the landlord doesn't find them in his flowerbed. But if he does, we know what to do!

Click here to see Manila learning to crawl.

Welcome to Manila!

Our noses are pressed against the windows like small children and our eyes just don't seem big enough to take it all in. Our hearts are beating with anticipation as we finally spot the land below - a village peppered with rooftops of every color... Red. Blue. Orange. Yellow. Green.
It's still early morning when we land, and the clouds are still very low. The air is hot and sticky, and our senses are instantly overwhelmed with the newness of this foreign land. We sit in the back seat of a taxi unable to believe that we've actually arrived...

As soon as we got to Manila, Sarah Ann picked us up and took us to "the little orange house in the middle of the big city" - or home, for short. I loved it instantly. It's in the courtyard of an older couple's house, closed off to the main street by an equally bright orange gate. If you can crouch low enough to get through the gate door, you will find our dinning room: a wooden table under a tin roof. There, too, is our outdoor kitchen, with its all-inclusive fridge, sink, stove top, and cupboards. It even has a washing machine (#1 upgrade from my Chicago apartment)! Then, I can walk you into the main house. It's small but so loveable. Everything inside it is orange! It has wireless internet (#2 upgrade from my Chicago apt.), A/C (#3 upgrade), and for now, just one mouse (#4 upgrade)!

The next day, we were up at dawn to catch a 3 hour bus to the port, where we would ride a bamboo motor boat to White Beach, in Puerto Galera. The ride was smooth, relaxing and absolutely breathtaking. The water was a color blue you could only dream of, and the entire bay was surrounded by mountains. The boat took us right onto the sand, where we had a quick lunch and continued up to Vicki's house (the director of the school). We will be here until Wednesday for orientation.
This island is beautiful. The trees are lush and overgrown. The mangoes are heavy on each branch and the crickets seem to sing all night long. But the best part by far so far is to be with friends again - to know that this is exactly where God wants us. To share the excitement with them and to anticipate the next 9 months of learning together.

I can't believe I'm here.