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.