Crazy Morning

This morning was perhaps the craziest morning I've had since getting here.

Of course, the day was Wednesday, a busy prenatal morning, and of course I was exhausted from not getting much sleep because of births and postpartum check-ups the previous 2-3 nights so of course I slept in that morning.

I woke up at 8:30 and flew out of bed, feeling bad that I was supposed to have been at the birth center by then (the midwives like it if we're there around 8am...). I hurried through my morning routine and arrived at the birth center a few minutes before nine.

When I walked in, Ate Lyds said, "there's a lady pushing in Room Two. We thought you would be here by eight so we didn't text you." Oops.

I walked into Room Two and Ate Dina, the midwife for that birth, said, "Hurry! Get your gloves on!"

I hurried my gloves on and caught a baby two minutes later. It was a beautiful, uneventful birth. I left the birth room at 9:20, knowing that Kari was waiting for me to start the blood work/dietary counseling. I sat down and then noticed that there were several women who needed their blood pressure taken. Since Kari wasn't totally ready for me at the moment, I quickly jumped up and started doing blood pressure.

After a few minutes of that, Kari was ready for me to come do the dietary counseling so I told the rest of the ladies in line at the blood pressure station, "Sorry!" and raced back to Kari.

I had time to do one dietary counseling before it was time to check on my postpartum lady (we do postpartum checks every fifteen minutes for the first two hours after birth). Everything was well with her and I helped her start to breastfeed.

I walked out and saw that there was another labor who needed to be checked on so I took care of that.

Then it was back to Kari.

Repeat.

Then, to top it off, during the prenatal teaching, it was about baby care so Ate Helen was teaching how to bathe a baby with a live baby who was born here yesterday. All the women were crowded into the waiting room watching how to bathe a baby and the fan wasn't turned on.

A woman in her first trimester passed out.

I was (kind of) watching Ate Helen bathe the baby while (finally) getting to sit for a second and eat a little bit of breakfast when I heard a commotion and saw three women trying to hold up a fourth, limp woman. So they helped her into a chair while she regained consciousness while I raced for some water to give her.

The woman was ok but it was rather startling watching someone pass out.

About an hour later, things were starting to slow down when I had my last fifteen minute check on my postpartum lady. When I walked back to Room Two, I noticed that she was standing outside the CR (comfort room - bathroom) looking like she didn't feel well and her husband had his arms around her. Just as I asked her if she was ok, she collapsed and passed out and her husband did his best to lay her on the ground. Ate Bhel was called and the woman was helped back to bed. I ran for more water.

Thankfully, the postpartum woman was ok too. But still, rather startling to watch someone suddenly pass out.

So we had two women randomly pass out this morning. It was quite the morning. I didn't get to do a lot of sitting, but it was fun. I enjoy racing back and forth doing different things and helping different women.