Happy Mother’s Day!

Last night was the celebration for baby touristic at one of the smart hotels in town .The plan was to meet two of the midwives wearing our best clothes and join in the celebration for the first babies born this year at various hospitals around the city. This year we managed to have one born in the slot between midnight and five am and they were going to receive along with many others gifts and money funded in part by the tourism office and with the aim of encouraging safer delivery.

Unfortunately it was not to be for me and I ended up getting involved in the practical part of safer delivery instead. As deliveries do nothing but increase here since we opened the new maternity I had failed to appreciate that I might not be able to leave the hospital and go to the party. The night was extremely busy with 2 caesareans and 2 miscarriages and a normal delivery and a difficult delivery of a baby already dead when the 17 year old young girl arrived. Every time I thought I could leave something else occurred.

It was a happy day for 2 ladies but although not happy at least a safe end to the complications the others suffered. We were struck by the privilege we have here as more women come and we are able to help them .One of the ladies with a miscarriage initially refused a curettage as she had heard they were not a good idea. When we explained that it was also not a good idea to bleed excessively she agreed and was surprised to find how easy it was- hopefully she will tell others now.

It contrasts greatly to the situation we found in Goz Beida in the East of the country  near the border with Sudan.  We visited recently to see if God is calling us to work there, in a small border town with a Darfur refuge camp next door. Amongst the deliveries of which there were about a third as many as we have here 25 % were by Caesarean and the same number were stillbirths although the percentage of caesareans is normal for England here it represents women coming in in labour late on with complications and the high maternal death rate of   3% showed this.

 

Many women live far from the hospitals and the  180 km journey from Abeche on the main road took 6 hours6 hours and had to be done in a four by four vehicle because of the sand and is impassable for 2 months of the year due to flooded wadis.  We were welcomed by the hospital staff and it is clear there is a great need so we are wondering whether God is calling us there. 

                         

 

In the meantime after getting to bed at 5 am I was woken by a cup of tea and a paper daffodil from Rebecca (no flower shops here) and am glad to say all patient are doing well and today is calmer so far. I hope to find out tomorrow how the celebrations went and as for Goz Beida we continue to seek Gods guidance for the future.