Half way point of the trip

Today marks the half way point of this trip, time is going fast! The past few days it was very quiet at the labour ward. The deliveries have to wait until Thursday, because we treated ourselfs to a day off. Not to make you jealous, but it is around 27C and we are at Banda Lodge in Masaka to enjoy the pool. Although there were no deliveries, there were enough impressions and I will share them with you in this blog.

We celebrated New Years just with the three of us at the house. We asked the students if there was a party, but there was none and actually the priest forbid to do fireworks. We played games, danced on music and drank beer and gin tonics! We went outside to wait for to clock to strike midnight. Just before midnight there were some tears on my part, but they were not just sad tears also happy tears. We did a countdown and danced into the new year! We saw some fireworks in the far distance. But the real fireworks was the beautiful sky full of stars. The first day of the new year was very relaxed, the sun was shining. We all did our laundry, which we do by hand and we just let it dry in the sun.

Monday it was very quiet at the labour ward. During the night a baby came in from another health centre with severe asphyxia (a lack of oxygen for the baby during labour). It looked like as a result of the asphyxia the baby might have had brain damage. On Tuesday morning we found out that the baby had died. The baby was wrapped in covers and it had the name of the mother on it. When I walked in postnatal room I saw the mother lying in bed and she was crying. Surrounded by mothers with a baby, that must have been so confronting for her. I felt sad for her.

We did do the rounds with the doctor, also the midwives and other students walk with the rounds. Imagine a group of 10 people walking into the ward to check everyone. There were multiple women we came in over the weekend with LLP (labour like pains), but didn't have contractions. We were all surprised that the women were still there, because why would they stay if there are no contractions. My impression is that the doctor has to see them before they can leave and the rounds are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Not the midwives, but the doctors decides what happens. The doctor checked the women and I asked him what the plan was, he told me they go home. I was glad to see that they could go home.

Last week we met a woman who was going for an elective c section, her English is very good and on Friday we interviewed her for our research. We had a really good talk and she gave us a great view on the antenatal care. This morning when she saw Lisanne and me she told us she missed us over the weekend and was glad to see us. After the rounds we went back to the house to work on our research and do some studying. We agreed that the midwives would call us if they needed us or when there is a delivery.

New student midwives from the school started at the ward. The last two weeks we worked a lot with two very nice student midwives, I did a delivery with one of them. They will be done studying in May. We asked them how many deliveries they did and they had done 5. This was a surprise for us, because our school has very strict numbers for all procedures. Before graduating we have to do at least 60 deliveries. I have done around 45 deliveries so far. While doing the delivery with the other student, I let her be in charge and told her I would help her. At one point the midwife told her to put pressure to make space for the baby, the student didn't really got what to do. It was really nice that I could explain, show her what to do and learn her something.

On Tuesday it was still quiet on the ward. A woman was brought in on Monday, she had a c section somewhere else last week. She came in with an infected wound and signs of sepsis. You could already smell the pus in the hallway. Together with the midwives, and something to cover our nose, we went in to see the changing of the dressing. The woman got an injection with painkillers. And then the midwife started to try and push the pus out. The woman was screaming of pain, everyone in the ward must have heard it. First Lisanne left the room and then Eline also said this is too much. I was still and looking at the procedure. The woman was in so much pain, even her mom started crying. As a nurse I know how to do the dressing, but I couldn't bare watching this woman in pain and also left the room.

Eline and I went to the antenatal care (this is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays) to do our interviews. After asking around a lot I finally found a student that would help us with translating. At 9am the waiting room was already full with 15 women. They can be waiting for 2-3 hours before the midwife will see them. The women were very helpfull and we could do the 5 interviews we needed. At the end of the interview we ask the women if there is anything they would like to tell us. One woman, only 19, was 7 months pregnant and came for the first time. She could not come before because of her studies and the money. She started crying and telling us she had to be back in February, but also has to deliver that month. Her school doesn't allow children and she had no one who could take care of her baby. I was surprised she told us so much, but realised I couldn't do anything for her. She was trying so hard to get a better chance in life. I thought of what I could do if I had a case like this at home. It hurts me that I couldn't do anything, we could only talk with her.

Accepting that it is different here is difficult and realising how well I have it at home is hard. But we keep on learning and it is an amazing experience.

Lots of love from Uganda