Where has time gone?

Wow 7 months into this journey of following the passion God has placed in my hearts~to help pregnant moms birth healthy babies. Valuing the vulnerable and underserved women and babies because they are precious!

(Click on the image to see a closer view)

The above photo mosaic is courtesy of http://bighugelabs.com/. It's free and fun for picture arranging. :)

Not in any specific order I have posted Baby catches #8 through 15. Even though getting to assist the mom as she pushes her little one into the world is crazy thrilling...I still enjoy more the 'ooo and awww' of enjoying the little bundle after they're out. At some point I hope to include short snippets of their birth stories...each one is unique and stand out in their own special way.

These photos were taken last weekend, Josh and I got the chance to attend a celebration of a friend's daughter at their family's house. And yes, no REAL big/great celebration in the Philippines is complete without a WHOLE, roasted pig. The company that provided the whole pig, completely cooked and delivered to your door with an apple in its mouth! Lami kaayo (very delicious) to say the least! :)

The other 2 photos are of me holding our latest addition to the Martin family household. I am pleased to introduce you to Reese. She's a kitten we took in and has been with us for a 'lil over a month now. She provides lots of laughs, love and entertainment with her antics!

In other news, midwifery training is going well. We recently finished a unit on Community Health, then a 4 in 1 combination assignment covering Culture, Ethics, perception of human sexuality and communication. These parts involved presentations we had to do in front of our other 'co-volunteers'. It was a nice change from the largely independent study we do.

As part of completing the Community Health portion we conducted interviews of various health workers in the Philippines. Our whole group of ladies interviewed doctors, ultrasound tech, lab tech, lactation consultant, midwives at other lying-in clinics and health center workers. For me, learning about the challenges these different people encounter was an eye-0pening view into the healthcare system here in the Philippines. There are many rules and regulations that health providers must abide by. I now, more than ever, understand the unique ministry Mercy is able to provide to pregnant women here.

Although we too have rules and regulations that govern the amount of risk we are allowed to handle in women giving birth at our facility~the scope is much more broad. Yes, we still screen women for risk factors and make appropriate referrals to a doctor, but we also empower woman with education about pregnancy and steps they can take to have a healthy baby. I am so grateful for the heart of this ministry.~

This verse is the TRUE hope that I cling to!

So recently in a few prenatals, I have encountered situations that were tough. There was a woman whose baby I could not find the heartbeat. Hope against hope I thought perhaps it was due to awkward fetal positioning, or something else. But it's difficult to explain to a mom the sound THEY hear is NOT their baby's heartbeat, but their own. We referred her for an ultrasound and strongly encouraged her to get it done (they're expensive in comparison to Filipino clientele's income).

Follow-up: She returned to the birthroom the next day, where the superviser had disclose the results of the ultrasound to her. Her baby was NOT alive anymore, actually had died a while ago. I happened to find that out from stopping in to complete another woman's baby check-up. My heart sank....

And then questions shoot around in my head...'why did the baby die?' 'was it preventable or was it part of God's mercy?' 'how do you comfort someone with that news?' More questions than answers...autopsy and follow-up testing related to miscarriage and baby's dying in the womb are not common here. That would involve money that just isn't too be had.

I also can't really count how many woman I had done a prenatal on or supported during labor who in their health history have had a miscarriage or lost one of their children before 1 year old. I knew coming here that infant mortality (death) rates were high~but seeing the face firsthand. Well, that changes things.

And you wonder did that woman lose her child from something preventable, if only they had access and money to get the care they needed?

I wish I had the answers and better yet a solution...but I can't save the world. I am only trying to serve and show them the One that can.

~Christina