So yesterday was a very hectic day in the labour ward. It always amazes me how it seems to be all or nothing.
Anyway the ward was full with 5 woman in labour. I had just assisted one mum with her birth, she had walked in ready to push, assessed another lady who needed to go to theatre for obstructed labour and then came to the final Mum who had to deliver.
My 2 colleagues were busy with a Mum on the other side.
This mum was so emaciated. I asked my colleagues what her HIV status was as they had checked it on admission. I presumed her to be positive as she looked so skeletal. But gladly she was HIV neg.
She was a maasai mummy, who was not able to speak in swahili. Fortunately the lady in the bed next to her, who had just delivered was able to speak maasai to her. So this is how it went. My very limited, broken but improving swahili to one mum, who translated into maasai and spoke with the other Mum. Occasionally one of my colleagues came to give some clear instruction.
I still have to remind myself that I am not in a movie sometimes with this Mum lying there in her maasai shukra and lovely beads and earrings looking like the authentic masaai lady, which she was.
Well this Mum was ready to push. We had a vague suspicion that there may be twins inside, but then after looking at her I thought maybe her tummy looked big cause she was so thin - how wrong I can be!
Well out popped the first little boy, screaming away. I felt and as suspected there was definitely a second baby inside. After breaking that baby's waters she slipped into the world. Poor Mum was feeling a little overwhelmed at the sight of 2 of them. Before I gave the oxytocin injection which helps contract the uterus post delivery, I thought let me just check there is not a 3rd one. Well surprise surprise there was. Another little girl arrived bottom first. Well by this time the [poor Mum was overwhelmed.
After the placenta was delivered and she was tidied up. I weighed them one at a time. Their weights were 2.08kg, 1,78kg and 1,27kg. After weighing they were all put skin to skin on their Mummies chest to keep warm as we needed to transfer them to a special care baby unit.
After the initial shock I think Mum felt like the hero of the day which she surely was. Staff from all over the hospital came to inspect. While she lay there her Mum fed her some much needed lunch.
I went to get my camera to capture the moment but alas it said Battery exhausted - I thought to myself , the battery is not the only exhausted thing in this room.
Anyway the ward was full with 5 woman in labour. I had just assisted one mum with her birth, she had walked in ready to push, assessed another lady who needed to go to theatre for obstructed labour and then came to the final Mum who had to deliver.
My 2 colleagues were busy with a Mum on the other side.
This mum was so emaciated. I asked my colleagues what her HIV status was as they had checked it on admission. I presumed her to be positive as she looked so skeletal. But gladly she was HIV neg.
She was a maasai mummy, who was not able to speak in swahili. Fortunately the lady in the bed next to her, who had just delivered was able to speak maasai to her. So this is how it went. My very limited, broken but improving swahili to one mum, who translated into maasai and spoke with the other Mum. Occasionally one of my colleagues came to give some clear instruction.
I still have to remind myself that I am not in a movie sometimes with this Mum lying there in her maasai shukra and lovely beads and earrings looking like the authentic masaai lady, which she was.
Well this Mum was ready to push. We had a vague suspicion that there may be twins inside, but then after looking at her I thought maybe her tummy looked big cause she was so thin - how wrong I can be!
Well out popped the first little boy, screaming away. I felt and as suspected there was definitely a second baby inside. After breaking that baby's waters she slipped into the world. Poor Mum was feeling a little overwhelmed at the sight of 2 of them. Before I gave the oxytocin injection which helps contract the uterus post delivery, I thought let me just check there is not a 3rd one. Well surprise surprise there was. Another little girl arrived bottom first. Well by this time the [poor Mum was overwhelmed.
After the placenta was delivered and she was tidied up. I weighed them one at a time. Their weights were 2.08kg, 1,78kg and 1,27kg. After weighing they were all put skin to skin on their Mummies chest to keep warm as we needed to transfer them to a special care baby unit.
After the initial shock I think Mum felt like the hero of the day which she surely was. Staff from all over the hospital came to inspect. While she lay there her Mum fed her some much needed lunch.
I went to get my camera to capture the moment but alas it said Battery exhausted - I thought to myself , the battery is not the only exhausted thing in this room.
No comments:
Post a Comment