What is a week at Casa Compasiva like?
Well, on a typical Monday I might walk in and find the midwives
teaching a prenatal education class to six or eight women and some
husbands/boyfriends. One midwife is leading everyone in exercises,
another shares the gospel in a devotional “chat,” one might
demonstrate bathing and caring for a newborn, someone will show a
birth video emphasizing breathing and a variety of positions, and
finally one midwife will lead a “nutritional focus” awarding
prizes for the mama with the healthiest diet or perhaps the most pure
water consumed the day before. After class, the pregnant ladies
disperse to different rooms all over Casa for their prenatal
check-ups with the different midwives and usually a final
once-over-the-chart with Doctora Donaji.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are
quieter, with the midwives attending a handful of clients—many of
whom are “walk-ins.” They can also be found working on
promotional materials, preparing classes for the next week, going out
on postpartum visits, sterilizing instruments, organizing inventory,
etc. I am always impressed by their diligence, responsibility, and
creativity in approaching each task! Fridays are taken up with staff
Bible-study, staff meetings, and lots of client consultations.
And of course, any moment of any day
or night the team could spring into action when a mama arrives in
labour. Setting up the birth pool, getting mama (and dad)
comfortable, and preparing for labour and birth are fun and rewarding
activities, but also represent hard work. It is so wonderful to
observe the growing confidence of the midwives as each one knows and
executes well her area of responsibility on the birth team--
supporting the mama in labour, monitoring fetal heart and mama's
vital signs, receiving the baby, newborn exam, lactation support,
post-partum care, —in short, all the different aspects involved in
labour and delivery.
So I just want to take a moment to say
how proud I am of our staff. They are truly an amazing team!
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