Prayer-Based Maternity Care

This beautiful account of a day in the life of one of our Casa Compasiva midwives gives a little glimpse into what Casa’s ministry is all about!

I usually do not go in to the birth center on Tuesdays but it was my turn to give a postpartum bath/spa.  At six weeks postpartum,we offer an herb-bath and massage to momma and baby. It was a blessing to serve this young lady and her baby and at the end of the massage we prayed over her for blessings upon her new family. I admit, these last appointments make me teary and my prayer was a bit crackle-y.. We are blessed to have seen baby grown in momma's belly, we work with her during the birth, help her with successful breastfeeding, then love on them one last time with the hope we will see them again in a couple more years.

After the bath, I checked in on one of our mommas who had arrived with her husband to try and stimulate labor. She is nearing 42 weeks and we are really hopeful things get started in the next couple of days. I gave her a thumbs up and encouraged her, then left so she could continue with her brisk (stimulating!) walking around the patio.

Downstairs a woman arrived to ask for information and decided she would like a quick appointment. She is in her late 30's and this is her third baby. Her other two girls were born in Colorado, USA where "care is different". She is 30+ weeks and has only had a couple of prenatal appointments since the times in her early pregnancy when she had made the hour-long trek to the community health center only to discover that either the doctor was not there or was in a birth and not attending prenatals that day. Discouraged with the government health system, she had made up her mind to simply give birth at home on her own. But then the one time she DID finally get in to see a doctor, he told her she was anemic and should come see us! He even explained how to find us!

So now here she was. I explained how home-birth was only an option for low-risk women, and when I saw her hemoglobin level was 9, I urged her NOT to attempt it. She kept repeating how if baby was fine and growing with little prenatal care, then she should be fine to birth on her own. She had already given birth twice; she felt confident she could do it again. I then explained what postpartum hemorrhage was and felt so thankful when her friend chimed in, “Listen to her... that's probably why those two women from our pueblito died after their babies were born... They didn't know what this hemoglobin was." The pregnant momma then assured me that she would take it into consideration and I tried to bribe her with an ultrasound to get her to return. :)

Three women in one day with three different situations and three different ways to pray for them! I hope and pray that I was able to bless them. I continue to pray for each of them and await the call of the momma who I hope begins labor today or tomorrow.

Oh!...and this morning when I was buying flowers for the postpartum bath/spa, a young man walked up along side of me and smiling, said "Hello... You don't remember me, maybe, but you delivered my baby boy! He is four now and I just dropped him off at the preschool here!"

God encourages us in unexpected ways and moments!  

             (Written by Latisha Serrano)

Would you take a moment to encourage the midwives and doulas at Casa Compasiva by praying for them and sending in a gift to help support this wonderful ministry?

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