New Life

It was about 10 in the morning and I was just finishing coffee and conversation with a friend from Santa Cruz. The neighbour, Francisco, arrived on his motorbike and asked if I would come because his wife was having the baby. She wasn't due for another three days but babies come when they are ready. It took a few minutes to find Jake since he had the keys to the truck, but soon I left with a blanket, some towels, and a scissors -- just in case.

I came to the house to find Carmen standing beside the bed and Francisco, holding a very newborn baby girl while the two other boys, Fanor and William, peeked through the cracks in the siding of the house.

Gingerly, we helped Carmen to the bed. She was having problems expelling the placenta. Francisco had already cut the cord so there was a chance that the cord would slip back into Carmen's body. To prevent this, he cut a length of string long enough so that one end could be tied to the end of the umbilical cord and the other end to Carmen's toe. Very inventive and simple!

After insuring that everything with the baby was fine and that she was wrapped up in a clean, warm towel, I headed off to La Pista to get the nurse, praying that she would actually be there. Thankfully, she was and she willingly came back with me.

Santitation and cleanliness is an issue in the Western world. How would one function in a house with a dirt floor and questionable sanitation? The evidence of the birth had been covered with fresh dirt and Francisco had prepared water with herbs to clean the baby and Carmen. The IV was hung with a piece of string to the wood rafter, a used pop bottle was used for breathing, and soon the placenta was expelled. No, sanitation was not the standard we expect in Canda and most women of the developed world would never want to deliver a baby under these conditions. I was impressed by the care of both Francisco and the nurse to keep things clean.

Soon Mother and baby were clean and warm in their bed, the nurse returned to La Pisa, and I went home to prepare dinner for Jake.

(This is a picture of Abigail at 2 months of age. My picture of her taken an hour after her birth disappeared somewhere between the camera and the computer.)