An Empty Bed...

I can't sleep tonight. I am tired, but my mind is going too fast. I worked monday prenatals today. That is initial prenatal day, all the girls coming to mercy for the first time. It is NOT a coveted shift. I found myself marching over, doppler in hand this morning at 7:30, picking my way through the crowds of pregnant women, their husbands, and little children. It is not unusual for companions to come to monday prenatals. Usually little kids and their dads line the hall waiting for their wives/mothers to come downstairs. It's not unusual for older little kids (4 and above) to be sitting downstairs on the bench by themselves while their mom is upstairs. No kids or husbands allowed upstairs. Today was no exception. There was a little boy downstairs today, his mother was number 6. They got there early, so that she could try to have her baby at mercy. When she finished her business upstairs she came down expecting to find her 5 year old boy waiting for her, where she had left him. But he was not there. And he wasn't outside the gate either, and he wasn't anywhere on the street. She came back and asked the guard if he had seen him... but in the commotion the quiet little boy was missed. They looked up and down the street, asking people, but nobody knew. Where is this guy? What happened to him? It would be crazy easy for him to have wandered off, getting lost in the big city when he lives about 1 hour away. He's never been here before. It would have been easy for him to follow the wrong "mama" home. It would have been easy for someone to have come in and taken him to do who knows what with. It would be easy for him to be overlooked, lost wandering the streets, with all the street kids around. I'm praying for him tonight, he's probably scared. But I am praying he is safe, in a warm bed, somewhere with someone who is looking after him, and who will bring him back to Mercy tomorrow to his worried mama. I'm praying for his mother, who has been back and forth today looking for her son. Who is at home now, an incomplete home, staring at his empty bed...

Suturing class

My finished chicken!

We just had suturing class a few days ago, and it was great!! Much more fun than IV class!! There was no crying, and lots of laughing (but not that nervous laughing!!)! :-) Our subjects: Chicken breasts. The stitches, deep interrupted, blanket, continuous, and continuous mattress! It was great fun!! And our chickens looked beautiful! The teams were me and Janelle, and Holly and Serena. We were stars. Here our some pictures from the day!!

Injecting my chicken... with... water...

Holly and Serena

My finished chicken! and Janelle~

Wheat thins and Goldfish!

Mom!
Thanks for the wheat thins and the Goldfish... we loved them. The ladies of the porch (Holly and I) shared the wheat thins with the ladies of the hallway (MG, Jes, and Janelle). We all loved them! We just want you to know, you brought cheer to our night, it was like a little porch/hallway party!

Love,
Sarah, Holly, Michelle, Jes, Janelle!

Holly and the whole bag!


Michelle (in the front) and Jes with their wheat thins!
(Janelle was... somewhere...)

Pictures!!

Back Row L-R: Naomi, Michelle, Bethany, Medea, Holly, Jes, Jordan
Front Row L-R: Janelle, Jenn, Stephanie, Serena, Me~

So... The all of the girls in my year went for a picture a couple of weeks ago... And, while we are a fine looking bunch, we are not THIS fine... They photoshopped our blemishes, they photoshopped our hair, they photoshopped our teeth, they photoshopped shine onto our lips, they photoshopped the freckles right off Holly! So, we went to get our picture taken, and we were in this little tiny studio... think, hmm, a large handicapped bathroom. And 12 girls, plus 1 photographer, 1 weird guy looking on, and 1 creepy guy hiding behind a curtain and we didn't even know he was there until we wanted to change... Anyway, so at one point, for a pose we were doing some laying on the floor, and we hear this banging noise, and we see this big background screen falling toward us! yikes!! SO we screamed, and there was some rolling out of the way... and it was pretty much hilarious. It didn't end up falling, and we were all ok, but it scared us a bit! Anyway, so we got to pick 7 out of the... lots... that he took, and it was really fun! My favorite is the "supported squat" picture... leave it to us to have a professional supported squat picture, and then to pay money to have it printed! Ha! I hope you enjoy our pictures!! We certainly enjoyed having them taken!

Supported Squat!

And apparently we all didn't get the same... "make a funny face" memo... oh well :-)

IV class... results...

Oh boy! well, it's over! We all did it! It was an emotion-filled afternoon... Apparently we were much more emotional than our predecessors.... HA HA HA... so I started off the crying party... but anyway... Just to give you an idea of my level of apprehension; before class started my pulse was 60, normal for me... when it was time for me to poke my partner, Jenn (who is SO gracious)... my pulse was 120... which is nothing compared to hers, which was 140. We were both a bit nervous, apparently. I was SO nervous to poke her, that I burst into tears, at which point everyone started laughing and taking pictures. BUT, they laughed too soon, because before too long, they were all crying too! There was crying, laughing, fainting, almost fainting... it was quite the adventure! But, in the end, we all got our IVs in, and running! Yay for us! Here are some pictures from the excitement! The picture of Holly pretty much says it all. :-) Have a great day, everyone!

Me trying to make a nervous face while I was sobbing... oh boy...

After I stopped crying, in the 10 minutes I stood there trying to get up the nerve to poke her... meanwhile, her hand turns black....

I got it in, but I was SOOO nervous to let her drop her hand, for fear that the thing might stop running and I would have to do it all again.

A lovely face I was making during my second poke... that one really hurt... :-)

IVs....

So I knew this day would come... tomorrow, actually... sigh... It's IV class... the one where I have to start an IV in a poor unsuspecting classmate... The problem is... when it's a medical emergency (or whatever....) I don't feel like I would have a problem... but these are my friends... I like them... they are fine. They don't need me to stab them with a honking needle, and stick a tiny tube into their body... ish... why do we have to practice these things on each other... can we just go back to the catheterizing class and the pelvimitry one.... sigh... The thing I am most nervous about is, most of the girls have already done it... just me... and I think one other haven't... sigh. I'll let you know how it goes.

Tan-Ton comes to Mercy...

It all started on a very dead shift... :-) MG and I were diligently doing our homework... and before we know it the supervisors decide it is time for massages... :-) There is this sweet place here called tan-ton and it is a Thai massage place that gives really great massages for 5 dollars/hour. And after a busy shift, leaning over beds, holding up women, supporting... Midwives appreciate good massages. And so many of the Mercy midwives (white and Filipina both) frequent this place. I have only been twice, but I can easily recognize the massage when I see it :-). So one of the supervisors who was not on duty was chatting with the Filipinas on shift... and decided to "Tan-Ton" Ate Ermie! Here are some pictures from that... Also, the one at the top is a picture of me and MG back in the day on our VERY FIRST birth room shift!!! Crazy to think that it has only been a few months! Thank you guys for all your prayers. I have been really struggling. But God is faithful, as He always is. I know God brought me here for a reason, and I will be faithful to complete the task He has called me to. Right now I am in the middle of a MASSIVE assignment. It's going well. I am on cooking again next week (I was last week too! yikes!). This assignment is due... Wednesday. And it's pretty much crazy as usual at MMC. there were surprise twins born at the clinic. We do not normally deliver twins at Mercy because of different protocols and complications and whatnot, but this lady came in and had her baby and then surprise! another!! :-) So these two little (famous) girls are staying with one of the lactating midwives while their mother is in the hospital. Very exciting!! Anyway, back to work!! Enjoy the "tan-ton" pictures!!!