Caesarean Section

Good afternoon from Arusha! Just woke up from a much-needed nap after a tough morning in the Labor ward. Yesterday, I watched my first C-Section delivery and helped deliver two more babies! The C-Section was on a Masai woman who had a prolapsed umbilical cord during her delivery. An umbilical prolapse occurs when the umbilical cord precedes the exit of the fetus. This becomes an emergency situation because the baby often moves into the pelvis and puts pressure on the cord, often cutting off its own oxygen and bloody supply. It is important to deliver the baby quickly. Luckily, Zigi had just returned from the apartment with 3 new pairs of scrubs, so Grace and I could join him in the Theatre to watch the C-Sections. We were planning on watching a different one but this emergency situation became first in line. Grace and I hurried to change into our scrubs and were instructed to tie t-shirts around our heads as “caps” because they didn’t have any more proper hairnets. Hilarious! We looked like little surgery ninja warriors! Lol So we went into the Theatre just as the doctor started quickly cutting into her vertically and pulling little baby out by his leg. An amazing sight to see but of course, lots of blood, guts, and a glorious little Masai baby! The doctor apologized for his lack of explanation during the surgery but he said it was important to get the baby out quickly. He informed us that he usually does the traditional horizontal cut that is used in most of the Western world, but that takes more time to avoid mistakes like rupturing the bladder. He was great at answering our questions after the procedure and welcomed us to join him in Theater anytime. Hopefully we get the chance to see a couple more! 

Before the C-Section, Grace and I helped deliver two babies while Zigi was back home getting the scrubs. Both births took a little while and both babies were cyanotic and had difficulty breathing. Grace and I stood at the heater to stimulate them, but we almost felt helpless without any of the resources we would normally have back home. I’ve certainly been using a lot of prayers and positive thinking these past couple of days. I said at the beginning that this morning was pretty tough and I think that I simply have reached my limit of feeling helpless. The culture is just so different here. I want so badly to be able to connect with the mothers, re-assure them, and help deliver the healthiest possible baby. But you just can’t. It is difficult to feel that way, but I have to remind myself of my reasons for being here. I am learning so much and am able to help with things that I wouldn’t be able to back home. On a happy note…here’s a picture of Grace and I going into surgery and some little babes in Neonatal :)

Another kind of interesting story...

Last Thursday, we had a going-away dinner for the Norwegians at an Indian Tapas Restaurant. Delicious food and drinks! Our taxi driver Richard came to pick us up, but instead of his normal van, he drove a nice SUV with the seats facing each other like a Limo. I guess we just assumed Richard had upgraded to a new fancy ride. It turns out, Richard was a driver for Bill Gates while Mr. Gates was attending a Malaria conference in Moshi! Apparently, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided a grant to the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. From all of the medical talk around the apartments, it sounds like they are getting very close to a first generation vaccine! I need to do more research on it but for everyone back home, here is a link to the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation Press website:

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2008/09/Bill-Gates-Announces-168-Million-to-Develop-NextGeneration-Malaria-Vaccine

Well, that’s all for now. I hope everyone’s summers are going well and all of the August moves around campus are running smoothly.

Love,

Heathers