week forty three- Karpasdanga

week forty three
Karpasdanga

a crazy week, very exhausting and a full of frustrating moments. me and naomi were together once again in Karpasdanga, but the atmosphere was different. different nursing students and a different schedule. the beginning of the week a women came in and we monitored her a little before Benuka made the call to send her for cesarian. we weren’t super thrilled because we knew that there were no major problems and a need for her to be cut open. we have been told here that cesarians are almost like a disease and they are over used. then the next day another women was in labour, progressing wonderfully, Naomi had spent the majority of the day monitoring her and spending time with her. her family however decided around ten pm that they were going to take her for a cs as well. we tried to argue for her that the pain she was in was normal, baby and mom were both physically doing very well and it wouldn’t be long before she would deliver but there voices started raising and same with Benuka and the whole situation became very stressful and when you don’t have the language, what can you do? so she left. we heard the next day she had a healthy little girl. we were left though feeling very discouraged. all these women going for unnecessary procedures.

friday we had wanted to leave because of the night before. we felt like there was nothing we could do so what was the point in us staying. but we prayed it over and felt like it was right to stay, that walking away wasn’t going to solve the problem. so we did and a women was in labour that day progressing slowly. around nine pm we were notified that another women had come and she was close. so Naomi monitored that women and i began to monitor the women who had been there all day. Naomi’s mom delivered at one am, everything fine. after the week we had had so far we were praying like crazy that these women would get to have normal deliveries. around three am another women came in fully dilated the same time my mom i had been with was fully. so i moved in with her to a small labour room (closet) behind another ‘checkup’ room and Naomi stayed with this new mom in the delivery room. Naomi’s mom delivered first just after five, and i was called in to help. i got there and this beautiful little boy, lay in the bed, blue and lifeless. we began praying like crazy for a miracle, for his slow heart to pick up and for him to cry, but it never came. the family showed the mom and took him away. i was feeling on edge and Benuka was shouting and clearly very upset at the loss. but she then went into overdrive and came into my delivery and demanded an episiotomy (a cut to help the baby come out) but she wouldn’t listen or even look at what was happening. the fetal heart was so strong and the mom was doing fine i knew that baby would be out soon. they rambled off in bangla to each other and with the random women who was in the room (later figured out she was a family member of the first delivery Naomi did) it was such a chaotic environment and really frustrating that everyone was overreacting. they told the mom to get up and were going to move her to the other room which i thought was ridiculous, no one was even watching the baby. she started to get up but while she was still sitting another contraction hit and i shouted for them to lay her back down and he was born. before his feet were even out he let out a great scream! i was so thankful and just kept praying that the chaos of the room would die down and he and his mom could be in peace. everybody left at that point, leaving me to clean up and take care of both mom and baby. i don’t think i’ve ever prayed so much through those deliveries. and though that one baby didn’t make it me and Naomi still felt God’s peace at the end of it all. Benuka later came to us and made emends by saying ‘no tension, Benuka no mad’ we didn’t agree with her methods and her rash behavior but when your held back by language and cultural differences theres not much you can do. we were both very tired, we had breakfast and then caught a ride back to Bollobhpur to be with the team.

the weekend was relaxing and i got to sleep and do almost nothing. went to the ‘big’ village again and did some shopping and got to by kit kat’s again! haha! monday was a relaxing day off and then began the next week. i’m now staying in Bollobhpur for the remainder time here, only two weeks left then we all head to Dahka. we’re preparing seminar for women in ministry with no health training but they want to have some to better their communities. after that week its a bit of r&r then back to Perth! i can’t believe we’re so close to the finish line. crazy to think this time next month i’m back in an english land where the electricity is always on and cheese is always available!

till next time...