Elizabeth messaged me saying, “Come to the maternity center ASAP, expecting mother.” With no hesitation, I rushed out of the house and made it there to witness the entire process. While running, I was rubbing sunscreen on my arms, putting on my shoes, and trying to fix my hair. “Running and I do not mix”. It reminds me of how out of shape I am, but in that moment, I didn’t care. I made it there as fast as I could to witness an outstandingly beautiful natural process. It was worth it. For a first-time mother, she was unbelievably strong. Much stronger than I thought a woman could be during childbirth. I was expecting screams and trust me, I was ready to hold her hand and be with her through it all. But not this first-time mother. Through all the pain and anguish, not one drop of tear had fallen from her eyes. Me on the other hand, could not stop myself from crying. You would’ve thought I knew her. Watching how Immaculate the midwife, walked the mother though her birthing experience reassured me, medical school was the right path for me. She trusted her knowledge and experience to ensure for an uneventful and safe delivery of the child.
Here in Engeye, instead of there being multiple doctors and nurses in the room, there was only one midwife. Instead of providing drugs to relieve pain, every childbirth was natural. Instead of introducing formula feeding, the mothers are adequately educated on the benefits of breast milk and how to breastfeed. My favorite part of all of this was watching the mother initiate skin-to-skin contact with her baby almost instantly once the umbilical cord was cut. I watched as her eyes lit up when she saw it was a girl. There was no waiting. The baby received the love and attachment she needed from the mother in order to relax and get accustomed to the new world to which she’s been introduced.
This was an experience that I will never forget.
John 16:21 – When a women gives birth to a baby, she has pain, because her time has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the pain. She forgets because she is happy that a child has been born into the world.
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