Flying solo

What a crazy intense situation. Was so in love and horrified with my delivery.

Para: 0
Gravida: 1
Obs: stable
Fetal heart: 117-135bpm
Uneventful pregnancy

ARM on perineum, slow delivery of head, local midwife  showing me new techniques to prevent perineal tearing, although I'm not sure it helped as the women still had to be sutured for 2nd degree

This is the horrifying part, local midwife sutured without local anesthesia as the "pharamacy" was losed (at 15:00 on a Wednesday afternoon?)

During labour husbands support, feed and toilet their women with the support of what looks like all the grandmothers, mothers, aunties and female children. During the actual birth he is kicked out of the delivery room, while all the other reletives come in and out as they like. After the delivery he picks up his wife so tenderly and carries her to the post natal beds, so heartrenchingly sweet to watch.

As with the miscarriage, placenta and dirty linin is given back to father all jumbeled in a black back bag and shortly thereafter you will find him outside at the well hand washing the dirty linin... amazing.

These women are incredible they labour and give birth (called, crossing the river) in virtual silance and all just seem to do it, there is no vacume extraction, forceps or cesarean section here, you do it or you die and they do.....