Night Duty Adventures

18.03.13

First night shift, am on my own as now there are 3 of us at the health centre we are trying to spread out a bit. Am with midwives who dont speak any English.  Our conversations include wild gesticulating, lots of laughing and giggling but its amazing how the language of birth is universal.

Am enscounsed at present under a barbie pink mozzie net, they are so sweet at looking after me

One labourer
Gravida: 1
Para: 0
Cervical dilatation: 4
Membrains: ruptured
Obs: stable although BP high 140/100 as she is in pain.
FHR: 134bpm no decels heard

And that was all she wrote untill it all went a bit crazy....

BP continued to rise, maternal complaints of epigastric pain, although only 1+ of protien. The local midwives decided to transfer the woman to hospital,  and the family was very worried and granny was crying and asked me to go with them to the hospital. So off I go with emergency box in case of delivery in transit and jump into a taxi (a bit like some scap metal held together with tape) with a whole bunch of complete stranger who dont speak a word of English and we shoot of rattling towards to the nearest hospital wich is about 1.5 hours away.

Then it all became clear why the family was scared, the "hospital", is I guess third world, I dont even know how to descibe it. They made us wait outside untill money had exchanged hands, then we went into the maternity unit, which is dirty although looks ok. A very rough and horrible hospital midwife examined the women and then took her away into what looked like theater, I felt so responsible being the only qualified midwife escourt and worried about the attitude but I didn't know what to do, when I turned around and looked into the frighted faces of the family I knew I had to do something but wasn't exactly sure what, so I made  a snap dicision and walked bold as brass into theater and said I am the womans midwife and I intended to stay with her. It turns out they were only doing an internal but so rough and it was very painful for the woman, I wante to slap that hospital midwife.

Then they said she would need a cesarean section, why exactly I still can not fathom, but before they do it they want money, the family were desperately scrabbling around trying to cobble together the funds and I could tell they didn't have it and thank goodness I had my wallet so I just paid it. They didn't ask me for money and were so so greatful and granny thanked me with such emmotion she nearly made me cry.

Apparently this is common practice in hospial and they wont give you your baby untill you pay up......it makes me so sad.

More chilled out rattle home and I dont know why but was amazed at the amount of sex workers on the street.

So, dear whoever is in charge of these things. Enough with the obstetric complications please, can I please do some nice normal midwifery now.....