A day in the Prenatal Clinic

So today I spent the majority of my time helping out in the prenatal clinic. Basically what we did was assess the patient as she came in and talked to her about getting blood work done and get the medications she needs to have a healthy pregnancy. I learned how to feel for the baby's position in the belly...such an incredible thing. Pregnancy alone just gets me...the fact that you have a little human growing inside of you...it's incredible and really shows the craftsmanship of our awesome God. So anyways I got to feel for lots of babies today, trying to decide if I was feeling the head or butt or arms, it was an amazing experience. My sister or anyone else who may be getting pregnant soon better watch out because I am definitely going to practice when I get home : )

After we finished at the prenatal clinic we went back to see what was going on. We had a patient who we checked before we went to the clinic who was at 4 centimeters. When we got back she had just delivered. Olive told me about a traditional medicine that the Malians use here. They make some kind of drink out of mud and other things and then make the expecting mother drink it. This causes very violent contractions which makes labor go really fast. This is why the women went from 4 centimeters to full in only about an hour or so. This medicine is extremely dangerous and can cause some really bad reaction. It causes extreme hypertension in the mom and could cause problems in the baby. Olive told me a story about a women who was pregnant with her first child and she was given this medicine. The contractions were so strong that while she was delivering she ruptured her uterus, loss the baby and had to have a hysterectomy. My heart just breaks for these people. After a few hours we had another women come in with her first baby. She delivered in a few hours and had a beautiful baby boy. In news that doesn't involve labor and delivery, I was helping out with a TB patient today. She is not doing well at all. She has had a history of chronic TB and when we got her xrays back today over half her lung is scare tissue from the TB. She could use some prayers.

After all of this Olive and I decided to call it a day a little early today. I would really appreciate your prayers as I am not feeling that great. Please also continue to pray for the hospital, the staff and the patients. I hope you all have a great day!