(Disclaimer: I have lots of wonderful photos and videos, but I have not been able to post any because the internet is so slow and even harder to find a time when I can use it when other people aren’t using it. It took me 2 hours to upload 2 photos, and then the photos never posted because other people started using the Internet. SO, if I am ever able to post them, I will, starting with pictures that relate to my first posts!)

Today was another day in the maternity ward!

This morning started out with a real run that didn’t involve stumbling over rough terrain. Priscilla and I woke up at 5am, I ran and she biked next to me. We chugged along straight through the middle of town, receiving many many strangle looks! I am now the crazy “mundeli” who runs at 5am. After our run we showered and ate some delicious cinnamon bread that one of our missionary mommas made us, we are so spoiled by them! After breakfast we headed to the hospital!

When we arrived we jumped straight into the maternity excitement! We gloved up, starting measuring two lady’s cervix diameters and by lunch we had delivered a baby! The delivery this morning was the most intense I have seen so far, but still no yelling came from the mom. She muscled up and pushed like a champion, you could see every vessel popping out of her chest as she pushed with all her might. I was so impressed. Even more impressive was the fact that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck twice, which basically forced the mother to push while the baby was pinned/strangled inside her body. She was doing twice the amount of work! I have noticed that there is an enormous difference between American nurses and African nurses. African nurses are tough, sassy, and relentless. They don’t care about comfort as much as they care about actually making you healthy. For example, during a delivery they will yell, and I mean YELL and SLAP the moms if they look lazy or like they are taking a break. But it works, their yelling motivates like no one else ever could! The nurse is the coach. So throughout this morning delivery we yelled too, PUSAY (PUSH) PUSAY! I was told to push the mom’s stomach downward too, literally forcing the baby to come out. I held the mom’s legs, her head, and pushed. It was so intense and so rewarding once that little slimy gift came out screaming!

The afternoon in the hospital was pretty slow, no more births. So we took some vitals and played with the kids in the pediatric unit. 

After work we went to the market to buy food. On our walks through town we receive stares from every African we pass and the children enjoy running at us yelling “mandeli” (white person) and then coming to touch our hands, just to make sure we are real (or at least that is how it feels hah). Occasionally groups of  boys—younger than 5—run out in front of us completely naked, they start dancing and shaking their private parts yelling “mandeli.” It is really hard to keep a straight face. We have started to enjoy playing along with their remarks by either frantically staring at our own skin when they yell mandeli, or yelling back “woppi?!” (where?!), as is we had no idea our skin was light.

Now we are at one of the Wegner’s house--long-term missionary’s house—for dinner AND to watch the second Hobbit movie, what a treat!

Have a good night everyone!