hello everyone,
i feel as though i have such a support network out there in cyberspace...and that means you! and believe me i need it! i think i may be getting into a really healthy groove here, even though as we speak i am feeling a little icky after eating a huge piece of crazy, balinese birthday cake b/c it was one of the local midwives birthdays today! yikes! the icing was like sweet chapstick that left a sickening coating on my lips. the other cake, in contrast, was vegan chocolate cake made by an ex-patriot from australia...it was delicious. the other factor in my feelings right now is that i am worked! i spent all day in one room, one very warm room with very hard floors:) i was awoken this morning by a call from one of the local midwives at the clinic...a mama is 8cm, 2nd baby. o.k. game on... however, after a very long day of resting, walking, squatting, eating, drinking, hands and knees, bath tub, etc., etc., we took the mama to the hospital for evaluation. after being at 10 cm dilation and actively pushing for a really long time (how long you ask? don't ask, just a really long time!) the doctor, who was requested by the clinic b/c he is "midwife friendly" used his intuition and what little he could feel and decided to go ahead with a c-section. rightfully so! the baby had a very short cord and the cord was wrapped very tightly around the babys neck...this situation was creating a very extended neck, preventing descent! but no worries...this baby was a champion baby. the heart tones never faltered and we never transported b/c of the baby...we had to go, the baby was just not descending. but now mama and baby are doing really well, healthy and much happier now! and the baby was a boy!!!
good luck, as they say around here. apparently boys are favored b/c when the son marries he brings his wife into the home to care for the aging parents, and really for the family. so mamas know that if they have a boy they will never be alone and neglected in their old age...if the family has all girls, the parents will be left on their own. so it was a blessing to the mama who had such a tough labor! the women here are very stoic and all of them are here b/c they can't afford a hospital birth, even if they wanted one!
let me tell you a little more about the clinic...this clinic was started by robin lim. an american midwife who married an indonesian man and who now resides here in ubud. some of you may be familiar with her work, she is an accomplished author...check out her book "after the baby's birth"...highly recommended reading for some of you ladies expecting babies soon! the clinic is a force. with a resident doctor who consults, several accupuncturists, visiting naturopathic doctors and chiropractors, a meditation guru, and more. it is so cute...the local elders come in 1x week to meditate about their health. they all sit in an audience in front of the guru and he guides them in meditation to address their different ailments. chinese medicine is the predominent method of healing here. there is a lot of active participation in health here...and many live to be very old. it is great b/c the health clinic meets here regulary so we can refer just down the hall for issues like...breech baby, back pain, etc. fun stuff! i am definitely getting more of an introduction to alternative medicine in general than i expected.
also, one final birth story before i go...i missed my 1st birth last night. had to go grab dinner and a mama was at 3cm. i thought i was safe...how were we to know that the baby would be born in less than one hour!!! i walked in right after the placenta had been born, no worries, other midwives were in attendance. anyway, the baby had a complete cleft lip and palate, and was the sweetest baby i think i have ever seen. upon further inspection we assessed the baby most likely had a trisomy genetic anomaly (see wikipedia for more on that). one factor was that the baby had polydactyly, or extra digits...an extra toe and an extra finger that was poorly formed. we don't have an official diagnosis yet...and honestly, ours was about as official as it gets around here...even in the hospital...so... segway into the transport of this baby to the hospital because she also was underweight for gestational age and having breathing difficulties. and of course, a complete cleft causes real problems for breastfeeding. but the birth was wonderful, and the mama got some important skin-to-skin bonding time before the trip to the hospital and when we transported, she came with us just until we got the baby settled...holding her hand and stroking her the whole way to the hospital. i will fill you in more about the hospital scene here in ubud...but honestly and briefly...don't get too sick or injured in ubud!!! i have to sign off now b/c i need to rest...i am in bed by 8 most nights if i can be, b/c you never know when a mama will show up:) love to all and happy birthing to all my pregnant ladies...blessings!
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