A few more weeks...warning! Placenta ahead!

No news from the mother-to-be in Xela yet, however there has been two births at the clinic in Ciudad Vieja this week! Last Friday I got my hopes up as a woman came in with prodromal light contractions, but it was just another ‘false alarm’. However it was very exciting to be greeted at the house and told “there is going to be a birth 3 hours away, you have five minutes to get ready or we are leaving without you!" False alarm or not, it made for a very exciting evening. The following Sunday I witnessed my first birth! I forgot my camera but I will never forget those three hours that I was observing. The room was charged with the mothers energy and our excitement to meet her baby. She was smiling and so peaceful, it reminded me of storm season in Tofino. The water is calm far away from shore and the same ocean sends waves that crash up on shore with awe-inspiring ferocity. I have the utmost respect and gratitude for that tiny, unassuming woman that paced the office smiling away before transforming into a fierce mama bear, growling to welcome her baby into the world. Overnight I assisted with postpartum care (tending to mother and baby, assisting with breastfeeding, examining the placenta, etc).

The following day at the clinic I met a young woman (really just a girl) that just became sexually active and we discovered that she was pregnant. She was in shock. The air felt thick as I could feel everyone in the room freeze. I later reflected on how I had seen both ends of the spectrum of readiness to protect and guide another human being through their first 18 years.

The second birth (mentioned above with prodromal contractions) comes along with a very upsetting story. The baby boy was born healthy and perfect in every way despite his long journey! Several days previous, the mother-to-be went to the hospital and the first resident said she her due date was quite a ways away so she could go home. The second resident said she was much past her due date and needed to be induced! So she was pumped full of pitocin intravenously until the senior doctor came to check her and deduced she was right on schedule, unhooked her and sent her home.!Since this rattling experience, mother had been experiencing prodromal contractions and these continued for several days. They were strong enough that she had difficulty sleeping and by the time she came to labour at the clinic she was near exhaustion! After a full day at the clinic of labour sitting, I watched her gather all the strength she had left and delivered a beautiful baby boy (with the help of gravity)! Here I am

holding him, not even 3 minutes old.

This week is almost at an end; I am at the water birth center in Guatemala City helping Hannah with a procedure. Turns out lab tests are not always as accurate as they claim to me! The mother believed she was 8 weeks into her pregnancy, when really she is closer to 18! The moral of the story? Do all you can to formulate your own conclusions before trusting the word of a computer!

The horse parade was very nifty, there were dozens of horses and thousands of people lining the streets. Hannah and her grand daughter rode in the parade so we followed them on foot for most of the route. It took much of the afternoon and festivities went into the evening with an exclusive tented supper for riders and family only. No tourists! There was free food and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) as well as music and contests giving away horse feed. Hannah won a bag of feed and danced the night away, however I wasn’t as enthusiastic. Overall it was a entertaining end to a very long weekend.