Yesterday, I dreamt I was pregnant. I wasn't sad or scared, in fact I was totally overjoyed and had this insane protectiveness the whole dream. I wasn't one anymore, I was TWO!*sigh* I told my friends and the first question was "who's the father?" I didn't know that piece of information ( wish I did!). My dream wasn't that descriptive. Now according to all my psychiatry friends, diagnosis: You've been around pregnant women all weekend, so a dream about your own pregnancy isn't that extraordinary.
A weekend full of pregnant women? Let me explain. This weekend was mother's weekend. Am not saying day because its not enough to cover appreciation for mothers. Actually it should be every day of the year! Well I volunteered to help out at Kikuyu hospital where we were meant to give support to any lady in labour help with the delivery. Of course there were gifts and flowers and ribbons for the new fathers ( unfortunately there were no fathers to speak of in the labor ward. Its really sad that most women give birth in the absence of their partners. You can't imagine how someone just needs that courageous word and hand with every excruciating painful hour. Sorry, I digress)
This wonderful initiative was organized by MAMM- Kenya. That is Medics against Maternal Mortality. The brain child of fourth year medics of University of Nairobi. Their website is www.mammkenya.wordpress.com for more information. It was aimed at different hospitals around Nairobi but I was placed in the group heading to Kikuyu hospital. Kikuyu Hospital is a mission hospital headed by PCEA. (If you want to know you're in Kikuyu, you'll start seeing so many signs with the PCEA logo). It was kinda a deja-vu moment. I schooled around there so it was like I had headed back to familiar territory. Like you run away from somewhere then you end up exactly where you started- full circle!
Back to the hospital, its mission-run, very neat, organized and their maternity wing is quaint, clean and the so called "public wards"give you enough privacy. Its actually semi- private.And the hospital looked semi-deserted because it was the weekend! Seriously! Every doctor's dream. We'd be able to have lives outside the hospital! Their nursery is this lightly colored room with incubators that are state of the art (according to Kenyan standards). Their was little neonate in one of the incubators, so small and vulnerable. Breathing so fast into this baby-sized oxygen mask. It was sad to see such a little arm already hooked to IVs but if that's what will ensure you survive so be it. At times,after visiting hours, it would make this pitiful cries that were heartbreaking.Almost like a kitten's mew when its out in the cold looking for its mother. Other babies stayed with their moms, (already lucky and you don't even know it! ) so you basically have mom doing everything for you, and responding to your every cry.
There was only one lady in labour during my shift, lets call her Mrs.X. Mrs.X was still in the early stages of labour by the time we came in. We entered her little secluded bed area and the first thing she said "Now you can explain to me why you were peeking at me through the curtain." I liked her instantly. Mrs.X is an accountant at some architecture firm whose name I've forgotten. She stays near Ruiru in the ICIPE compound. Her husband works there, she's just 'privileged to be offered accommodation'. Her words,not mine. See why I liked her? So labour began really kicking in at around 8pm and by that time we were about to leave. And she couldn't sit still because the pain only got worse. Her two wishes at the time were: 1.Her little girl to be born now! (which was still far off as she had only reached a 5cm dilation.) 2. There was a gym so that at least she could keep busy and distracted. A gym? hmm... maybe we should actually start thinking about that.. I asked the next group and they told me she gave birth at around 2 am. Hope wherever she is, she and her little girl are doing well.
We came back to rainy Nairobi from cold, cold Kikuyu. Home sweet home! I almost thought that we wouldn't make it because the matatu we were in, ran out of fuel! (Story of another day) You see how EVERYONE is being affected by the fuel cartels government? What if we had been carrying a mother in labor? But the day had to end, and to end it did, with new friendships to boot. If it comes up again, I definitely will participate again! And hopefully actually see an actual delivery! According to my pal Sam they are quite gruesome and scary. I think he was exaggerating. Appreciate your mothers today. :-)
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