The Joys of Obstetrics

So, here is why I love the practice of OB/GYN. I arrived at the hospital this morning to find out that we had no scheduled C-sections, no one in labor and I only had one postpartum patient to see (the nurses see all of the routine postpartum patients). I thought "I hope this won't be a boring day." No sooner had I told Lydia, one of the nurses, that we needed some business did she get a call saying there was an emergency. A woman was carried in on a blanket by two of her family members (they had likely walked a long way like that) obviously in labor. She was moaning and thrashing. We got her into the labor room and we asked her what pregnancy this was. Initially she said her first (at least that's what I had translated to me). I went to check her and noted that she was circumcised (unfortunately a very common practice here). She was completely dilated and screaming in pain. When I went to feel her abdomen, I noted that she had a scar. I asked what it was from and they said "Oh, she's had a C-section." So, obviously not her first baby :) With the amount of pain she was in and the shape of her abdomen, we were worried that she had a uterine rupture (also very common here), as she had been laboring for several hours at home before coming in. The baby's heart rate was in the 100's (on spot check - no continuous monitoring), so we went for an urgent C/S. She didn't have a uterine rupture, thankfully, and mother and baby are doing well. What a way to start the day!

The weekend was good. I was on call all weekend, but didn't have to come in much. I was able to see the big town center, which consists of one street. We went to the market and Dr. Larson's wife saved me from paying too much for avocadoes (they tried to charge me about 12 cents apiece instead of the normal 6). I was able to spend some more time with the Larsons, including having a game night on Saturday night which was really fun. They are a remarkable family and have been a huge encouragement to me. Their commitment and trust in the Lord are amazing. Did I mention that they are a family of 7 living in a 2 bedroom house? They will be moving into a larger house soon, which they are very happy about.

Last night, we all (me, the Larsons, the Lee's (another missionary family), and the medical students) gathered at the Larsons for weekly fellowship. We sang and I gave the talk (which I found out about the night before). It was a time of great encouragement as I sat with these people who have already been through what I am going through and understand the call to missions. It was also a tough night as the Lee's (Dr. Lee is currently the medical director here) are moving on Tuesday to southern Kenya. He has been diagnosed with mountain sickness (chronic altitude sickness) and they have to move to a lower elevation for his health. They have been here 5 years, and so the goodbye's are tough.

I have also made new friends. Today, I played for a little while with Emily and Brian, 2 longer-term residents of the peds ward here. They are both adorable and I taught them how to do High 5. I have pictures of them, so I can't wait to share them. Emily is 3 and I couldn't help think of little Violet and how much she would enjoy playing with the kids here.

Ok, that's all for now. Oh, another great thing about this place - we all pray together with the patient before we start any surgery. I love that!
God Bless you all. Thank you for all your prayers.