The Baby Whisperer

The second weekend of September we headed back to Pokot for our 2nd official outreach clinic. We were excited to go as the first trip had been such a blessing. Remember how I said last time I would need a valium for the trip? Well, that wasn't an option this time as I put my car to the test and drove to Pokot! More details to come when I get some of the pictures, but let's just say that my entire body hurt at the end of the trip from being so tense! I did receive many compliments on my driving, so I must not have scared anyone too much.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly as we were the time before. This time was better, though, because our return reassured these people that we really do care about them and want to continue to minister to them. As we talked about the last time we had been there and our plan for the day, Pastor Stephen (the missionary pastor to Lodengo) said something very interesting. He said that many pregnant women were going to come that day because they had heard that the white doctor could make their babies talk! Last time we came, I brought a doppler with me to listen to fetal heart rates, and the women were amazed when they heard them and so grateful to know that their babies were okay. So, apparently word had spread and many more women did come this time to hear their babies "talk". It was also great to see some women return for the 2nd prenatal visit - especially since most never have prenatal care.

Making a baby talk - apparently I have become the Baby Whisperer :)

How it all started. Above is Kyle Jones pictured with Baby Musa (a boy, despite the pink shirt and skirt) and his mother and father. Musa was hospitalized at Kapsowar for severe meningitis and Kyle treated him. The Lord brought him back from the brink of death, and in the process, Kyle got to know his father, an elder in the church in Lodengo. He also met Pastor Stephen, and a relationship was formed. We were all very happy to see that Musa is doing well and is starting to meet his developmental milestones.
Once again, we had a very busy clinic, seeing over 100 patients in about 5 hours. This time, though, we had another doctor with us to help out. Thanks to Dr. Gerhard Shumacher and his wife, Janie, who joined us during their 3 month stay here in Kapsowar. I saw mostly OB patients and was able to identify a few at-risk mothers and recommend some interventions that will hopefully result in a healthy baby this time. One mother (sorry, I don't have a picture), had lost 2 babies previously and is now about 15 weeks pregnant. We brought her back with us and I was able to do a simple procedure (a cerclage for you medical folks) that should help her achieve a term pregnancy this time. We also arranged for 3 children to be brought to Kapsowar to have reconstructive surgery by Bill Rhodes, our surgeon. Their surgeries will be paid for by a special fund. One of the children, Chesoot, is a beautiful little girl who had a severe burn contracture of her right arm which did not allow her to extend her lower arm at all. She has now had surgery to release it and is doing well and has become a very outgoing little girl as she shows off her new arm. What a blessing to see what the Lord can do!

Above - This is pretty typical to see - a young girl taking care of a baby for her mother or another woman in the village. This baby was one of 2 twins that we saw that were very malnourished. Babies are usually born at home and they tend to feed them cow's milk early on, which is inadequate for nutrition.
The weekend ended again on Sunday with us participating in the Sunday school and church service, encouraging the local believers. This time was special because we brought 2 members of AIC Rorok church (my local church here) as we continue to try to build a partnership between the church in Rorok and the church in Lodengo. They had collected clothes and food to donate to the people of Lodengo. They also invited the women to attend a women's conference in Kapsowar early next year and are planning on raising funds to bring them here. The Pokot women were very excited about this and I was so excited to see Kenyans reaching out to fellow Kenyans and being missionaries in their own country.

Here I am with some of the kids from the Sunday school

Amanda, this one's for you - thumbs up!

It was another wonderful weekend that even included a time for Kyle to talk with the village leaders - both the chief and assistant chief came - about the health needs of the community. We hope to move forward with the possibility of starting a health center here, as the needs are great. Just yesterday, I delivered a patient who had pushed all night and all day before reaching us, and it was too late to save her baby. Please pray with us as we seek God's wisdom for how to best help the people of Lodengo and the surrounding communities.

Fun Times

Being so far away from my family and friends back home, it's nice that those here on the mission station have become like a second family to me. Here are some pics of some of the fun things we do.

Jude helping me make chocolate chip cookies

Proudly displaying his batter

Isaac crawling over for a visit

Hudson helping me pick lemons from my lemon tree - not sure what Jude is doing

Getting ready for a movie under a homemade tent in my living room

A little Faith and a big miracle

B is a very sweet 21 year old lady who presented to Kapsowar Hospital when she was 33 weeks pregnant. She was complaining of abdominal and joint pains, headache, and fevers. While this might not sound like anything familiar to those in the West, here those are the classic symptoms of malaria. B is from Kapsowar and malaria is not actually common here because we sit at 7500 feet altitude. I asked her if she had traveled recently, and she said that she had gone to Kisumu, which sits on Lake Victoria and is a hotbed for malaria. We tested her blood and saw that she was very positive for malaria, so we started her on the appropriate IV medication.
The next day, B was feeling a little better, although still having occasional fevers. Her baby seemed to be doing well too. That night, one of my colleagues was on call, and he was called to maternity because B had become agitated and confused and now had no control over her bladder. By the next morning, she was essentially comatose, responding only to pain. She had developed cerebral malaria - a condition caused by blockage of the blood vessels in the brain by the malaria parasites. Something I have definitely never seen or taken care of before. So, after quickly reading up on it, we added another medication, placed a tube into her stomach (to prevent her from vomiting and aspirating) and waited.
In the midst of all of this, I did an ultrasound to evaluate how her baby was doing. After watching for over 30 minutes, there was no movement. She had received some medication that might have caused this, so I decided to wait a few hours and repeat the ultrasound. The next one showed the same thing. There are no textbooks to tell me exactly what to do with this - how do I best save the baby and the mom? B was certainly not in good condition to have surgery. I prayed and prayed. One of my Kenyan colleagues told me that he had seen a mom like this before who improved dramatically after delivery, because a lot of malaria parasites can hide out in the placenta, making them difficult to get rid of. On the other hand, her baby was premature and here that can be difficult to care for.
In the end, we decided to do a C-section. I spoke with her family and they agreed. When we got her to theatre, we all gathered around her as she laid there completely unaware of what was going on, and laid hands on her and prayed. The C-section went well and her beautiful baby girl came out screaming. As we brought her husband in to see his new baby, he had a huge smile on his face and thanked us for saving her.
Over the next few days, we didn't see dramatic improvements, but each day she was a little better. By the 4th day after delivery, she was able to respond to commands. The next day she was fully awake and answering questions. Yesterday, I discharged her from the hospital, doing very well. She still has a bit of a flat affect (residual effects of the malaria), but is so happy to be with her new baby.

Thank you to all of you who were praying for B and her baby, Faith! I was able to tell her that she was brought back from near death by the prayers of people all over the world. I praise God for answers to prayer and His ability to still work miracles! I also praise Him for the opportunity to work in a place where I can openly pray for patients and tell them about God's power in their lives.

Me with B and baby Faith on the day they went home

Freedom!

So, after much thought and consideration, I decided that my days of depending on matatus (the public transport here that is usually packed with 30+ people) and my subsequent nausea during travel are over.
A couple of weeks ago, while I was in Nairobi, I met with my friends' car guy (apparently everyone has one here) and he showed me a couple of cars. By the end of the day, I was a car owner and he delivered it to me the next day.



I am now the proud owner of a Mitsubishi Pajero iO. I never in a million years thought I would drive an SUV. Then again, I've never lived someplace where 4WD is required and the roads are often 3-4 inches of mud. So far it's been great and I even survived the 6 hour drive from Nairobi! Thank you to all of my supporters that made this vehicle possible.

Another Amazing Safari

At the end of their time here, Jen, Corney and I went to Masai Mara so they could experience an African safari. We had such a great time and commented over and over again how amazing God's creation is!

This is one of the coolest things we saw - a lioness had just made a kill and she called her cubs over to share in the feast

We saw a family of 11 elephants. Here were a few of them, with 2 babies.

Our tents were right on the Mara River - a favorite hangout for hippos!

This day we counted about 34 of them!

A baby elephant nursing

At one point, our driver said "Now it's time for a walking safari." We rounded the corner and came upon some rhinos! You can see one just behind me.

Corney and Jen with the plains of Masai Mara behind them

This is a secretary bird. I just thought it was funny looking.

Thank you Jen and Corney for giving of your time to visit me! I had such a great time and you were both an incredible encouragement. For all of you considering visiting - doesn't this look like a great vacation? :)