A time to be born, and a time to die….which was it on Wednesday night?
Anita and I were in the house, thinking of a relaxing evening, when we got the call that there was a lady in labor at the clinic. We put on our scrub tops, and headed right into it. Supper would stay warm, for whenever that time came.
Shortly after Anita checked the lady out, she realized that the prognosis for this birth was a bit dangerous. “Call over the radio and tell them to pray,” she said. We were having a really hard time getting the heart beat.
I did.
Soon different friends showed up to pray and be supportive by their presence. Anita, by this time was beginning an IV, and adding Oxytocin along with the flow. The prolapsed cord was detaining the baby from being born. Anita gave supportive assistance for awhile and then called Dr. Michael down for more aid.
Dr. Michael realized that at this time there was no heartbeat in the placenta. There was not going to be a living baby, by all medical standards, at the end of this birth.
About the time that this was taking place, we got a notification that there was another lady in labor being transferred from the Bases hospital, since the doctor there had left and would not return all week-end.
We got another bed ready, and now coaching began in that corner of the clinic. Michael continued with the delivery of the first case. He was having complications, because of the position of the baby’s head. Finally, about 9:30, the quiet, lifeless girl entered the world.
It was hard to bathe her sweet, round face, and realize that she was already a little “angel” in heaven. I felt like crying, because it seemed like her mom deserved to have her, too. Megan took a picture of her against the white pad that we wrapped her in before we placed her carefully in a cardboard box.
After a bit of clean up from that birth, we pretty much began to help the next lady. An hour or two later, after a tough fight against a shoulder dystocia situation, we saw a big boy enter the world. It was a happy time, as Anita administered oxygen and heard the first, gurgly cries growing stronger.
Our minds were too full of thoughts as we walked home in the darkness, later. There was no question but that the gift of life is handed to humankind in a Sovereign way that we cannot understand or question…
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Michael reminded us that she would have been a cute one. We nodded our heads.
We didn’t have much to say…
And she WAS cute…but we wouldn’t have many chances to be reminded of it in this case….
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| And by now, we were beginning to feel like it was the time to sleep. |