I have had a pretty tough couple of days this week which has made me miss home a lot but I am still really enjoying myself.
On Sunday, I enjoyed a trip to church with the family where of course I was the object of all stares being a mzungu! Sofia and I then took a boda boda (motorbike taxi) over to the Mustard Seed orphanage and had a lovely time with the kids there, teaching them how to use long skipping ropes and of course they found it hilarious to watch me doing it. All the children were on really good form and very smiley which was great, although we came back very hot and sticky!
Monday was a busy day at the clinic with 3 babies born in the time we were there and one of them was delivered by moi (with a little help from my friend, Sofia). It was such a thrilling experience and thankfully baby came out very happy and healthy and obviously had to take lots of photos with both mum and babe after - she was as excited about having a white person deliver her baby as I was to deliver it! I was also exposed to a whole new experience in the evening; Esau took me to aerobics class at one of the hotels (£1.25 for an hour and a half!) I found it hilarious watching lots of pretty affluent African men jumping about over enthusiastically but it didn't take long for me to run out of energy and I thought I was going to die from exhaustion afterwards. But the first hot shower in over a week revived me ;)
On Tuesday, Sofia and I walked over to Hoima Hospital which was a mistake - we both arrived extremely hot and sweaty and we hadn't even started working yet! In total we saw 6 Cesarean sections that day; 3 of which were ruptured uterus' resulting in dead babies and 1 on a woman who was HIV positive and had had polio so had a very odd shaped back and pelvis. I also got the opportunity to scrub in on one of the sections with Charlie because there was no one else to do it. He talked me through the scrubbing up process, following most things with 'but you would never do it like this in England' and we also had to wash our hands with water from a jerry can because conveniently there was no water supply to theatres that day - perfect! I loved helping out with the c section, made me feel like a proper doctor ;) and again, thank God, the baby came out screaming (in fact it wouldn't stop). I love that the one time it is good for a baby to cry is when it is first born. We followed up our tough day with a drink in town and then I went back to Sofia's for dinner where she cooked me Greek style tuna pasta which was a beautiful taste of home (accompanied by pineapple gin and lemonade (in mugs))
Yesterday was probably the hardest day yet. The day started well with the desk that I had tidied on Monday still being tidy and the midwives at Azur actually doing the observations that we have been trying to drill into them to do. One of the babies that I have now taken over to paeds 4 times for IV antibiotics because it is septic was still not getting meds when I wasn't there which was very frustrating. I ended up taking her over to paeds again and being pretty grumpy with the nurses there and they were much more helpful and we sorted it out that she would stay there permanently and mum could come too and just go back for her meds. Once I had finished in paeds I went to find Sofia in labour ward where she was dealing with a breech, macerated (old) still birth. This was really, really horrible to watch as the majority of the babies body was out, apart from head and arms, but the mother had stopped contracting so the head was, in effect, stuck inside. Because the baby had been dead, in utero, for a while and was only 28 weeks it was not in a brilliant state - the skin had almost all peeled away from the flesh leaving it very pink and bare. Eventually when the doctor came he did manage to coax the baby out by applying large amounts of pressure on the uterus (very painful). The head came out really distorted; it was a very large head that was a funny shape and the eyes were popping out, it was very distressing to see. I think the hardest part for me was that when the mother saw the deformed baby she didn't even flinch, like it was just a normal, every day thing to see your newborn baby like that :(
In the afternoon I went to see Thad who is a Texan man who has now lived in Uganda for 17 years and has a pretty inspirational story - he wanted me to help him set up a website/blog for him, seeing as I'm such a pro with this one ;) He also has a beautiful little 5 year old who lives with him and is adopted by his maid. She was found in a ditch at about 6 months old but she looked only a couple of weeks old and they took her in and nurtured her and now she is a happy and very healthy 5 year old!
I went and sweated out my emotions from the day at aerobics - I find it quite funny because my motivation for going is the hot shower afterwards not how good the exercise is for me :P
Today was Ugandan Independence day so is a public holiday for the whole of Uganda. Esau took the opportunity to take me, and the rest of the family, to his mothers house out in a more remote village and show off the large quantity of land that she and he have and the different things they have growing on it. I saw guava trees, banana trees, sweet potato plants, mango trees, jack fruit trees, pine tree plantation, bean plants, etc. Then had a nice relaxing afternoon and evening at home, reading my book in the sunshine :)
I am really missing everyone at home at the moment and hope that everyone is well.
Orale kurungi (good night) xxxxx
Lucy Your blog is amazing and I am more than impressed with all you are achieving. You are in inspirational young woman. Charlotte I know you are more than proud. Loads of Love Kerry xoxoxo
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