When I first researched Midwives for Haiti, it seemed like a great organization. Now, I know that it is a truly extraordinary organization. Thank you Nadene for your vision 10 years ago and for your selfless devotion to women and babies in Haiti. You are AMAZING (and you're pretty great too Steve!)

Sitting in the airport in Port Au Prince, I am filled with gratitude. I am thankful for my family who supported me completely in this trip. I am thankful to the Haitians who welcomed me and taught me about their culture. I am thankful for all the awesome MFH staff who are so wonderful and devoted. I am thankful for how richly blessed we are in the U.S. 

I had a sense before coming that this trip would change me: and it has. Thank you Haiti for opening my eyes and heart in ways I couldn't have imagined. I already daydream of returning!

Thank you to all who have viewed this blog and shared your support! It's been a gift to share with all of you!

Nadene Brunk, CNM (founder of MFH) and her amazing homemade pancakes!

Me and Sophia, a very special 14 year old 💕

Thursday

These children are at Azil, a short-term feeding center. The children here are in need of nutritional support. They return to their families when they are healthy and their families are able to provide for them. Azil is run by a lovely group of Haitian nuns. Every child, even the babies, go to church every morning. Here, the 3-4 year olds are waking from nap time.

This little guy is such a ham!

I have been to Azil twice and helped with feeding the littlest ones. The kids wear matching uniforms. They line up the toddlers in these chairs and they actually sit there and eat. They are given sippy cups without the lid that are filled to the brim with a cream of wheat type porridge and they don't spill a drop!

Many of them are joyful. Some are ill and/or lethargic. This little girl will snuggle as long as you will let her - love her!

At a mobile clinic site, these women were peeling/preparing yucca to make cassava.

After the yucca is dried, it is ground into a fine powder.

Then, it is cooked over coals

Looking out the window of a mobil clinic site. Haiti is a beautiful country.

Mobil clinic today.

Mary Ang, one of the mobil clinic midwives, with her supply of vitamins and medications.

Haitian women are so lovely. They wear dresses and skirts only -even when riding donkeys or motos. This mama will have her baby soon.

Tuesday

St Therese Hospital, Hinche Haiti

This is looking into labor and delivery. Resources are always in short supply. Yesterday, there was no IV tubing. Last week, we ran out of pitocin (a medication needed to help control postpartum hemorrhage). Today, there was no soap (anywhere in the hospital). Women bring their own sheet to put under them for delivery. I brought a bunch of new wash cloths with me and give one to each woman laboring. After she uses it in labor, it may be recycled as a diaper for her newborn. Nothing goes to waste.

Postpartum unit. 

 

Looking into one of 3 PP rooms. The fans on the wall were provided by Midwives for Haiti. They are a luxury at St Therese. 

Today, I chased a hen and her chicks out of this room.

Weighing a newborn. 

Yesterday I did 6 week PP visits. Every baby I saw had gained adequate weight on breastmilk alone. Yes!

Trash: it's a very big problem here. There is no trash removal anywhere in Haiti. Nor is there money to pay for trash removal. So trash is dumped and sometimes burned. I pass this dumping area on my walk home from the hospital. It is always visited by goats looking for a meal.  

Video post :)

As promised, the first video is the men's choir at one of the churches in downtown Hinche. MFH does a lot of community outreach, so volunteers are encouraged to attend church, visit orphanages, etc when we have down time. People know MFH (Sage Femme Pou Ayiti) and are very appreciative of its presence here. 

The second video shows some kids I encountered while walking. They were anxious to show me their dance moves!

The third video I took this morning riding around downtown on a moto. One of the translators, Kelby, was touring me around.  Sunday mornings are very quiet on the street. By late day, there are probably 4 times the amount of motos, pedestrians, and horn honking! Tonight, they will be celebrating carnival downtown. That's more action then I need. I am staying in with my rum and pineapple juice :)

Animale cologne anyone?

At the river

Hinche market (I bought lollipops and bubbles to bring to the orphanage)

Washing motos and laundry in the river

Friday

These are the midwifery students we are working with. The beautiful thing about Midwives for Haiti is that it trains Haitian nurses in midwifery skills. Myself and the other volunteers work in the clinic and hospital with small student groups. They are wonderful and teaching me so much about the Haitian birthing culture.

Me and Adeline. She has caught hundreds of babies as a matron (informal midwife). When I asked her why she was in the program she told me she has seen women die of eclampsia and wants to know how to help them better. She has a beautiful midwife heart.

Our taxi is here! This is how we get around Hinche. Yes we should have helmets on but there are none. They drive pretty careful when they have blan's on board.

Janelle, another volunteer, carries a large bag of Kotex on her head to the hospital.

Sweet baby boy delivered this morning. The clothes and diaper he is wearing came with me from the US. It's beautiful to see all the things people donated so useful and appreciated!

It's been a full couple of days. Yesterday, I was on labor and delivery. I'm finding of the many things us volunteers do here, this is the hardest setting for me. Women deliver on simple stainless tables with no linens unless they bring their own. They bring in their own bucket for voiding and family members empty it. We have no clean water to give them. We have seen (too many) newborn/fetal deaths, hydrocephalus, spina bifida, twin deliveries, multiple infections, severe preeclampsia. Of course there are also many (50/week) uncomplicated deliveries. The woman I labored with yesterday, Adeline, was there alone. I love the "labor songs" they sing in Kreyol. So beautiful. She seemed wary of me at first but I stuck by her - wiping her brow, massaging her back. When it was time for me to go, she held onto me. We couldn't speak to each other, but we could. I sent some clothes in for her baby today with another volunteer. 

Today, I was teaching midwifery students (we use interpreters), visited an orphanage, and took a Kreyol lesson with an awesome 15 yr old for 5$/hr.

On my walk today.

This little girl followed me home from the hospital yesterday (about a mile walk). She chattered to me in Kreyol the whole way. I gave her this fan and she immediately started posing with it. It was hard to say goodbye to her.

These children are on there way back to school after lunch. They wear uniforms to school which always look immaculate. When the children see us they often shout (in a friendly way) "blan!" (white woman). They ran up to us and wanted their pictures taken. 

This afternoon we visited a girls orphanage. The girls were so sweet and engaging (which tells me they are well cared for). Many are eager to practice the small amount of English they know. We brought nail polish and painted their nails. Here, another volunteer, Janelle is getting ready to jump in on the jump roping. We taught them ring-around-the-rosy which they thought was hysterical.

Sweet girl with her freshly painted nails

Mobile clinic

Today I was assigned to go out on a mobile clinic. The jeep is loaded with supplies 4 days a week and travels to one of 16 rural clinic sites. Each site is visited every 4 weeks. Between 30 and 130 women are seen each mobile clinic day. It is run by Haitian midwives who have graduated from the MFH program and supported by midwife volunteers. This picture is of the jeep being loaded before we left this morning.

Along the way, we were flagged down by a Haitian man: "a woman has just delivered and needs help with the delivery of the placenta" (rough translation). This is the home. It is a typical single room dwelling with a thatched roof and outdoor cooking area. She was being attended by a village midwife.

 Inside, the woman who had just delivered was laying on the floor - her newborn with her and vigorous. There was one twin bed with another baby sleeping there and a toddler who seemed afraid of me in a small chair. We helped her with her placenta and assessed her. Her BP was high, so we checked in on her again at the end of the day and gave her some medication.

In front of the home. There is a lot of trash everywhere. I thought the dog looked ill and asked about this. I was told in response that she is "aggressive" - wondering if she is rabid.

The mobile clinic took place in a meeting hall. Here, a midwife teaches the women about danger signs of pregnancy. Because so many births took place out of the hospital, it is important to educate women on when they need to transfer to the hospital.  They were very attentive and appreciative.

These little sweeties kept me company today. I am missing my own babies so much. 

 I gave them Starbursts and they grinned ear to ear. In the black pot is a homemade bread a woman brought to share with all at clinic today.

Tomorrow, back to labor and delivery. Deep breath.

Sunday

I am spent after a full day. This morning, we attended church in town. There was a men's choir that sang so beautifully it brought tears to our eyes. I took a video that I will try to upload. This afternoon I went to the hospital with 2 other volunteer CNMs. Since its Sunday, there weren't students: we just went to help out. The reality of the hospital is very hard. The building(s) use to be a stable (?) and is open to air. There are family members, chickens, and stray dogs outside everywhere. It is so hot I had to cool my hands in front of the fan to get gloves on. Labor and delivery was busy so we mostly helped there. It was a tough day. We saw preeclampsia, sepsis, and the loss of a full term babe to abruption. Another baby had died early this morning before we arrived. I also had a healthy delivery of a beautiful boy (that's him and his mama below). We walked home (about a mile?) in the dark with a welcome light drizzle coming down. Tomorrow, I am going out to a mobile clinic to provide prenatal care. We are expected to see 60 patients between 9 and 3: better make my coffee strong. Good night from Hinche.

The first picture is looking toward the front gate from the 2nd floor of the house. It is locked and opened as we come and go.