Clinic craziness.

It must have been last week that I returned to the vaccination clinic for an early shift only to find that we were no longer permitted to do injections. One of the high school leavers who’d never used a syringe had made a baby bleed thus all mzungus were banned from pricking babies. We weighed and gave oral polio vaccines like champions though, never a shift wasted J

Wednesday Night shift – I arrived to find Fatuma and Philippina on duty. Both midwives have a very, shall we say laid back, attitude towards birth. Women would stumble into the delivery room in preparation and the midwives would call from their beds not to push yet in accordance with Vaginal Examinations performed over an hour previous. The first baby of the night delivered himself onto the delivery table after the midwives kept insisting the mother was not ready to push despite her calling out.

Another woman had retained membranes after birth, and the midwives called the doctor to assist. Unable to contact him, another male nurse showed up, and managed to gradually poke the uterus enough for the membranes to deliver.

2 babies were delivered through mec stained liquor, both of which had me on edge since our suction machine had broken. Each boy came out crying to my relief, one after some heavy fundal pressure. The night was a production line of 6 births in total, and I found my niche in giving oxytocin, taking the baby to wrap and preparing the bed for the mama. Midwife Fatuma said to me “You very sharp and fast, you make a good nurse.” Not sure how I feel about being a “good nurse” by Tanzanian standards but I’ll take this as a compliment anyway.

When I turned up at the clinic the next night I found favourite midwife Hawa on duty. The biggest compliment I can possibly give is to say that I’d happily allow her to deliver my baby, not something I would say for most of the staff. I won the other midwife over for the night by sharing cookies with her, bribery works wonders. The night was slow, personal highlight was when a woman was catheterized using a wide bore suction tube, which was then returned to the suction tray after use (which I may have sneakily sterilized with chlorine when nobody was looking). After her baby boy was born, I slept until morning when 2 women inevitably delivered at once. Beautiful Hawa pointed at one lady and said “conduct!” so she and I stood side by side chanting Hemma (Breathe), Sukuma (Push) Safi Sana! (Very Good!) until we each caught our bubs.

Today I learned that both of Mama’s maids had taken their pay checks and neglected to return. Both about my age, I’d really started to bond with them, learning practical Swahili from them and watching them cook … shame I never got to take them out to dinner to thank them. After a short nap I met up with Anika at the clinic with the intention of doing an evening shift, but the labour ward was empty. Dr Japhet had shared a list of equipment the clinic would appreciate, so we set off to suss out equipment prices.

We purchased 2 wall heaters (serving as baby incubators), a set of baby scales as the previous set died days ago, 1000 syringes, 200 neonatal suction catheters and a gas stove. All up this cost equivalent of $350USD. Excited beyond words to present the clinic with the goodies next week. A huge group of volunteers went out to Njiro for dinner to farewell Sophie who arrived with us – where did those 5 weeks go?! The best chicken fajita burrito around accompanied by the horrible live band and sips of wine/rum and coke made for a great Friday night.