Not for the squeemish

I've held out for 7 months since arriving here, knowing that there were many other things that needed my attention. Yet deep down inside I knew that one day my passion for nursing would woo me back into the hospital. Today was my first day in the gov't maternity hospital and I could write a book already. I arrived at 8:30 this morning to find my Dutch friend who introduced me to everyone and showed me the ropes. She then took me to the labor ward where I was to spend my first morning. After making rounds to the rooms and seeing the patients, I found one woman who was obviously in need of some help & comfort and who had no family member with her. I decided I would stay with her for the morning as this was her first baby and she was so afraid. With the few words I knew, I managed to communicate the basic things I needed to. As the morning went on, 3 other women were admitted to the same room. One of them was pretty far along and screaming out in pain. There was another young girl who had a dead baby in her womb and was being induced to deliver it. My lady was also entering the stage where they scream and cry out for God and their mother and say they're dying. The 4th woman was overdue and being induced so she was happy with no pain yet. So I had two screaming women on my hands and two that were being induced. The nurses would come into the room and say "Oh, that's the patient with the dead baby", "this one will be here forever, she's a primi and only 5 centimeters, "this one is hopeless; just leave her alone and let her scream". I couldn't believe my ears; such callousness! At one point I looked over my shoulder and saw the young girl with the dead baby crying quietly. She was 6 months along and the exact circumstances that led to me losing my first baby. I left my screaming woman and went and put my arms around her and we both wept together, me not being able to say a word to her. I went out and looked for kleenex, for we both were in need but not a kleenex in the whole hospital. The midwife came in and examined the other screaming lady and told her to get up and walk to the delivery room; she was ready to deliver. I thought to myself "someone is certainly going to come and help her?" But no, she was left to get off her bed by herself and carry her own IV with her to the delivery room down the hall! I left my lady and ran to her aid. Well, once I entered the delivery room, it was all over. I never wanted to leave again the rest of the morning. I stayed with this poor soul who begged me not to leave her. I figured she needed me more than the one who still had a long way to go. When we entered the delivery room, there was a man at the far end banging loudly as he tried to fix the window. A woman in labor was lying on the floor wrapped around the kerosene heater. We literally had to step over her! With much difficulty I helped my lady climb up onto the delivery table. It was only half of a table with nowhere to put her feet so they hung down in a very uncomfortable position. After 30 minutes of pushing, the fetal heart was very weak and slow so they rushed her off for an emergency C-section. The delivery room was like a circus; people wandering in and out, laughing and talking and shouting. At the same time the 3 women who were delivering all at the same time were shouting at the top of their lungs for someone to come and help them. WOW! I was so energized by the experience and can't wait to go back again in a few days. It is my passion and I realized once again that even without the language, human touch is so powerful when someone feels abandoned and in distress; just a sip of cold water, a back rub, an encouraging word, a gentle voice to quiet fear, is all that's needed.