Day 16: Outreach Day

     Hello everyone!  Back to work today.  Right when we arrived to the clinic there was a woman ready to give birth.  We got to assist the midwife in delivering the baby boy.  We all thought that this birth was an extremely eye opening experience.  This woman was in so much pain.  Unlike women in the States, she did not have the option to receive an epidural or any other pain medication.  She just took it by the horns and let her body do the work.  We all agreed that when it comes time to have babies of our own, we will appreciate the resources we have available to us.  This woman will serve as a great inspiration to us.  After the birth we all resumed our designated jobs until it was time for Outreach.  Meg was in maternity/antenatal, Kelley was in Pharmacy, and Remi was in Registration/Room 2.  Remi was able to start an IV on a 12 month old!  It was so hard to see the little vein, but it all worked out well!  This little girl came to the clinic because she is dying of malaria.  So we quickly hooked her up to a high dose of Quinine, an antimalarial medication.  It was so heartbreaking to see such a beautiful little girl so sick.  Because the clinic is so limited with it's resources, there was no IV pole to hang the Quinine on, so we had to improvise.  We hung it using a strip of gauze attached to a knob on the wall.  This little girl was joined by three other patients in a very hot and crowded room.  There was even a man in a hospital bed in the hallway because we were over capacity for the day. 
     Next, it was time to head to a nearby village for another outreach day.  When we arrived there were about 40 mothers with their babies waiting for the immunizations.  We got everything set up and formed three lines, one for each of us, and began poking babies!  It is just so humbling to think about how these women have to walk for miles and miles, barefoot with babies on their backs, so their children can receive the appropriate immunizations they need.  There is nothing to sit on but the dirt while they are waiting for their turn.  We have the luxury of just hopping on the highway and going into a doctors office to do this very same thing.  It really put things into perspective for us.  All the basic necessities for child care such as: strollers, pacifiers, diapers, bottles, and blankets are not an option for these women and children.  They really make due with what they have and are just fine with it.  To us, we see this as such a struggle, but in all actuality it is simply a different way of life.  Not a wrong one.  We are learning to see the world in a totally different light.
    That's all for now.  Love to all!

Remi, Kelley, and Meg