Home Visit #2: Florencia

Week 22-28 June 2008

Vicki has made many friends in the Philippines, and we visited one of her special friends this week. Florencia is a 94 year old local midwife, who only recently retired. She lives up the hill in a big family compound reached via a rock stairway. She was so happy to see Vicki and was very gracious to the rest of us. She sent granddaughters out for merienda of bread, Sky Flake crackers and Coca Cola. My son-in-law Chris had brought Maia along, and this great-grandmother of dozens flirted with her and danced for her--it was very very cool. Many of her granddaughters and greatgrandaughters also played with Maia and we played with the little ones too.

Florencia went to a cupboard and returned with a treasure. It was a metal box given her in the 1940's by UNICEF. It contained her midwife kit. She is very proud of it. Vicki says that to get a perspective on how old Florencia is, she already had 4 children when the Philippines was invaded by the Japanese during WWII, and that she delivered babies while in hiding under horrendous war conditions during that time.

I asked if I could take pictures. She agreed but wanted to comb her hair first.
She is beautiful. She is loved. It is obvious in the faces of her family. I'm honored to have met her and been a visitor in her home.

Home Visit #1: Elizabeth

The week of June 22-28, 2008

Home Visit #1: Elizabeth

It is important to follow up with women who give birth, to check on them and on their babies and to help them adjust to family life with a new member. So it is not just for their physical welfare, but to continue relationship and establish ourselves as an ongoing resource that we go to the women for a 1 day and a 3 day postpartum visit. After that, unless there is a special concern, the families bring the babies to the clinic weekly and then monthly for checkups.

I was so fortunate to go with Kate to see "Elizabeth" again, and her son AJ and her husband "Edward". They live across the bay from Puerto Galera and are reached by a small boat (a banca). If you look at my picture gallery, you can see how small these boats are! But the bay was quiet and fairly shallow. We passed a school, with children boarding bancas in droves to get home. It is sweet to see them all in their uniforms and then you remember that their families must pay for the uniforms before they can attend school; must pay for books and supplies and transportation. These families are the same as everywhere I am sure; wanting a better life for their children and knowing that education is key to that goal; working very hard to provide the means.

We disembark along a narrow plank and I bang my head on an outrigger post. I am unusually tall and trying to remember to watch my head is a constant for me here. We wander along the beach and find Elizabeth's family outside barbequing and making sticky rice for an anticipated fiesta that night. I met Edward in the birth room and recognize him. He is smiling so widely that my instincts are making me watchful--I was right to be! He pulled out a snake from along the wall and made a little shriek. As the scream was followed by laughter immediately, I was lucky to recognize the snake as a rubber toy. I passed the test. I didn't jump. I laughed at him. But had he not looked so mischievous, I may have flunked--I really really am NOT fond of snakes.

We enter the house and are greeted by female relatives who escort us to the bedroom. Elizabeth is happy to see us. She calls me "Mommy" and holds out her hands, smiling her beautiful smile that lights up her face. Her boy is doing well and sleeping peacefully, even through most of his examination. Then he has had enough of Kate and fusses for his mother, who picks him up and offers him the little snack he wants (merienda). Kate helps her with her breastfeeding questions, speaking mostly Tagalog. Of course, as the Filipino people are famously hospitable, we also have our merienda--Sky Flake crackers and Coca-Cola in glass bottles.

I am sad to leave. Edward flags down a banca for us and tells the boatman to treat us as Filipinos and not charge us the tourist rate. Another big compliment from this man, who has been doing all of the chores for his new little family. Yes, I considered the trick to be complimentary -- I have not set myself apart from them in serving them.

This family is special to me. Will I fall in love with all of our patients? Probably. I hope so.

Typhoon Country

Post for Sunday, June 22, 2008

Typhoon Fengshen, aka Typhoon Frank, passed over us here in Oriental Mindoro with heavy rain. We lost electricity, we are safe but are grieving the lives lost in other parts of the country . That we were safe was through no effort of our own, although we took all of the common-sense precautions and stocked up on gasoline for the generator. A baby boy was born by candlelight and a flash, number 7 for the mother. They are a Muslim family, and I was afraid that the grandmother would set all of her scarves on fire in the birthroom! The mother was inside the room with no wraps at all; only her husband and women are present. She had been in latent labor since Wednesday prenatals; where I had met her. She is softer now. The beaming father gave Vicki and I crackers as we left.

Next door, Rachel and her gorgeous little baby girl were still resting as her husband did her laundry. There is no monetary fee ever, but we do have a little can for donations to other indigent families if they can afford to help others. This is what your donations from the States provide, and we tell them so. That Westerners care about them enough to subsidize their care, and that many are Christians. They call us "born-agains" here, to differentiate from the (mostly by default) Catholic faith.

We wade back through the main street of White Beach and drive home. Scott informs us that this is Typhoon #6 of the 19 expected this year, plus 30 or so tropical storms. If you look at the map above, Oriental Mindoro is the 2nd blue dot from the right. We are near the top right side of that island. However, Typhoon Fengshen was bigger than all of the Philippines and the effects were felt to some degree everywhere. This time, Cebu got the worst of it. So far the news reports 155 dead, plus another 800 plus in a related ferry sinking. My sister Vicki sank once, on my birthday in 2006 and miraculously lived. You should hear the story if you have not. Maybe I will email it to you.

It is worth knowing. There are many storms in life. In this one, people died and people were born.

And born again.

A Doula Story

Thursday, June 19 to
Saturday, June 21, 2008

dou·la (dl)

n.

A woman who assists another woman during labor and provides support to her, the infant, and the family after childbirth.

---

[Modern Greek doula, from Greek dialectal doul, servant-woman, slave.]

This is what I am here. One of the roles I have. A role I want. Not a midwife or a doctor, but a supporter of them and of women who give birth. A supporter of their families in this sacred process. I loved that part especially when I was at the big Mercy Manila clinic a few years back.
And of course, I was honored to be at the birth of my granddaughter.

There is actually a certification process for it. I went to San Francisco the weekend before I left for the Philippines this time, and attended the DONA mandatory workshop. Yes, San Francisco. It was great. Other than sitting on pillows, it was quite informative and all of the women were lovely and open and giving and committed. No incense, really. Now that I have completed the workshop, the births here that I attend from 4 cm on will count for my certification, if I stay with them continuously until well after the baby is born.

Disclaimer: This will be the only medically detailed birth story I will post. Email me if you want a private email list for my doula and midwife friends.

So, another first time mom showed up on Thursday. We will call her Elizabeth.
At 5 pm, Vicki texted me. She was 4cm, get to the Clinic stat! She can be a candidate for my certification!

She was lovely. With an easy, quick smile. From an island in the way-south. She spoke of the political situation with Abu Sayef and the recent kidnappings as she walked. And walked. Her back hurt. I applied the double hip squeeze. I learned a lot of holds in my early law enforcement days, but none so effective for back pain in labor. She kept walking.

Some European missionaries drove in, headed to the medical side of the clinic. One of them had been snakebitten while with the Mangyan tribal village. He had a tourniquet and said that a tribesman had sucked out the poison within 4 minutes. He felt ok, considering he did not know what kind of snake it was. And he was not in labor, and "E" was still walking, walking, walking.

Her labor oh so slowly but surely progressed. Very normal for a first. But it can be discouraging too. This is why she needed a servant. I washed her face and brought water and Ovaltine when she heard she was still only at 7cm at 1 am. Held her hand. She quit smiling and thanking me, and I knew that the time was nearer. It took all night, but at around 4:00 her mom and sister came in, at 4:50 her husband arrived (he had been stuck across the bay). Eventually she dilated to 10 cm and began pushing, and at 5:10 there was a lively little boy born It was so great. And her mom was calling on Jesus to help her, and thanking Him as the baby's head crowned. Kate was there, Anna the intern was there and Jen our Filipina midwife. AJ latched on and all was well. The big smile was back. The following day Kate and Anna took a boat back across the bay in pre-typhoon weather to do the postpartum exam. I couldn't go because I had another mother in early labor.

I didn't know how long it would take to get 3 qualifying clients, but this was going well. Rachel arrived at 10:20 am on Saturday, June 21st. Another walker, very stoic, very young. Her mother in law was with her, and later her husband and his young son as well. She told Jen she is a second wife. She is 20, her husband 24. At 5:30 she is still 6-7cm and is up and down out of bed, different positions. The tears start. I walk with her. I show her husband how to support her. He seems willing, he rubs her back but then has somewhere to go. I am holding her up in a squat, and am thankful when he comes back at the critical time and helps. I am whispering to her, helping her breathe, having her keep her chin down to make her efforts more effective. She gives it all she has left after being awake for two days (plus walking maybe 100 kilometers?), and at 8:29 pm a girl is born. Vicki and the other midwives work to bring the baby from blue to pink. The mother is physically fine but shockingly tired. I try to keep her awake so that she doesn't literally pass out. Her baby cries as I hold her at the breast and that revives them both. A smile plays at her lips and she focuses again. The baby sucks at the breast, the husband thanks God. And us. It was Him, and us through Him.

Yes, thank God.

Pre-Natal Day

Here is the picture of the Tricy I promised, with a very young driver!

Wednesday morning @ Mercy Maternity Center
June 18th, 2008
29 Women showed up for prenatal exams

I helped with the check-in before they saw the midwives

We also do prenatals down the road in Sabong on Thursday mornings.
Nine were there this week.

Jesus Loves the Babies and the Mothers

Post for Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Another day, another baby. We had the first time mom get into a squatting position as her baby's heartrate was dropping. I am getting some pretty good muscles supporting the mothers, literally.
I breathe with her. I encourage her to push when the midwives tell me the time is right. I pray silently and then aloud. She is here from Manila for a short time as her husband is in the Army. She is beautiful and strong and delivers a baby boy. Only one friend has accompanied her and did not stay.

The midwives follow all of the protocol and put drops in the baby's eyes after his first breastfeeding. But this mother comes back. Her baby is sick, his eyes are swollen shut. She had not come to us for prenatal care - and she not tell us until the baby got sick that she had been treated for gonorrhea at 2 months pregnant. The disease here has become resistant to antibiotics and is expensive to treat, especially for the indigent and working poor.

There will be all kinds of births here, all kinds of mothers and fathers and babies and family situations. I have come prepared to have my heart broken, to be present with those in pain.
It is harder to forgive those who have caused the pain, but God reminds me that He prepared me for that too, by heaping His forgiveness on me through Jesus--and I don't deserve it either. Please pray for baby Rian George by name. They are not from here so we may never see him again. But he has his little blanket that the women of Creston Church made and prayed over. It is something.

Thank you.

Trip to Calapan & Then a Surprise!

Post regarding June 16, 2008

It is Monday morning at 5:00 am and we are headed to Calapan, 2 hours away on twisty-turny rough road. We stop in Puerto Galera to pick up Tessa and her 7 day old son Jake. He was born with a cleft palate and we are taking them to the Ruel Foundation. It is an orphanage and a ministry with a dentist who fits ortho-devices to these children so that they can eat and even breastfeed! When he old enough he will get surgery here. In fact, another little cleft-palate baby Mercy In Action delivered in January,Dhave, is having his cleft-palate surgery in Manila today. Operation Smile is helping us with him, and he is at an orphanage whose directors are also long-time friends of Mercy In Action.
The part of Mercy In Action dedicated to helping the disabled infants of our clients is in memory of our beloved niece Megan Allen who we lost here on earth in 1998. Thanks to all of you who donated to Dhave in her name, these babies can have a more normal life. And of course, all of you who made blankets! Little Jake got the first quilt sent with me from Creston Church--I had just gotten them unpacked!
I have posted more pictures of the trip and of the first week here on my picasa album - you can just click now in the right hand column of the blog to find it. See, I am learning!

So, while Jake and his family were with the dentist at Ruel, it was time for errands in the capitol of Oriental Mindoro, the little big city of Calapan. It is the home of government offices, so I got my visa extended. It cost 3200 Ph pesos, an equivalent of us $72.00. It will be good until August 10, then I will have to extend again. I think it costs so much not only because the government said "whoa, lets charge these westerners more" but also because it took 4 men, two typewriters, two trips outside?, 5 sets of carbon and about 16 stamps on 85 pieces of paper, shuffled appropriately. You get the picture. So you are set now to hear about our trip to the Land Transportation Office for driver's licenses? Yes, you guessed it. Many different offices, drug and blood pressure checks, all to have it written officially that I am "essentially normal". Yes, I have it in writing! But....we must go back because the one guy who can check our foreign licenses was not there. Of course.

Then we get back home and kind of settle in. There is a knock on the door and two young men start making gestures at their bellies....we get a neighbor to translate further and we are up and running. There is a lady having her first baby at home unattended and it is not coming after 16 hours. She is in a thatched hut just up the hill. Vicki checks and it is a premature baby in a breech position. There is time to get her to the clinic, to Vicki walked her down the trail while I went drive the poor little van as far as I could. I have included one picture above of the walk down the trail. Yes, I drove her and the midwives and various family members to the Mercy White Beach Clinic where her breech baby girl is safely delivered. See the next picture.If you are one of my midwife or doula readers, please email me and I will give you the whole gory story. You have to be strong like me to hold up a mother to deliver straight up, trust me.....Otherwise, just know it was a tiny baby girl, weighing 4 pounds, her name is Angel, and there are more (not gory) pictures on my picasa web. Including a bunch at the little house where we went the next day to to her postpartum check. She got her little Creston Church blankets and Anaheim Vineyard hat!



I am going to change the names to protect privacy. We have picture release forms, but we really should not publish the names of the mothers as they could be searchable on the web. Please understand that these women and their own Baby Stories are very personal to me, and do not let it prevent you from praying for them. God knows their names, He knows them, He knows their circumstances, and I believe He wants us to love them in His Name.

Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines

Written Saturday, June 14th, 2008

Dear Ones,

Thanks for bearing with me as I figure this "Blogging Thing" out!

The electricity is up today, so I am publishing everything so far, and will send out an email to those of you who have expressed an interest in following my Adventures With Jesus. You may also comment on any of my entries, and I have started my own webpage with my pictures in case you are interested in more than those I will publish on the blog. You can just go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/gotmercy

The pics above are of Aninuan Beach (5 minute walk), the main Mercy In Action community house I live in, and Maia and her doll Poppy. There are more on the picasa webpage of the ferry ride over and some house pictures. As you can see, I am in a beautiful spot. I will be getting some more pics of the town, which has it's beautiful areas and blight too. I am also getting the Grammi privilege of babysitting and taking Maia for walks and swims, so you know I am pretty happy.

Births and power notwithstanding, I am going to try and publish every Sunday. We have a church service here at the house, sometimes followed by another service at Pastor Toto's church in our barangay (village area). Then we Eat (!) and have some leisure time (notwithstanding births....). So I will try and keep you up to date on the Ministry at least once a week.

I am on call as of today for births, prenatal exams, and postpartum visits, to work toward completing my training as a doula. Doula means "servant, as to women" in Greek, and is used for birth attendants who giving knowledgeable loving care to women in labor. I will be getting plenty of practice assisting the midwives! I am also humbled and pleased that I have been asked to minister the love of Christ especially to them at this momentous time of their lives. I will have stories, I am sure. Just this last week at the White Beach clinic there were two normal births, one to a 16 year old rape victim. We prayed with them and are providing follow-up care and prayer. There was also a woman who came and stayed a couple of nights in "false" labor (really practice labor...), and another baby with a cleft palate. We are taking him to Calapan on Monday to have a special plate fitted until he is old enough to have surgery. All of these and others were helped and prayed with here. For strength, for forgiveness, for Love. Please pray with me for them and for the other little Mercy boy who did have his surgery yesterday with Operation Smile in Manila. He is being cared for, but it was too much for his original family and he is awaiting an adoptive home.

There are not only births, there are deaths. Our neighbors have just finished a 3 day wake for a beloved maiden aunt. There were many people talking and laughing and crying and gambling and eating and visiting. Vicki and Scott paid their respects and brought food, and today there was a huge funeral procession of at least 25-30 jeepneys and tricy's and motorcycles. Like I said, there is much to love about this culture, but there is much that is tragic and sad as well.

Oh yes, I promised a picture of a tricy..... try to be patient, they go really fast and all my pictures of them are a blur (just kidding).

I am thinking of you at home in the States too, and would love return email with your news too!

Blessings,
Terri

The Big City of Manila

Written on June 10, 2008 Manila, Philippines

A rooster crows. Then another. I'm a country girl, the sun must be up. I stir and remember that I am not even in my own country, and that the bird is calling a city of 17 million to life.
If it even ever slept.

I visited with a Filipina while waiting for a flight in the Singapore airport. Josie-from-Orlando was on her way to Manila to visit family for a month. I started to remember what I like about this culture: the friendliness especially.

Then, after 36 total hours of travel, I am here. The airport is much the same-loud and wild with heavy air and people rushing everywhere. I didn't notice too much after I got through customs and found Kate and Chris and Maia. Hugs and kisses all around followed by a crazy taxi ride through all kinds of traffic and then narrow streets choked by vendors and dogs and smoke and people everywhere. We reached the Mercy Maternity/Guest House/Home of Midwives Imelda and DJ.
It has 3 beds downstairs with birthing supplies and a handy kitchen. There is a bathroom ("CR" comfort room) with a cold shower and a bucket toilet. We will sleep upstairs in one room, the midwives in the other.

Dr. Francis Daytec stopped by too. He is a wonderful Christian doctor who has the Medical Clinic in White Beach very near where I will be living. There is a picture of it in my last blog - Mercy In Action added the second floor and so shares it as a Maternity Clinic, free of charge to the families. They have had 12 births in the last two weeks, so Kate was ready to come to town to get me, and Vicki will be ready for her to be back! There are also two Filipina student midwives on staff at White Beach and an intern from the States for this month. The hospital is two hours of bad road away, in Calipan, so these services are vital to the local communities.

As for tomorrow, shopping and errands in Manila. I don't know when I will get to post this, but will write again when I get home to the Island........

All of the pictures so far were taken by my son-in-law Chris.
I think the black and whites give you the flavor of the streets of Manila....Thanks, Chris!

I'm On My Way!

Hello Dear Friends and Family,

I created this blog upon the wonderful news of my new

granddaughter last year, and then did not follow up or publish it.

That is about to change! So much has already changed, and I find myself in the San Francisco International Airport with some time before I can check in for my flight to Manila.

Here is the website for Mercy In Action, the organization I am volunteering with:

http://www.mercyinaction.org/

You can just click on the link and go right there! Please do ask if you have any questions about it.

Here is the mailing address for me until January 2009:

Terri Woods

c/o Mercy In Action

P.O. Box 30714

Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro 5203

Philippines

Or c/o Ray and "Mike" Allen, PO Box 1944, Paso Robles, CA 93446

I will also have a cell phone for texting, and I am on Skype as well, which is a free computer to computer phone. Amazing, isn't it? If you are interested in those numbers, please just email me and I'll give them out.

Tutoring included ;-)

What a wonderful morning at Creston Church today. I am still quite touched by all of your well-wishes and prayers, and just blown away by your support. I have checked the suitcase with the blankets and hats, so lovingly made by women at church, and I will send pictures soon with the babies who will take them home! I have had such a wonderful month so far connecting with my beloved family and friends, and I know I will miss you. I am hoping that this new "techie" attempt on my part will help us all feel closer and connected. I need your prayers, but I also want to stay in touch so that I may pray for you as well. I am always encouraged by accounts of God's work in our lives.

In the meantime, above is a picture of Kate and Maia as they are now, on the beach near the house. And a picture of the Mercy In Action Maternity Center in White Beach, a short tricy ride away.

I hope to have some personal stories to share with you by the middle of June. And a definition of "tricy" So Stay Tuned!

Yours in Christ,

Terri