JUNIOR

I arrived for night shift at 10pm on Wednesday September 10th and a beautiful newborn was “endorsed” into my arms…..where he would remain for the rest of the night! He had been born earlier that evening but, not even an hour after his birth, his mom had been transported to the hospital due to retained membranes. Nameless, little “junior” was left at Mercy. It was so honouring to be this brand new baby’s only source of care and love for the first long hours of his life. A second yr midwife had just had a baby of her own so she pumped us some of her breast milk for junior. By about 1:00am, since there were no labors, we began to go to bed but I couldn’t sleep a wink; junior was too wriggly, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him and I couldn’t stop praying for him. At quarter to three he started to cry so we tiptoed across the hall to the kitchen for some milk. As I stood there with a brand new baby sucking happily I was overcome with the Love of God. Everything was perfectly silent. A warm breeze crept from the darkness, through the screen door, and into the light of the kitchen bringing with it an orchestra of night-time scents. This is why I am here, for such a time as this.

“Junior” and I had just lied back down when the screech of a taxi interrupted the silence; I heard the slamming of the doors, the creak of the gate and urgent footsteps scuffle down the hall. Sure enough, a moment later, the guard poked his head in and snapped all the sleeping midwives into action with his one famous word, “LABOR”. The hours that followed are ones that I’ll never forget. As I held junior and charted for Menjie’s labor, she kept looking with longing at the bundle in my arms. By 5:06am the longing was gone from her eyes and the struggle was gone from her breath…..she had one of her own!

SIGH......THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE OF A MIDWIFE!!!

After night shift, Janelle and I whipped up some spicy noodles and watched our little alley wake up as the sun rose over Davao.