My first week back in Puerto Galera

My very first day back to the island I went straight to the clinic to help with all the prenatals and that night there was a birth and I delivered the baby. A beautiful baby girl named Jenelyn. I went to the home a few days later to check on the mom, Arlyn and baby and both were doing well. I was able to give Arlyn some help with breastfeeding and I can’t wait to visit her again to see how she’s doing with that! Breastfeeding is the absolute best thing you could ever do for your baby!!!
Thursday is the day we go to Sabang and do prenatals for the women living in that area. It happened that I had to go alone there and do all the prenatals!! I found out when I was finished that there had been 15!! Which was a lot for me and it was my first time doing prenatals by myself. I was a bit nervous and had to use my broken Tagalog a lot!! But I was amazed that I could understand most of what they told me!
Thursday night we had to transport a mom in labor to the hospital in Calapan, which is 2 hours away. We had been monitoring the FHT for a few hours but they were decreasing and bright green poo particles coming out in the fluid were telling us that the baby was in distress. The parents were very concerned for their baby but also extremely worried about how they would pay for the transportation and hospital fees!! The look on their faces broke my heart and I gave them some of the last of my pesos!! They were so grateful!! The mom, Anna, had tears in her eyes! I heard this morning that she was able to have a natural deliver and so far the baby is doing fine. When they are back from Calapan, I will go visit them and do a check up. I’m praying that God will provide the money for the fees that they will have to pay to the hospital. The burden of that often weighs on families for years as they struggle to somehow pay down the debt. Last year there was an article in the Manila newspaper about 4 babies who were held at the hospital until they were 8 months old because their families had no money to pay for delivery!!!! Things like this just should not happen!!!!

This morning I got to see baby Louie. He was born last November and has a bilateral cleft lip. He was only 2000grams, about 4.4lbs when he was born. His deformity makes it hard for him to nurse properly. We have a surgery lined up for him thru Operation Smile, but he needs to gain a certain amount of weight. This morning his weight was up to 4100grams. But he still has a ways to go!! It was so fun to hold him and see him laughing and smiling at me. I could tell that he has some other developmental delays as he’s 3 months but still cannot hold his head up on his own.
This afternoon I went to 2 pregnant girls homes to check on them. It was so fun to visit with them and their families. I had been having a lonely, rainy, sad day afternoon and it was good to get out and hang out with a fun family. One of the girls lived half way up the mountain. It was quite the hike in sandals in the rain up the slippery, muddy terrain!! On the way back down I was so sure that I would end up sliding down the mountain on my bum!!
It’s so good to be back here and I know this is where I am to be for this time, but I have been struggling with loneliness and today I spent a few hours crying. I would love pray for God’s joy and just for friendship, someone I can talk to and share how I’m really feeling and pray with! I’m missing all my friends and family back home and all the love and support you all are to me!!
Lots of Love to you all!!!