Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Bumi Sehat Haiti Update

Certified Professional Midwife, Katherine Bramhall has been my friend and midwife guru for years.  She has guided and encouraged and processed and taught me in Bali since 2007 when I was becoming a doula and through the journey on to midwife.  She has loved me from a far and put an arm around me.  She has challenged me to see outside the box over and over, again.  I would like to share her most recent e-mail from Haiti with you. 

"9/5/2010
Sunday morning in Haiti….not quite hot, already noisy. 
 I love it all.  I’m the only one awake at the compound after 2 nights and a day of birth at the dome…3 babies…3 new mothers…all born peacefully in one off the most beautiful birth settings I have ever been in.
Go figure.  In post-earthquake Haiti…that such exquisite beauty is not only possible less than 4 months after such devastation, but it is functional and operational.
It’s hard for me to not be in love with this.  It’s hard for everyone who visits to not be struck by it all.  And then fall in love.
It’s still pretty unbelievable, actually.
Except that it’s true.  All of it.
The dome at night is a looming, luminescent, white structure, softly lit…a 22 foot tall structure in the middle of a clearing.  44 feet in diameter.  Leon planted flowers around one side of it and they are in bloom. 
Inside, the walls which separate each birthing space are constructed of thick bamboo poles, with perfectly white, starched sheets stretched across the bamboo frames to serve as soft walls and doorways.
The center console, where the supplies are kept is made of wood.  An octagon, which mirrors the roundness of the dome.  Josh was brilliant in his vision of this.  Its feeling is it is the core of the dome, supporting everything which happens in it. 
 In the night, with the lights on….soft tube lights around the entire 44 foot circumference of the dome…Christmas lights…give just enough light in each room.  Headlamps on birth attendants fill in the rest at just the right times…only as needed. 
 This scene...this miracle of love…invited 3 new babies into our world in the last 2 nights.  This clinic, this soft, solid magic held the space for 3 new women to make their way into motherhood.
 And we know that none of this would have been possible without THOUSANDS of people opening their hearts to help keep this possible and happening. On this Sunday morning, the only feeling I have is endless gratitude. 
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you.
In love,
Katherine Bramhall
Director of Finances & Volunteer Midwife 

16/5/2010
Weekend in Haiti

After seeing 47 women and newborn babies on Friday in Prenatal Clinic, the evening breeze was welcome…we were all very tired, but profoundly satisfied. And all semi-secretly hoping for a quiet birthing night so we could sleep a bit. Saturday is the “day after” prenatals…catching up on inventory, charting, planning schedules. By noon all was finished, we were all here and a festive mood set in.

It was hot. It’s always hot, but this was oppressive. Blessing and delight came with the water truck to fill our tank on top of the bathroom building. It always overflows after a fill, a steady stream coming from the roof corner. Kate got THAT look in her eyes, walked straight over in her red tank top and capris and stood under, soaking and cooling every bit of herself…still with that look in her eyes, but mixed with relief.
The “coolest” one among us in more than one way! 
Pamela was working in the storeroom and found an inflatable beach ball, blew it up, tossed it out and a sweet game of beach ball volley began, while Nathanael, Stanley and Russeau played Monkey-in-the-Middle in the courtyard.
It was still hot and everyone dispersed…to naps, writing, disappearing to unknown places…and then it was evening.
Kate went to tour Jacmel on foot with Nathanael and Pam and I eventually followed, meeting them on the way back. She and I walked through night neighborhoods of Jacmel to the ocean-front, where you can sit and get a beer at a little table across the street from the ocean. It was the first time she had been out of the compound since she arrived a week later. The ocean was known only as white-topped waves in the dark and a thundering sound.
Oppressive night’s heat…no air moved and it laid on top of all of us. But another blessed night of rest. Sunday morning at 7 we got a call to the dome…2nd time mom in active labor. Pam got there before me and 7 minutes later, a baby girl was born…frank breech…with the placenta arriving almost simultaneously. No complications for mom or baby. Because the dome was so hot, we moved the bed outside under the tarp, so the breeze could cool mom and baby. Family wandered up with food, baby lay nursing peacefully.
Poetry would be so easy at this point in writing! Kate and Pamela burned the cord, as mom watched intently, her relatives observing the entire procedure. I just watched it all. Kate assisted Pamela in every way. The dome was beautiful in our clearing, pure white under the deep, clear blue sky, flowers planted around ½ the perimeter.
What do I write after this? How do I keep deep pride for what we have built out of my words?
Perhaps with gratitude…for the amazing midwives who come and help us build trust in the community one birth at a time by offering their hands, skills and hearts, helping us toward our goal to reduce the highest maternal mortality rate in the west. Perhaps with gratitude for the support we have from the Haitian community in Jacmel…the officials, the men building our clinic, one brick at a time. Perhaps with gratitude to Tata, Russeau, Nadej, Nathanael, Darline and Reginald who keep us going every day…washing our clothes, cooking meals, running errands, advising us…in a million ways.
Katherine Bramhall, Volunteer Midwife and Director of Finance for Bumi Sehat Haiti"

Monday, May 17, 2010

Beach Weekend

she asked to be buried.
the bear getting vertical on sand dunes.
while it may appear that she's hanging on for dear life, she was really being super brave.  each year, she avoids the water but this year, she asked to walk in with me.  she walked in, hugged me when the waves came and even let me walk out holding her.  it was so amazing.  hubs and i are still in shock by how comfortable she has become with the water compared to years past.  we saw 3 or 4 dolphins swimming together right after this picture was taken!  we walked deeper into the water and i held her close with tears of joy streaming down my face; she had asked on the drive down to see dolphins.  in our 12 years of coming to the OBX, i somehow have never seen dolphins so it was a precious gift!

Friday, May 14, 2010

my happy mother's day

which was really an amazing day and an even more amazing night on the beach with my precious family.  they made me a mama.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Sanur

sanur is a beautiful beach only 30 minutes away by motorbike.  yes, it truly is that picturesque.

i went once and the rest of my family went two or three times while i was at work. 
 it's great for the kids b/c the water is so shallow and still. 
crazy cool space.  we guessed that people get married here.
we stopped by this hotel's restaurant to get cold drinks and took a dip in the pools.
hello cute little statue.
where we flew in on our private helicopter...right?
beaaaaaauuuuuuuutttttttttiiiiiiiifulllllllllllll.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Helmet Shopping

Sometimes, I wear the bike helmet when we ride the motorbike...sometimes hubs doesn't wear one...sometimes I wear a sturdy helmet that I borrow from my Balinese BFF.  On this day, we were shopping for helmets for the girls.  E had a helmet last time but she gifted it to her BFF upon leaving.  We decided to use our friend's motorbike regularly so wanted to get them helmets instead of borrowing back E's helmet from last time.
selection of helmets for adults and littles.
love for these children cannot be conveyed in words.  they and their dad are my dearest creatures.  and, thus, i will make them wear helmets in the hotty, sweaty country.  always.

Cool Rug and Basket

A hook rug made from t-shirts cut into strips and then crocheted with a big hook.  Bright idea, eh?
This looks like a neat idea, too.  I bet people made these in like 9th grade Home Ec or something and I just somehow didn't. 

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

stairs

there are a lot of staircases in bali.  i think it has something to do with demons inhabiting the ground.  this one leads down from our screened in porch house to the play yard.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Happy International Day of the Midwife (yesterday!)

So many of my recent posts have been catch-ups from our time in Bali.  Today, when I was taking pictures of the rose garden, per hubby's request, I thought of all the great days we are having right now and would like to capture more of that here, too. 

Today, we spent time in the garden watering and planting three types of peppers (ace bell, jalepeno and poblano).  Over the past month, we planted different types of tomatoes, spinach, zukes, yellow squash, cucumbers, three kinds of lettuces, eggplant and chives.  In the herb garden, we planted rosemary, sage, thai basil, sweet basil, thyme and oregano.  Our raspberry bush has some blooms on it this year!  Yesterday, I bought two lavender plants but am looking for just the right place for them.

Our neighbor came over to play this afternoon.  We ran around the house and outside.  Fun times.

Tonight, I met with a potential client...my first midwifery client that wasn't already a friend.  Very exciting.  It was with great joy that I heard the heartbeat with a fetoscope instead of a doppler.  This client lives in the neighborhood where I had my first homebirth.  Isn't that just awesome?  What confirmation about being on the right path.  Such a gift.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

the wonder of childhood

Love the look on her face as she plays with a stick.  Simple joy.
investigating.
and, then, there are these two magical creatures that dwell among us.  how blessed we are.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

a pool and some soup

come they fount of every blessing, turn my wandering heart to thee.
how many utensils does it take to drink a cup of coffee?
one of our favorite pools in bali
the tops of these always remind me of hair
beautiful purple umbrella
The pavilion was built since our last trip.  Can you see the Christmas tree?
such a wonderful place to enjoy thai coconut soup and a swim.
great bench, comfy cushions.

Left out of this sequence of pictures is the one of my scratched up foot and ripped off toenails.  It was gross.  My flip flops have no traction and I slipped on the wet grass landing on some rod that was poking out of the ground.  I was so stunned that I could barely stand.  My friends even bought me a new pair of flip flops to wear.  I went to the clinic to get a band-aid or covering of some sort for my foot and ended up staying to work for a while.  I covered the top of my foot really well the next day when I caught a baby so no bodily fluids would transfer onto it.  I am thankful for a quick recovery.  It's a rather small injury in the big picture, of course.  Super thankful for that!

Monday, May 3, 2010

lunch from the farmer's market

the cooking set up in our river house kitchen
dada kabada making lunch
the wed. farmer's market where we get our food mid-week.  this is our friend's aunt's stand.
e sampling some farmer's market treats
the bear sampling treats.  both rockin their bumi sehat shirts.  lil cuties.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

midwifery friends

Over two years ago I blogged here about our time in Bali.  Out in cyberspace, an aspiring midwife was reading along about my posts about Bumi Sehat.  She and I began a friendship online that lasted years before we finally met face to face.  We caught babies together for a few weeks this time around in Bali.  We were both so grateful for each others' companionship.  Thank you, dear Erin for helping me process all of the many experiences we had together.  I am grateful to have a sister like you in this journey.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

All My Children, I mean, All My Chickens

These are just a few of the chickens that we share space with in our yard.  One chicken, Iris Pear Neck Chicken (or IPC for short) spends a lot of time with us.  We've named the other ones Leaf, Brick and oh, i have forgotten now...
Here we see E feeding the chickens.
Blurry chicken enjoying her food.