Early Morning Jungle Baby

Morning was drawing near in the jungle and I was battling sleep, trying to pluck my mind out of the blurred realm of dreams into the reality of daybreak. It seemed that every time I would near wakefulness an unseen hand reached out and pulled me back into the shrouded grey of unconsciousness. Then a persistent voice began to break through the clouds of sleep and reach my mind. Slowly I began to awaken and realize that someone was shouting my name from somewhere across campus, I looked at the clock; 5:27. I pushed my way out of my mosquito net and stumbled to the door and out onto the veranda wiping sleep from of my eyes. Melissa was standing on her porch calling me, as soon as she saw me emerge she shouted “Get dressed, we’re going into the village to deliver a baby!”

Instantly I snapped fully awake, and raced back into my room to get ready. I dug my scrubs out of my suitcase, hastily pulled them on, and then attempted to somewhat tame my curly morning hair into something presentable. Moments later Melissa was in front of the girls dorm in the Mule and I raced down the steps with my medical bag, and of course my camera. She had a delivery bag in the back of the Mule also, and we were off. Driving down the jungle trail in the early morning light she filled me in on the details. One of the church members daughters…17 years old…already had a daughter nearly 18 months old…parents and daughters in denial about the pregnancy despite the obvious changes…no prenatal care. The village health worker, who knew Stacy was obviously pregnant, had called Melissa telling her that Stacy was complaining of abdominal pain and asking us to meet her there. We could only imagine what we might find, and pray that there were no complications.

After what seemed like forever, we emerged from the jungle into the clearing of the village and pulled up at one of the first houses. Grabbing our things we bounded up the stairs, removed our shoes and entered the small 3 room house. The girls mother indicated the first room so we pushed open the door, and had to stare for a fraction of a second. There on the wooden floor boards lay Stacy, legs bare, a pool of blood around her, with a little baby lay half covered in a dirty towel on the floor, and the placenta in the process of being delivered.

Quickly we shifted into action-mode, I began to suction out the baby’s nose and mouth, thankful that the baby’s airway was already nearly clear, and almost immediately the baby let out an unhappy cry. Then I reached for 2 clamps and clamped off the umbilical cord once nearest the baby, and once nearer the placenta and cut the cord. Ramona, the health worker, arrived still in her pajamas after running about a mile from the village health center with some supplies. Melissa was helping deliver the rest of the after birth and I was cleaning and assessing the beautiful baby girl with a full head of black hair. I could only send up a prayer of thanks that everything had gone so smoothly. Stacy said she has only been in labor for 2 hours, and the baby had cried as soon as it was born, about 10 minutes before we got to the house.

Later, after cleaning up mother, baby, and the room, we sat in the main living area of the jungle home. Stacy lay in the hammock in the middle of the room feeding the baby, who had a voracious appetite. Outside the cooking fire crackled, a cool breeze was blowing carrying with it the acrid smell of smoke, I watched a small yellow and white kitten scampering around the yard, and the first rays of the sun were breaking over the green canopy of the jungle. We knelt in prayer, thanking God for the safe delivery and the health baby, and I sent up my own silent prayer to God thanking Him for leading me to this place, for the deep satisfaction I feel working here, and for this exciting early morning experience.