Monday, March 24, 2014

Eve and Baby Asher Steve


Asher Steve came into this world on March 21st.  Below are pictures of our time in the hospital. They are not all in order, but I have tried to describe what they are. Giving birth here is quite a process. You really are so dependent on your family to care for you! If your family doesn't care for you then no one will.



We spent the night walking outside around the maternity ward.  We would take breaks and we would go back to her hospital bed and rest. Catherine and Eve's mom slept on the floor on a mat. Eve and I laid on the bed and she would tap me every time she was having a contraction. It was a long night, but I so loved being there with her. 
After Baby Asher was born, Catherine and I carried him back to the maternity ward and weighed him (no nurses were available to help).  We then came and placed him in Tata's (grandmother) arms!  

Auntie Catherine getting him all snuggly and warm waiting for mom to come back!

Eve and Baby Asher

We came back the next day to visit! 

Tata holding Asher outside.
Most people are outside during the day.  Eve did have a room that was somewhat private. There was a curtain and two other beds in the room with lots of people attending to each patient. 

Every day someone brought her breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Catherine and her sister Josephine did most of the traveling back and forth.  If patients live too far from the hospital then they must bring the little stove and cook at the hospital.  This is a picture of the attendant's cooking for the patients.  They sit under this metal structure and cook.

Amy holding Jessie (Josephine's 6month old)

Auntie Catherine and Asher

This is also a picture of where they cook.  If you look closely you can see sidewalks and this is where Eve and I walked while she was in labor.  You can't see the building, but if you see the building in the back of the picture, you can kind of see how far we had to walk to bring her to surgery. The surgery room is behind the building that you see.  
Eve is in surgery here and we had to get her sheets ready for when she was out of surgery. Patients at this hospital take their own sheets from home.  They also have to provide their own medications. Before she could have surgery, her sister had to run to town to get the medication she would need. 

I am looking through the window into the surgery room.  I was able to see little Asher enter the world! 

The nurse handing us Asher. We then rushed with him to the maternity ward to weigh him.  We then placed him in Tata's arms and headed back to surgery room so we could wheel Eve back on a gurney.

Babies are such a miracle!! 

This is right outside the surgery room. We had to wheel her on a hard metal cart all the way back to her room.

Just out of surgery!

I don't know if you can see how rough these sidewalks are, but they are brutal to a woman who just had a c-section. So many bumps and just plain rough. Steve was almost in tears he felt so bad for Eve. She would wince in pain when we hit a hole, which were impossible to avoid. 

Back in her bed.  We had to move her from the metal cart onto the bed.  

Her sister, Josephine, a nurse, getting her all orgainized! 

Friday, March 14, 2014

Baby Troy Andrew


Meet Troy Andrew 
Baby Troy was born at a place called Safe Motherhood. He was so tiny that they had him in this warming blanket! He was 2.39 kilos.  

Making sure all the fingers and toes were there!! So cute!

Giving him a bath. My friends were scared to give him a bath,  because he was so tiny!! 

All clean in Mommy's arms!! This is my friend Rachel and he gave me the honor of naming her baby!! 

All clean and ready to go!!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Lots of Pictures of the Traditional Marriage!

 Traditional Marriage

This was such a fun day!! It was so awesome to be a big part of this marriage ceremony.  We wore our traditional Ugandan dresses and escorted Catherine all around! We worked hard this week and especially this day. I pray that our family was a witness to the community of Pamba on this special day! Sorry some of the pictures are sideways, but I can't get them to turn!! Technology!!!