Your Big Day
We went into Dr Phiri’s office for a routine appointment at 1615 on May the 27th 2004. Your Mum had had high blood pressure for the previous three weeks and was having to be closely monitored so that she didn’t pass out or start to have seizures. She’d been admitted over night on the 22nd and would have been admitted but there were so many Babies being born that she couldn’t be admitted until Monday the 31st of May.
When we went into the doctor’s office though her blood pressure was tested again and it was very high so Dr Phiri sent her down to the hospital to have a “non-stress” blood pressure test but this was also high. They weren’t able to admit her though because all the beds were full but we were told to come back as one may have been been available later and we were to call back. We went to Wal-mart and phoned back at 7:10 and they said to get back to the hospital before 8. She was admitted and Dr Phiri turned up and said that she was to be induced.
The doctor used some gel but even with that and some special medication you were not coming all through the next day even when you mum’s water was broken (Friday). Dr Phiri from Malawi had the weekend off and so care of your Mum was passed over to the other Doctor, Dr. Namayo. Dr Arugosa (who asked us to critique his literature about epidurals when he discovered we were teachers) tried to set-up an epidural earlier in the day but your mum has a thin membrane around the spinal cord and both times he tried he punctured the spinal membrane so she had a “walking epidural” which is a “spinal”.
The induction medication was just not working and at 2300 on May the 28th Dr. Namayo came in and said she was “Going nowhere fast” and that your were to be born by cesarean section as soon as possible. The nurse Joy who went to school with your Aunty Bunty (Margie) got your Mum ready and even had to have her toe nail polish removed.
There was a bit of trouble finding someone to assist Dr. Namayo. Eventually he was able to get Dr. Fisher a young doctor who your Mum had been to previously, to help. He was out camping with his son’s cub group and had to come to the hospital specially.
I had to put on operating scrubs and we pushed her down to the operating theatre. I got to go in and at 1232 your head came out and the rest of your body followed without any trouble. Unfortunately I had to leave your Mum and go up to the children’s ward with you while they finished stitching her up.
The ward was very, very busy and there were lots of birthing noises. It wasn’t until 3:30am that she finally came back to the room. She had to stay down in post-op so long because there was another girl having a baby and having a tough time of it by the sounds of things and there was no one to come and get her.
After you were born we had to stay at the hospital for three days because of the way you were born and we were looked after by the nurses Joy and Trudi. You had a little bit of Jaundice so you had to go into an incubator with UV lights for a while until your vitamin D levels rose.
When we went to go home we didn’t even go straight home we went to the school where your Mum worked so that everyone could see you. Everybody loved you but no one as much as me or your Mum.
When we went into the doctor’s office though her blood pressure was tested again and it was very high so Dr Phiri sent her down to the hospital to have a “non-stress” blood pressure test but this was also high. They weren’t able to admit her though because all the beds were full but we were told to come back as one may have been been available later and we were to call back. We went to Wal-mart and phoned back at 7:10 and they said to get back to the hospital before 8. She was admitted and Dr Phiri turned up and said that she was to be induced.
The doctor used some gel but even with that and some special medication you were not coming all through the next day even when you mum’s water was broken (Friday). Dr Phiri from Malawi had the weekend off and so care of your Mum was passed over to the other Doctor, Dr. Namayo. Dr Arugosa (who asked us to critique his literature about epidurals when he discovered we were teachers) tried to set-up an epidural earlier in the day but your mum has a thin membrane around the spinal cord and both times he tried he punctured the spinal membrane so she had a “walking epidural” which is a “spinal”.
The induction medication was just not working and at 2300 on May the 28th Dr. Namayo came in and said she was “Going nowhere fast” and that your were to be born by cesarean section as soon as possible. The nurse Joy who went to school with your Aunty Bunty (Margie) got your Mum ready and even had to have her toe nail polish removed.
There was a bit of trouble finding someone to assist Dr. Namayo. Eventually he was able to get Dr. Fisher a young doctor who your Mum had been to previously, to help. He was out camping with his son’s cub group and had to come to the hospital specially.
I had to put on operating scrubs and we pushed her down to the operating theatre. I got to go in and at 1232 your head came out and the rest of your body followed without any trouble. Unfortunately I had to leave your Mum and go up to the children’s ward with you while they finished stitching her up.
The ward was very, very busy and there were lots of birthing noises. It wasn’t until 3:30am that she finally came back to the room. She had to stay down in post-op so long because there was another girl having a baby and having a tough time of it by the sounds of things and there was no one to come and get her.
After you were born we had to stay at the hospital for three days because of the way you were born and we were looked after by the nurses Joy and Trudi. You had a little bit of Jaundice so you had to go into an incubator with UV lights for a while until your vitamin D levels rose.
When we went to go home we didn’t even go straight home we went to the school where your Mum worked so that everyone could see you. Everybody loved you but no one as much as me or your Mum.
posted by The all seeing eye at 12:34 AM
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