Greetings Everyone!

Chantel and I have been keeping ourselves busy over here! Friday, I began the night shift and saw Teesha Nicholle arrive Saturday early morning. That same morning, a mother arrived and said her water had broken. She had had a urinary tract infection but had never gone to the doctor to get it treated. We are assuming that is why her water broke prematurely. She was not in labor at all, but after performing an IE, she was 1cm. Before transferring her, we admitted her to try to get her to go into labor. We walked with her for six hours and she had a few contractions. The whole time we knew her going into labor was going to be a miracle. After six hours we performed another IE and she was 2cm. After the second IE we could technically refer her to the hospital because we had shown we had tried and she would be admitted and treated. Kinshasa, a student midwife, and I sat down to tell the soon-to-be parents that they would have to be transported. Seeing their faces about broke my heart. The banna's (husband) face and whole body just sank. Being transported to the hospital means they have to pay a lot more than what they would pay at Mercy. We started an IV since everyone gets an IV at the hospital and it costs way more there. Kinshasa and I rode with them to the hospital, dropped them off, and wished them the best of luck. We promised we would come back to see them after the baby was born. It was so sad leaving them behind.

Teesha Nicholle

Friday morning is my day for prenatal checks. The day begins with some praise, worship, and prayer. One of the student midwives gives a health teaching lesson. Jenna gave a talk on the benefits of breast feeding, especially for these women. It is free and will provide the most nutrients for their babies. She taught them about colostrum, positions to hold the baby while breastfeeding, and how long the mothers should be breastfeeding. I learned a lot too! The moms got a kick out of the different ways to hold a baby while breastfeeding because she also showed them how not to hold a baby with a doll! It was so funny watching them laugh. Below is a mom looking at a little science project Jenna created at the house. It was supposed to represent a mother's milk. 88% of milk is water, so there is no reason for mothers to give their babies water, even when it is very hot out. The oil was the vitamins and fats in the milk. She used red pepper flakes to represent antibodies.

Saturday afternoon, Chantel and I headed to the mall! We stopped for a refreshing drink and upon looking at the menu, I ordered her a surprise... Can you guess from the picture what it is??

It is fried sharks' fin!!!! I thought it was absolutely delicious. I'm not too sure if Chantel liked it... It looked like ground up shrimp in the middle and was served with like a sweet and sour sauce. After our refreshing liquid treat, we got a foot treat. We enjoyed a nice little manicure at a price unbeatable in the US! We payed about $4.

As we were leaving the mall, our ears got a little pick-me-up as well when we heard a band playing. We looked over the railing and sure enough, a small ensemble was serenading the customers! They were advertising for a big sale! It was sooo funny!

We snapped these few photos on the way back from the mall. Chantel is displaying the beautiful Mercy building. The middle is a picture of the building and road across the street from the clinic.

We spent a lovely Sunday at Paradise beach. Although, we just have to say, neither of us were too impressed. No one here likes to lay out. They prize fair skin and it seems to be a way to distinguish the wealthy from the nonwealthy...or the materialistic. Since the sun doesn't seem to be their friend, there was nowhere to sit on the beach! It was long but cramped. There was a restaurant right on the beach. Since it was a holiday weekend, the beach was insanely full. Chantel and I had a hard time finding a place to sit. She, like a mature responsible adult, remembered a towel, while I on the other hand, forgot. I just drug a chair from the restaurant and parked it next to her towel on the beach. They probably thought we were nuts. The sun was pretty intense, so we only layed/sat there for about 45 min. Chantel got a blackforest parfait and I got broccoli and a sprite. It was the only thing I recognized. Then, like the tourists we are, we drug the chairs from the restaurant and plopped them in the water. It's was us and the kids out playing in the ocean. All the mom's were fully covered and big hats on (you were right mom). There was one lady tanning on the beach...later we found out she was white. ha! Chantel would like me to say how often I put sunscreen on...only like every 20 min. And guess who got fried! ME! She hardly put any on. Lucky duck. As soon as the tide came back in, we headed back to the restaurant for more drinks. Chantel got BBQ chicken and I had a sprite. It hit the spot. We then said goodbye to Paradise.

Chantel's first ever steps in the ocean!!! What an exciting day!

This is what the boat looked like that we took to and from the island,

where the beach was located.

Here is the restaurant.

She was the cutest little girl in the world! She liked playing by us and we

certainly did not mind! This picture is for you Beth!

The beach!

Our view from the restaurant



This was a little group that went around to random tables and sang to the people there! It was so funny, and they were so good! I hope you can hear them!

Today, when I worked, I got to help chart for the delivery of this little guy. He does not have a name yet, but hopefully I'll find out when I work tomorrow. It was a very normal birth with a normal healthy baby. He was born at 9:29 this morning. I also got to see two suturing jobs today. It looked pretty hard to me. It all looks like mush down there anyway. It was nothing like any sewing jobs I've ever done.

This is Jenna, again, she was the student midwife for the birth of this baby.

She did such a great job!

This Is So Weird

Speaking of weird...the number 7 was appearing everywhere on Monday! The date was June 7, and I had seen my 7th birth, the mom's birthdate was May 7th, and I came across the verse in the bible about forgiving your brother 77 times. It was pretty crazy! 7 just happens to be my number, so it came to no surprise that it was following me around all day :) Just thought I'd share that with you all!

Megan and I got the pleasure of working the same shift on Wednesday June 9, it was the 2 pm. to 10 pm. shift, or better known as the swing shift. This is how we spent it:

As you can see, we had a lot of time on our hands. It was a very slow shift, but we both got to see a birth together. We also kept ourselves entertained, which you can also see from above. We were working with some pretty fun girls, and we all got the craving for chocolate. Now, when ladies get the urge for chocolate, there's no backing down! We were trying so hard to get some of the girls from the house to make a pan of brownies, but nobody seemed too thrilled. We thought all hope was lost, but then two of the girls came through and brought us chocolate ice cream and coffee ice cream! And we even had a pan of brownies made for us! Now, Megan and I aren't gonna lie, we wouldn't mind some more slow shifts if thats what it got us. Ha! It was a pretty fun night, but Megan's night was just getting to her half way mark when 10:00 rolled around because she had to pull a double and work overnight. But, it turns out there wasn't much action from 10 pm until 6 am so she slept most of the night at the clinic.

Today, Thursday June 10, Megan and I decided to venture out on our own again. This time we went to a place called Jack's Ridge. It's located at a really high point in the ciity up on top of a huge hill, and the view we had was gorgeous!

The photos really don't do it justice, but in the background is the Philippine Sea and then more islands. It was very cool! As we started out on this little expedition, we were walking to find a taxi and naturally it started to rain. We both looked at each other and thought, Oh boy this can't be good start! But, sure enough we got in a taxi right away and the rain let up. It was about a 15-20 minute drive from where we're staying. Jack's Ridge is actually a resort so we ended up eating a late lunch in one of their coffee shops. We both had good meals. Megan and I were pretty much the only ones there, and nothing was open. We were lucky the coffee was open. There were numerous times throughout the day we kept saying to each other "This is so weired". It was kind of our saying for the day. We proceeded to tour the rest of the resort:

We definitely got our work out walking the stairs of no return. Well, not really, but it sure felt like! :) And we walked them, thinking there would be something cool at the end, but no just a dead end leading to the forest. Long steps leading to nowhere = weird.

This was randomly seen right above the pool. Jack's Ridge is historically popular because it was where the headquarters for the retreating Japanese army was located during WWII. The Americans eventually came and defeated the Japanese.

And then, Megan and I thought this guy looked a little "weird" and hilarious weed whacking the whole lawn. It was entertaining :)

We then decided to wander out of the resort and see what else we could find down the road. We ended up finding Shrine of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague. It was a very peaceful place with rolling hills of grass and four chapels outside. Silence is to be kept, because it is used for meditation or prayer. Anyone can use it. As we were walking through, we noticed Mass was about to start so we attended. Attached to it, there is also a garden. This area was very pretty, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Davao.

We thought this sign was kind of "weird", but then both came to understand the meaning behind it. I mean really, if you were deep into prayer or meditation, the last thing you'd want distracting you is PDA (public display of affection). We just thought it was funny they had to point it out as one of the rules. Rest assured, dating is allowed in all other areas of Davao :)

The two picutres from above were from the Catalina Garden, which was right next to the shrine. Basically, it was weird. Ha! It was just kind of random, and there were kids running around asking us for money. Although, the view of the city was really pretty.

We then walked back to Jack's Ridge Resort where we had dinner. Megan ordered calamares (squid) and as you can see, she loves it! I on the other hand, thought it was a little weird. It was my first time eating it, and is kind of rubbery. Intersting stuff. We had ribs and pork for our meal, it was good. Really hit the spot after a long day of walking. It was really cool, because our table overlooked the awesome view pictured above. But it was dark out, and the lights of the city were really pretty. As Megan and I are growing accustomed to eating out. We can't help but notice the difference between American and Filipino waiters. For example, when you sit down they set the table in front of you, stand right next to the table until your ready to order, they never check up on you, and when you want to pay your bill you have to give them the signal. As shown:

We took a taxi back home and were back by 7:00. Both very pleased with our outting for the day :) But our adventure was over yet! When we got back to the house, the girls wanted us to try Durian, the official fruit of Davao. Let's just say...it was weird! Smelled like onions, texture of mashed potatoes, and the taste is indescribable. I could hardly take two bites witout gagging, but Megan impressively pretty much ate the whole thinig. It was quite the experience.

I have been writing this blog during my night shift. And low and behold, I just saw my 11th birth on June 11....weird.

Love Your Two Weirdos,
Megan & Chantel

A Birthday Baby for Mom

These pictures are from previous mentioned babies. The one with the midwife and dad is Jonah Willow. This was the one that was named after the midwife, Willow.


This is the mother of Jash Dianne, who is pictured below.

I only saw one baby born on Mom's birthday! They named her Jecel ANN! I'm pretty sure it was after you Mom! This was an exciting birth because Kendra and I went in to check on the mom who was making a little bit of noise...meaning she is in a lot of pain! This mom was only 20 years old and her husband looked no older than Joel. It was kind of an eye opener. He was kind of immature and embarrassed by everything. Anyway, Kendra and I went in to check fetal heart tones. Kendra looked and the baby was coming out. She yelled for someone to come chart. In my head I was thinking...what about an assistant? I am technically quite a few babies away from being able to assist. I should have been the one charting. Instead, the supervisor came in to chart, leaving me to assist. I must have had a lot of adrenaline going because we got the baby out but I don't really remember it. I do remember the baby was face down so we had to straighten and flex her legs to get it out. She kept wanting to kick Kendra in the face so I was trying to control the legs while the baby was coming. Ali finally came to help me out. We all made a good team and got that baby out!

Jecel Ann

1. 
   Today when I was working I saw no births. Sad day. But I did get in on some interesting things... We had two transports to the hospital. The girl that I wasn't really with came in and had a really high blood pressure. Things got interesting with the other girl. Chantel said she had one similar come in the other day... Anyway, this girl was a Badjao. I may not get all of my information right, but from what I gathered, they are like a gypsy people. They are from the southern Philippines and choose to be very poor. There are a lot of myths or something about them being gypsy sea faring people. Kinda crazy. This girl came in with her mother. They do not know their age, how many kids they have, (although this one thought maybe seven...), how far along she was, and sometimes even their name. The girl could have been 20 or 52, she definitely looked aged but at the same time young. They also speak a different language, so everyone was kind of lost when communicating with them. Our supervisor knew a little bit of whatever language they spoke. One girl told me they have poor hygiene. That is very different from the Filipinos (they take a lot of pride in being clean and not stinky people!) This girl didn't smell that bad though. She came in wanting to deliver. We took her through the normal routine of going to the bathroom and then checking vitals. While checking fetal heart tones, she started to push. The midwife decided she better do an IE since nothing was visible. Turns out, she was only 1 cm dilated. Her contractions were about 6 min apart however. We started an IV to help her cope. While listening to the heart tones, they sounded really funny. We kept feeling fetal position because her stomach was so big and whatever was inside of it was moving around like crazy. There was a palpable head engaged, however it was pretty small. The rest of the body was felt, however there was definitely something else inside her stomach. We got another doppler to see if we could distinguish two separate heart tones. They sounded so funny though that we were not sure if there were two. Because of all of the above factors, the supervisor made the call to transport her to the hospital where a doctor could share his ideas. Both girls were transported at the same time in a tiny little clown looking car. There were five women, two of them pregnant in the back seat alone!! For that reason, I stayed back. The car looked so funny driving away and I wish I would have gotten a picture. Out the two windows in the back seat, two midwives were holding dextrose IV bottles out the window. It was a sight to see...definitely would not be something seen in the US!!! Below is a picture of what the grandmother sort of looked like...she didn't have as many wrinkles though..
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Our First Exploring Adventure...By Ourselves!

What a day we had! My day started off pretty lazily... I woke up around 7 and spent the morning talking to friends (and Joel)who were online. I love those chats!! I waited around for Chantel to wake up, which she did around 1:15 from her first night shift. I think she enjoyed her sleep this morning in the air conditioning...or air con. as they call it here. We made a little lunch and then planned out an afternoon.
First stop was Victoria Plaza, which is a mall. We got some money exchanged so we could really hit up the town! From there, we rode in a taxi to a little coffee shop called Cafe Deletesse. Kendra, a student midwife and Iowan native, gave us directions to meet her there. Good thing, because we can't speak any Cebuano and the cab driver did not know where it was. We gave him our directions she made us and off we went! The cab driver had Miley Cyrus all over his visor! ha! When we arrived there were four Mercy girls there! It was such a cute coffee place. Chantel and I got drinks that had "us" written all over them! Chantel got a pink strawberry smoothie with whipped cream and sprinkles on the top! You should have seen her face when she saw it...It was like she was back at Disney she was so excited! I got a boring iced latte, but it was sooo delicious!! Kendra came and talked with us for awhile. We discussed pretty much everything under the sun, especially nursing and midwifery topics. She was telling us a little bit about the significance of America in the Philippines during WWII. To me, it seems like we used them to get closer to Japan, but they love America here. Everything has some American influence it seems. They have American dishes in every restaurant, American advertisements, and American brands in the mall. Chantel's and my favorite American touch is the music they play! I think we have heard of every song that is played in public places! As I type...a man just walked down the street singing "Two is Better Than One!" We jammed to N*Sync's "This I Promise You." It is so funny! And Taylor Swift IS everywhere!
After our iced treats, we took a walk down L. Torres. It was odd because there would be small shacks and then big huge restaurants and clubs. We stopped to eat at CoCos. I of courses had spaghetti and Chantel had a chicken pannini. It was delicious. We felt like we were in an American resturaunt. It was so strange to feel like you were walking in a third world country and then all of a sudden were in a super nice resturaunt that could be found in the US.
We walked back to Victoria Plaza after dinner to pick up some laundry soap and food. Then, we headed back home where we both took one amazing shower. Definitely not hot...but not too cold. We are currently enjoying the beautiful weather outside on the porch...with a fan of course!
We love you and miss you lots!
Megan and Chantel

And Two By Two They Came

Chantel and I arose bright and early to greet the dawn. We planned to take a nap in the late morning to prepare for a double shift (2-10 and 10-6). Around 12, one of our supervisors told us we did not need to work a double, but we could split the two. I decided to take 2-10 and Chantel took 10-6. We each got to see two births! The first birth went extremely quickly. The mom had had six other births so I guess that made her a pro. She had a beautiful baby girl and named her Jonah Willow. She was given the middle name Willow after the student midwife who delivered her. I thought that was super special. The second labor and birth went very well as well. However, the mother started hemorrhaging. She lost over 1200cc of blood! It was so interesting to see how to care for that. We massaged the uterus, gave pitocin, and started an IV. On top of all that, Sarah, her midwife, had to do a manual (scrape the uterus)to remove clots or placental fragments. This is extremely painful. I was told most women are put under in the US! These women hardly make a peep! By the end of the shift she was doing much better. It was scary for awhile! I cannot get over how amazing these women here! They never complain and hardly show any pain. She named her baby Jash Dianne. On to Chantel...She had quite the day!!
While Megan was working hard delivering babies, I decided to go pamper myself. :) Two other girls, Joy & Maria, let me tag along with them to the Pressure Point Spa. But, before we got there we first stopped at one of Joy's patient's homes. I took my very first motorcycle ride to get there...w/out a helmet, I was a little nervous. Thankfully, we all made it there in one piece and proceeded to visit for about a half hour with the mom and baby boy. Joy had delivered this baby about 8 months ago and the mom had texted her to see if she wanted to come visit. They were a very nice family. It was very interesting to see the living conditions, for lack of better a word it was just dirty. A shack is the best way to describe it. We had a lovely time! She served the 3 of us Pepsi and cream-filled crackers, it was delectable. We then went to the spa. I didn't really know what to expect, but upon arrival I was stunned by how beautiful it was inside. The hour long massage plus sauna was going to cost us 500 pesos, or $12. What a deal! I would have been happy to have just sat in the nice air conditioning with that price, ha! It was a very nice place and the massage was amazing! I was a little taken aback when during my back massage she just whipped down shorts. Thankfully, the girls had forewarned before hand. When they say "full body", they mean "full body". Besides that, it was a very enjoyable experience and hope to visit there again one more time before we leave. We then went to Space Burger and ordered dinner for ourselves and the girls on swing shift. The girls say its the best burgers around, and it's basically like a Wendy's/McDonald's burger. But I was satisfied and Megan enjoyed it also. I got back to the house around 6:00 pm and lounged around until my shift started at 10:00 pm. Maria and I walked to a bakery to get some pastries for the morning. On the night shift, I got to see births 4 & 5 for me. The two of them happened right after the other. Now, I've gotta say, Megan and I have been talking about how crazy it is that the women hardly make any sounds during their labor, but this 16 yr. old was making lots! And by golly, I suppose she should be making lots of noises! But both of the women did great and there were no complications. We were a little short staffed for some reason, so I had to step in and chart for both of the births. I really had no idea what I was doing, but they walked me through it well. I watched one of the women being sutured up, because she had a tear and I has a lovely time holding her baby for half an hour. I ended up falling asleep there around 3:30 and woke up at 5:15, nothing was really going on. The best part of working night shift is that you get to come back and sleep in the air conditioned bedroom. What a treat! I slept great until about 1:15 this afternoon.
-Megan and Chantel

Witnessing the Amazing Gift of Life

Yesterday, Friday June 4, was my fist day in the birth room. Unlike Megan's first day there, mine was very eventful. I got to witness 3 births!! The first one started as soon as I walked in the door at 6:00 am. And I have to say, tears of joy and amazement fell. Watching one of God's greatest miracles of life unfold before me was exhilirating. I just couldn't help but think how truly amazing our God really is. And I must say, I am super impressed with how these women endure labor. They aren't given any pain medications, and they hardly make a sound. Not to mention that they deliver without air coniditioning or fans, and it is hot over here! They really are super women! I also got to do some newborn checks, and help out with baby/mom checkups as they came in. I stayed pretty busy pretty much the whole shift, which was both overwhelming but nice to have something to do. The day before I was in the prenatal clinic assisting with check-ups. It was so cool to be able to feel the babies inside the mom's tummies. I got some good practice on knowing how to distinguish the position of the baby and being able to find the fetal heart tones. Although, it would not be complete with an embarassing typical "Chantel" moment. So, when I was asked to listen to the baby's heart I took the fetal heart scope (which looks different than a typical stethoscope) and proceeded to try and find it. After about 30 seconds of not being to hear anything, the very kind girl I was working with suggested that I try turning it around instead of listening it through the hand-held peice. I was super embarassed, and totally felt like a dork because I really did know the right way of holding it. Oh well, it was good laugh!

Megan and I seem to be re-cooperating well from the jet lag. We're still waking up on our own around 5:00 am, although today I was able to sleep in till 7:00 am. We find ourselves being rather exhausted around 7-8 at night, and end up going to bed. It's such a different schedule than we're used to. I'm totally not a morning person and am such a night owl, so this has been quite the change for me :) Despite the heat/humidity, we really are sleeping well at night. The 4 fans running in our room seem to help. Although I was earlier today thinking about how I miss a nice hot shower, it definetly feels good to be cooled off at the end of the day with the nice cold water. Megan and I are currently just lounging around saving our energy for the double shifts we will be pulling tonight. We work the swing shfit, 2 pm - 10 pm, and the night shift, 10 pm - 6 am. So a total of 16 hours...should be interesting. But we're excited to be working together! It'll be a good time!

I hope this finds you all well. We sure do miss everyone back home, but are having an AWESOME experience! We just ask that you pray that we don't melt away before we make it back home. Ha! Thanks for all your encouragement and support. We love you!

~ Chantel