Alexandra Michel

Name?

2011-01-22T16:24:00.000-08:00

Well I need to come up with a name for my midwifery services and I am completely at a lost! The other day I thought I figured one out but low and behold it already exists! That has been the biggest issue so if anyone out there in the blogging world have any ideas I WOULD BE SOOOO delighted!!!
couple ideas: iBirth (which was my favorite)
Nesting Midwifery
Yosemite Childbirth Resource????
as you can see... I NEED HELP HERE!!!
I really like the idea of it having something to do with a nest, and what that represents, when I think about mother and baby I picture a nest with a bird protecting her nest...

Saying goodbye to 2010

2010-12-31T12:10:00.000-08:00

How do you sum up what has been the most monumental year of your life? Not only did I settle into a new life as a newlywed with the love of my life Michael but we welcomed a new love into our lives. May 2010 I gave birth to what has brought me more joy then ever imaginable. After getting married and feeling more love in my heart than I ever thought possible, Leo was born and rocked our world!!. This year has been a year full of first. first place together, first baby, first holidays as a family, first words (Dada:)), first married couple fight, first married couple make up, and I became a California Licensed Midwife... it has been nothing short of amazing. And although at this time last year I was scared and just praying that I would survive what looked like such a crazy roller-coaster ride I find myself begging God to slow it down so I can enjoy every minute. Goodbye 2010 hello 2011, what on earth are you doing to do to top 2010?!

Love and Marriage

2010-03-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

Well it seems as though I should start up the ol' bog again since in the past year there has been much to blog about...
November 28 2009, one of the happiest days of my life, after five in half years Michael and I tied the knot. We had a beautiful wedding, I loved it!! We danced the night away to our favorite music and with our favorite people (minus a few unfortunately). The whole day was magical and better than I could have ever imagined. My mom, myself, my aunts and friends the whole day before did all the floral arrangements for the tables and all the boutonniere for the guys. it was so fun:) After the wedding we headed off to Monterey for honeymoon:) It was a blast!!! Here are just a few pictures... to view more check out my Facebook

Faith

2009-08-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

This is a picture at one of our homebirths!!! Presenting little baby June
Detrah is in the pink, she is the wonderful midwife that i work with:)

Birth is a normal, natural function that is designed so well physiologically that it rarely needs outside assistance. Many midwives know this intellectually, but it can take time to develop a heart's worth of trust.

An explanation of the nature of faith: When you sit on a chair, you believe it will hold you up and you do not even give a thought that it might collapse under your body. You trust the design of the chair, and you've had experience and know it is trustworthy. Imagine trying to sit on it and having strangers walk in and attach you to a monitor—just in case this chair should collapse. Imagine being denied food and water in case the chair fails and you need surgery. What if you've heard chair horror stories all your life, and you doubt your ability to cope with the discomforts of sitting on a chair? Faith in the design of the chair creates an attitude of trust that allows you to release with abandon the tension of your body to the chair.

Sometimes pregnant women are short on faith about their abilities to give birth. Often, whether we realize it or not, it is faith that they want and need from us. Faith is a quality and an attitude that can make or break some labors. Anyone who has been in a situation that tested their mettle and caused them to doubt themselves but had at least one advocate saying, "Go for it! I know you can do it" has experienced the power of faith. In my practice, I'm amazed at the difference of wisdom that flows out of me when working with those who trust me versus those who are very fearful of birth with a midwife.

— Excerpted from "A Matter of Faith," by Caroline Eustice, Midwifery Today Issue 17

More pics:)

2009-07-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Lil Update!

2009-07-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

I hate when I don't blog for ages for many reasons, one being, not one person out there still reads my blog so Ill just write for kicks:) two; there is much to blog about!! How do I fit in the following; heading off to Canada to visit my most favorite people in the world, coming home and hiking the great Half Dome, a beautiful day at Yosemite's Glacier Point followed by a killer dinner with my Love at the Bug in Yosemite!
Its been a wonderfully great and busy summer so far, today I'm off to water aerobics with my 70-80 year old girlfriends then hopefully get some charting done for my very first Midwifery client! yay!!I feel ready but I'm still feeling like I'm not quite ready to fully step in the midwifery world:/ but i know i have worked hard for it and I'm super excited!! my wonderful midwife that i work with will be overseeing everything and is always there for me when if i ever have any questions at all!

Brain Blob

2009-02-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

Brain space... well round two at taking my Board Exam to be a midwife, and I feel humbled to say the least. i sat in sterile feeling room inside the Medical Board of California while my crazy proctor read word for word the test prep shpeel. I broke the seal on the test and there i was taking the stinking NARM!!! I got through it and finished with a stiff neck and what felt like a brain explosion... I then made my way to a coffee shop and sat in hopes that i passed and made my phone calls to the family and told them I really didnt know if i passed or not... i suck at test taking!!! for reals i do!! I know I know all the information on that test... i know enough to pass it no problem but i just cant get over the nerves of testing... AHHHHHHHHHHHoh well... we will see..
Now with this test being over with i have so much more brain space, i got caught up on all my blog reading, i watched American Idol with my Cousins, who are down from seattle for a visit, we played spoons till midnight they are so so great!!!!
and now i will be heading home and am planning on crashing on the couch while watching the Office tonight....ahh:)

Love This Song!

2008-12-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

A dear friend gave me this song... i love it!

Started rubbing sticks together
I thought a spark would take forever
I never dreamt this fire would appear

When Moses saw the Bush in flames
And heard the branches speak his name
I wonder if he felt this kind of fear

'Cause I'm burnin'
Yeah, I'm burnin'
And I know I'm gonna blister in these flames
So I'll stay here
'Till this smoke clears
And I'll find you in the ashes that remain

Used to be that I could say
My faith was one arm's length away
From any flame that ever felt too warm

Asked for matches, but I recieved
A gallon full of gasoline
Now my cozy campfire days are gone

'Cause I'm burnin'
Yeah I'm burnin'
And I know I'm gonna blister in these flames
So I'll stay here
'Till this smoke clears
And I'll find you in the ashes that remain

'Knock with caution at the door'
They said, 'Beware of what you're praying for'

So I'll stand here with my whole desire
In the middle of this forest fire
'Till I've nothing left to show
And new life begins to grow...

Nichole Nordeman - Burnin'

outside my COMFORT BOX

2008-09-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

Well I am stepping outside my comfort box and have been asked to participate in a play hosted by the CRN (childbirth recourse network). If you have ever heard of the Vagina Monologues, this is the Birth version... the motivation behind this the play is to shine some light on the childbirth crisis in America, its a movement to make maternity care Mother-Friendly in America. I have had the privilege to be at births over seas in other cultures, in the hospitals, in the home, in birthing centers. There were some of the most beautiful moments i have witnessed in childbirth and the most shocking. The most shocking was seen in the hospitals where the "western way" was desired. lets just say it was nothing short traumatising, robbing women of their dignity and choice. If we can change the way that America views birth and pregnancy then we can change the world.

Birth is a play based on over one hundred interviews Karen Brody conducted with mothers across America who gave birth between 2000-2004. It tells the true stories of 8 women painting a portrait of how low-risk, educated women are giving birth in America today.

Please come and show your support!! I am playing janet.. one of the 8 women!

SEPT 28 2008, 1:00pm and again at 6pm
The Tower Theater, Fresno Ca

Degreenafying the ugly test with NYC!

2008-08-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

I really need to be more consistent with my blogging because when i sit down to write you THERE IS WAY TOO MUCH TO SAY, so what i end up doing is blogging all over you; sorry!
I took a test this week, a really really hard test.
For two years my life has been leading up to taking that test on AUG. 20. 2008, and its over now! The night before the "test" Jess and I flipped through our beautifully handcrafted note cards, testing each other on our knowledge. we felt empowered by how much we had learned, but SCARED out of our minds to face our doom at 8:00 am the next day. well, we took it and let me tell you no walk in the park, not even a hike, this test felt like rock climbing up the face of half dome without any gear.Disappointment in myself set in after the test. It will be by the grace of God if we passed! but with a few encouraging notes from some great girls and great family, i feel encouraged that weather i passed or failed, i TOOK the blasted test, and i know i did my best... and for that i feel so GREAT!
Following the test Jess and i packed up and left straight for NEW YORK CITY baby! where, and can i just say words cannot describe how much fun we had! We thought as a celebratory midwife thing we would put our names in the lottery out side of The Wicked on Broadway to win free front row tickets. HA! 400 people showed up! they only choose 13 names! ha, but, and this never happens to me, WE GOT CHOSEN! AHH! so as if that was not enough, Jess knew a girl in the show, and called her up and was like "what up girl we're here front row..." so her beautifully talented friend told the whole cast that we were there and they all sang right at us! including Galinda, the monkeys waved at us! (seriously, Girls you would have died!) and if that was not enough we met up with her friend after the show outside the theater and TOOK US BACK STAGE!!!!!!! okay okay i cant contain it right now, even as im writing this i start to giggle and laugh at how incredible it all was!

Humphrey the Hernia

2008-07-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well apparently I have been a little stressed out lately because after returning home from a GREAT weekend in Mammoth for the 4th of July and moving my brother the following day in SLO I received Humphrey the Hernia... yep, I got a hernia... last week it was super sore and after the lovely Dr. Accedo confirmed that yes I did have what looked to be a hernia I realized that I need to slow down and rest up a bit.
This last week has been super super busy, my mom and I are going to a wedding this weekend so I had an excuse to buy a super cute dress from Macy's and today I will look for shoes. fun fun...
Today I sit at mommy matters all day in hopes that someone will walk in and ask me to be their Doula or give them a childbirth class... but its unlikely that it will happen.,, which is actually probably a good thing... seeing how I need to direct all my efforts and brain power towards studying for the NARM (CPM TEST!!) (AND IM FREAKING OUT ABOUT IT)
Below are pictures from our hikes in Mammoth

A little coffee shop called The Looney Bean... so good!!

Their First Appearance!

2008-06-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well it's official... I finally broke down and wore shorts yesterday.. my legs made their first appearance. At first they were a little timid but after a few hours they walked me around just fine, very happy that i let them get out of hibernation and get some sunshine.

Update from you "you know where"

2008-06-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

Where to begin when so much has happened in the last three four months? its hard to start again ya know. well ill give you the fast forward version and hope that you get just enough so i can catch you up on the happenings of my life.

February: I turned the big 21!!! And spent some time exercising my newfound freedom... he he, but more importantly some of my Very Best Friends came to surprise me for my birthday. Mia, Lindsey and Kayla came from all over to celebrate with me!!!! We had one of the best weeks of my life... as you may have read in their more updated blogs. They are good for that. We spent some time in Yosemite, in SF, drove along the pacific coast for some California sun; we stayed in San Luis for a night visiting with my beef Lauren. Then ending our trip for a night in Hollywood where we saw the Broadway play The Wicked!!! We spent most of our trip just catching up, trudging our way through our not so graceful re-entry. We talked relationships, gained so much prospective that change my life. These girls are amazing!!!

March: not as exciting and even a little depressing that Feb was, as usual, the greatest month of the year, march was full of decision making for me. After the girl’s left it was like the fog was lifted and I was able to think clearly, it was amazing. I started teaching childbirth classes at Mommy Matters, a pregnancy boutique and resource center and started working there a few days a week. I continued to teach classes at the Chowchilla woman's prison where I have been teaching since I think November... I love it!!!

April: kind of boring, I think... I bought my mom Pride and Prejudice OG for her birthday and we had a marathon... it was awesome and she had never seen them before so she loved it.

May: was ridiculously busy for me.. Between working at the Zanders four days a week, teaching a childbirth series at Mommy Matters and working for M.M. a few days a week I have managed to stay super busy.
OH!! That’s right at the end of May I went to visit my Grandma in NEW MEXICO, I had a blast there... she always treats me to a massage it was so relaxing. Spent most if the time hiking in the mountains and playing with her new little mastiff, Ely. Oh and we visited the real Tombstone... that was way cool.

June has been spent getting ALL my paper work in for the NARM, the exam I have to take in august in order to get my CPM, certified professional midwife, in order to take the exam you must first qualify to take it which is a little on the stressful side if you have followed my blog since the Philippines.

Today, I was able to take off the whole day, thank the Lord! so after talking to my Lovely friend Kayla and Lindsey on skype i was inspired to catch up on reading every ones blogs and write in my own!!!! today i feel so relaxed im sitting outside of my coffee shop sipping on my late and enjoying the sun!!!

V-day In all its Glory

2008-02-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day
Morning: painted a wall purple, while listening to Rush Limba make fun of all the candidates that are running for President. lame
Afternoon: spent on the computer emailing the best people ever!!! also thinking to myself, today does not have to be depressing... dang it! Singles awareness day baby... thriving...
Mid-afternoon: did my make-up, work starts at one... maybe if i get all dalled up... someone will come in and sweep me off my feet in honor of V day, wishfull thinking. even changed my myspace status to Hopefull:)
late afternoon: Hopefullness has vanished like a fart in the wind as my dad said this morning when talking about one of the political figures. work is sucking now and i have spilt steamed milk on shoe... lame
Evening: im 45 minutes behind on my closing duities. and no one has come by to steal me away. any hopes of a fun exciting romantic night are gone... and i found myself walking around aimlessly around the grocery store...ALONE!
Now: im at starbucks... yes i left one coffee shop for another. im waiting for my friend ange who is not here yet... no one is here actually.. where could everyone be... oh wait i know... ITS VALLY DAY! they all must have something to do.... lame
sorry for the pitty party....

All Ale Alex!!

2008-01-15T11:36:00.000-08:00

In preperation for my 21st Birthday, Friday was spent brewing my first Ale! My dad and I attempted to make a Tamarack Amber Ale aka the Alexandra Ale... and despite some mishaps on my part I think that it might actually turn out. After boiling the water, we mixed the malted grains in the mashing ton (refer to first two pics) then took the extract and made the wort. See I learned something... after adding hops and waiting and waiting the finished product sits in the glass 5 gallon bottle. We added the yeast and now are waiting for it to ferment till my birthday. Fun huh?

well hello there...

2008-01-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

Well I know that I have not written you in awhile. I have been a little preoccupied with life. Not that I feel like I have been participating in it much, more like I have been a spectator. I miss my Girls (you know who you are) and im tired of trying to keep up with the pace of life I expected myself to have. Today I went to Fresno with my fam. my mom spent the afternoon in job fair and my dad and I spent about 4 hours driving around waiting patiently in the car playing name that tune on the radio... yes I know we have not upgraded to the ipod craze in the car yet... in between yelling at my dad to turn the heat up in the car, I was able to finish a book that Jenna gave to me a few months ago. It was insightful and made me dip into my emotions more than I was expecting to. I had a subway sandwich today that I wasn’t totally into. I am a faithful customer to the Coarsegold subway... any others always disappoint me. Mia I know I would love yours though!! Oh and I went by the apple/Mac store to buy apple care extend warranty for my laptop and found out that I missed eligible time limit by two days!!! Can you believe it... oh well at least I was able to pay my target bill this way... ahhhh well now that I have bored you with my day, I will let you go... just thought I would let you all know in the blogging world that I am still alive!!!

above are a few pictures from Thanksgiving/christmas/New Years

Im Going to Peru!!

2007-10-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

So a lovely friend of mine Christen Marrow... I know im not supposed to use full names for confidentiality reasons but what the H... she gave me 43,000 of her frequent flyer miles to go with her to Peru for like 10 days... Holy Cow im so excited.... and we are trying to make it in the right timing to go to her friend Monica... {Who Lauren stayed with when she went to Peru} birth... you see in Peru, culturally, men are not allowed in the birth room... so Monica had asked Christen to go to her birth as a doula... well one thing led to another and christen told Monica that I was studying to be a midwife and I ended up being invited to go to the birth. So we will see... yay

Life in HD

2007-10-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

My dad has this TV that has "High Definition” which now means that each show is featured twice one in just regular boring definition and then the other with the little signal next to the info that says HD.. Now my thoughts are this, why on earth if there is an option to watch in HD would i chose the boring regular life def. over the glorified HD??? Well i don’t really know... but i do find myself choosing to watch the reg over the new and improved "High definition"... It could be because i low self esteem and choosing the less of the two somehow puts things in perspective for me... or maybe I relate with it a little more right now. I feel as though since being home from the Philippines my life has been in snail speed. And instead of being this on fire ready for anything coming my way, i find myself in this time of transition, i want to figure things out for me, when i was away i decided to cut the puppet strings and grow up a bit and let God and me hang out, mano y mano, Live to his agenda and not what "everyone" thinks my agenda should look like ... well in the process of doing so I am finding that answers come a little slower and this snail like transition is causing somewhat of an uproar but... I feel like its good. Anyways sorry for the " blob" of words ... this was just what was in my head.

The Dome and I are Friends

2007-09-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

I, Alex Michel, concord the Dome Monday...it was one of those things that i wanted to do before i die... my mom was convinced that by climbing the Dome that i would die so it was a little ironic...maybe the dome should have been the last thing i did...but luckily i made it and still in one piece mostly... it kicked my butt that’s for sure....

The End...kinda

2007-09-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

My time in Singapore is wrapping up and it has been such a great time of relaxing, recouping and a little Operah to get myself in the coming home mode. In the mean time, I have been fighting off a nasty little cold that has followed me around for a month and I think that I have finally kicked it...woo hoo!!!! I know I started to give some of you a scare with the combination of a 102 temp. And a fungus type outbreak on my leg that appeared shortly after I hit my shin on the stairs at the clinic, but happy to report there is no sign of Gang Green.... no temp and no Green well I wont finish that sentence for Kayla’s sake. We will have five days to finish saying goodbyes and turning in last minute homework assignments in Manila before we make the big move home. I am so excited to be coming home I cant even believe that its here already...it hasn’t really hit me yet, so if your reading this and thinking she doesn’t sound all that pumped.... it could be one: I’m writing this after a week of insomnia due to the excitement.... two: like I said it hasn’t hit me yet...or three...I’m experiencing somewhat of a bitter sweetness; here people...women respect me as their medical professional.... they let me care for them through their pregnancy, they come to me with real problems and concerns, they let me deliver their babies and stitch them up after words...and home, it will be very different...people still think that midwives are just are granola bars who just sing and dance and wait for the baby to just plop out..(Not quite the reality). I loved my time here; there is nothing else i can say about it. There were a lot of times where i felt like....”What the he..ck was i thinking" but all in all God has changed me in ways that i hope i can exhibit when i get home. Thank you all for your love, your generosity, your prayers.... your emails:)..they meant the world to me while i have been here. This time was worth every tear, every mystery meat, and every baby. Thank you.

Back on the Blogging Horse

2007-09-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

I am picturing what it will be like when I walk into Zanders at home right now, and in my mind it will resemble somewhat of an AA meeting...

Hi my name is Alex (Alex)
Hi Alex (coffee junkies greet me in unison)
And I have been blogging for almost one year now. (Alex)
Wow, that’s great Alex (Coffee junkies)
But this month I slipped up (Alex)
Tell us Alex how that makes you feel.
Well you know all the sudden I just stopped blogging.... life seemed so busy.... I lost motivation.... I just sigh (Alex)
Its okay...we still love you.... (Coffee junkies) secretly whispering slacker behind my back

So I decided to hop back on the wagon and blog today, let you in on what the month of August has been like. So I started off the month with going to Olongapo, which is another city up north and out of Manila. There I met up with Leslie Perish for a Childbirth Education course that she was teaching to us Midwives. She runs a great ministry there at the YWAM base. They go into the bars at night and talk to the Bar girls. And if they are interested in getting help and turning there lives around they can join a team of women that used to be in the prostitution industry and join a two-year program that trains and educates them to work and be successful women in their communities. The last night we were there, Leslie took us bar hopping and we played pool and had some amazing conversations with a couple of girls. We were talking with this one girl her name was Joy, it was her 19 day in the business that night, Leslie was able to tell her about the base.... and Joys eyes started flooding with tears as she quickly excused herself to the restroom. It was an amazing opportunity. That week in Olongapo was absolutely incredible.... we saw monkeys as well!!!!!

The next two weeks were so incredibly busy with births and goodbye parties...that I don’t remember having breaks in the days at all. We threw the midwives daughters a princess party, that was so much fun. And anyone that has known me for a little while knows that I love dress up. We bought the girls little princess gowns and bought a princess cake at Goldilocks and they were royalty for the day. So fun! My last week we finished with 10 births, which made for an extremely busy week. Kayla and I also went back to Pinkian to visit some of my very first patients...Magnolia being one of them...it is always so great to see her, I will miss her so much. And of course she never fails to mention how she loves my brother and how she just thought he was so handsome.... she says if he comes back to the Philippines that she will not have a husband then.

And now I’m in Singapore where Kayla and I joined Mia for 10 days of relaxing and recouping and tying up all those loose ends that need to be tied in order to come home. Well I will blog again sooner this time than the last; I swear it. Until next time, thanks for listening.
Oh and one more thing, Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller, changed my life! Great book read it; I know you will love it.

Snale Blogging..my specialty

2007-08-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

Well just got back from Puerto Galera, where the girls and i got some sun time in finished up a ton of paperwork in preperation for coming home...yay about the coming home part!!!! its coming so soon i cant believe it. We just moved into the Gundersons where we will live until we come home, Jeri Gunderson and her daughter Debs run the clinic and baby home next door. we wont have internet at her house so as if my blogging efforts werent slow far and few they will be even a little more snale like now. okay well just i just wanted to quickly fill you in...talk to you soon.:)

Little Orphan Annies

2007-07-28T22:49:00.000-07:00

The Baby home is one door down from our clinic, and I would love to say that I spend all my free time hanging with the adorable orphan babies that are there, but the sad truth is that the girls and I have only made it over there once, I think that I just needed a little bit of a push to go over there, this week I got a big push. The Gunderson Family runs both the clinic and the baby home, so most babies that are born and are going to be given up for adoption go right next door. This last week one of my continuity moms delivered, she is only 17 and lives at Bethesda Women’s Shelter. She is the sweetest girl ever and I was her midwife. Her baby will be going up for adoption and staying at the baby home starting Thursday. I can’t wait to go and visit her next door, how lucky am i that she is so close to the clinic. The baby home is so precious, you walk in and are greeted by about 15 crying, screaming, laughing little toddlers... then just past the living room area, downstairs is the nursery where five little ones sleep, eat and poop, and then sleep again. And come Thursday there will be a new addition to the family. It really is so cool having the baby home so close. sometimes we arrive at the clinic and all the little toddlers are at our clinic visiting...they are so amazing!!! Here are a few pics from our visit next door.

A Little Visit

2007-07-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

So Mia and i went back to Gerlenes this weekend to visit a couple patience and visit Ger and the Kiddo's...For those of you who are just tuning in Gerelene is the midwife that i worked with in a little viliage, Pinkian, when i first arrived in the Philippines. i have been missing that little community so it was so nice to go and see them. while we were there i stopped by to see one of my old patent. Nacy gave birth about a month ago to the cutest little girl..Monica... it was so good to be there.

Who Will Be The One?

2007-07-20T03:43:00.000-07:00

"You will be the one", that is the most commonly used phrase at the clinic...a labor comes in and we patiently wait for the Midwives queue to invite us to handle the birth. Now you may think that we work at the clinic so it is obvious that we get to handle births every time a mom comes in but the truth is we cant assume anything...if i have learned one thing it is that you cant just assume that it is okay that we handle a birth with every midwife, we cant assume that every mom is okay with a Midwife student handling her birth. so we wait....we wait for one of the Filipina midwifes to meekly approach us and say..."you will be the one"...and so it is just that....we will be the one...
This week i was the one for two births...the first birth was quite the gong show, the mom was the sweetest thing on the planet...and at 9cm she was walking around having full conversations and so was her two aunts, mother, husband, myself, mia, Kayla, and lets throw in a few more just for fun....all crammed in this tiny little room...finally Mary Joy reached pushing stage and her mother phones her dad on there cell phone and puts the phone up to her in distressed daughter's ear...at that point i knew that this would be a crowded birth. now the mom at this point is fully dilated and ready to deliver but her contractions were just not strong enough to push out the babe...so another midwife comes into the birth room that was already busting from the seems with people, with a baby from a mother who had just given birth hours prior in the room next-door, she comes in and has Mary Joy breastfeed this new baby to help her contractions get stronger....like i said Gong Show...typically breastfeeding will induce stronger contractions, but this mom was a first time mother, and had obviously never breastfed before. so instead of inducing stronger contractions the mother became very enthralled with this little baby girl and in result stalled contractions altogether. after some position changing and some patience the baby was born and welcomed into the world by everyone and there mother...overall the birth was a little crowded but good.

Mary Joy and new little M.J.

Rowean and I trying out the new sling

Some Random Nonsence

2007-07-06T05:12:00.000-07:00

Well, i must say that i met some of the cutest babies this week...This morning Mia and i woke a couple little baby boys up to come out and meet the world...sometimes i wonder if they had a choice to come out or stay i think that they would choose to stay inside there nice warm fully stocked dwelling place...they get automatically fed, no searching the fridge and cupboards for something to snack on out of boredom, they have an automatic heater and cooling system, they dont have to worry about modesty because no one can see them, and they get plenty of company..and anyone im sure can agree if they have been pregnant that the belly is free range once it protrudes out further than...well you get the point. so they have plenty of people paying attention to them. I mean for nine months out of our lives we were livin it up pretty easy. Now look at us...we have to feed ourselves, clothe ourselves, differentiate temperatures that will determine what we where..Jacket, tang top, pants, shorts...i mean there is so much to think about. okay okay welcome back to reality alex...here i am 20 years later, and i am blogging about my time in the womb...can you tell i have not been home for almost 6 months. well anyways how cute are these little ones?

Macgyver Midwives

2007-06-28T06:06:00.000-07:00

couple Middies in training

Here's to you Lindz....
Have you ever thought of those "never gonna happen" situations but you want to be prepared for just in case??...Well my roomies and i were sitting in a Taxi the other night getting ready to send Lindz off to Canada and we were thinking..if someone were to go into labor on the plane we could totally deliver the baby!!!! we could be the one that when everyone freaked out on the plane and were like " is there Doctor on the plane?" we cold answer back..."no, but there is a midwife!" ha ha ....Maguiver status. so we all made up a list of the things we could find on the plane to substitute for medical supplies. Luckily working in a third world country it has prepared us a bit for this kind of resourceful delivery...here is what we came up with..
1. Straw: from the mini bar to use instead of a bulb syringe for suctioning
2. Plastic Prep Gloves: that the stewardesses use to prep the food, we can use these to catch the baby with, obviously not sterile but we are being remorseful remember
3. Pads: ask a female for a pad to use after birth...
4. Newspaper: ask the guy sitting next to the mom if we could barrow his newspaper to put under the mom so we can measure blood loss, and also so she has something besides airplane seats to give birth on
5. cup of Ice: ask the mini bar for a cup of ice and water for moms hydration and thirst appetite, and lets go ahead and order some peanuts while were there, and perhaps a glass of wine for relaxation.
6. Towel: heat towel in Microwave for baby after delivery to keep warm
7. Plastic Bag: to wrap placenta in after delivery, we would keep it attached to baby until we landed and could cut cord with a sterile blade
8. Kick out people from First class and set up camp there.
9. Airplane Blanket and Pillow
10. Flashlight
11. Watch with a second hand
PS: All this is depending on the very unlikely scenario that there is no first aid kit on the plane...that the airport let a 38 week women on the flight, and also that as a midwife you had to check in your Midwife kit because the security guards thought you were a terrorist...but if all the did happen this would be my protocol.

And Five hours Later...

2007-06-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

just a couple different estates.

So I wanted to blog about birth or about some amazing adventurouse story…really I do, but I’m not. Instead I shall write about Jane Austin’s 1997 film, Pride And Prejudice because it rocked my world this week. This week Kayla and I have only had one birth, this is record breaking for the Antipolo clinic, this gave us a little more time to something productive like taking five hours of my life and devoting It to Mr. Darcy and Mss Bennits’ Love affair. Now I know what you are thinking…#1: why was I not getting some of my piles and piles of homework done that I have been putting off, #2 your maybe a little surprised that I actually watched a 5 hour movie, and didn’t sleep through it…or #3 it reminds you that you have been meaning to watch it…in which I highly recommend it. I feel like Jane Austin just gets people, I found that I could relate with just about every character and sadly reminded me how life would be so much more uncomplicated if marriages were just stinkin arranged, actually hold that thought…dad don’t get anymore ideas…well all I can say is what if all the pride and all the prejudice were taking out of our generation....what would the complection be? Would there be peace and balance in both houses as it was in the film? Will it take a rather harsh yet honest profession of the truth in order to get the attention of those who need to hear as Mr. Darcy did? All i know is that it worked in this case and maybe that is what it will take in order for the cloud of pride and prejudice to be lifted off our heads and justice to reside. just a thought.

You've Got Mail....YES!!!!

2007-06-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

You've Got Mail...NY152 and Shopgirl were totally right when they said that these are three powerful words. After a long 48 hour shift at the clinic I log on line and impatiently wait for my mailbox to deliver the much and anticipated mail from my friends and family. My eyes quickly scan over the junk mail then announce to the girls in the next room who are doing the same, that i have received some "Lovin" as we call a good outcome in Emails. I never thought that those three words would impact my day as much as it does, being here I have relied on my relationships to stay intact through the amazing world wide web...which still blows my mind when i think about it. I have mail...what a gratifying little simplicity that makes my day...so thank you for your lovin...The Philippines would be a little more lonely without you.

The Michel's Fam Vacation 07'

2007-06-07T05:19:00.000-07:00

The Fam

My Dad and all the kiddo's in Pinkian

My Mom and Gerelene at the clinic

Halo Halo
The Broski and I in Coco Beach!

This last Tuesday I said goodbye to my family as they flew back home from an amazing Family Vay-k, here is a little look at our adventures…
DAY 1- Pinkian, we spent the whole day with Gerelene and her family. I made my brother and my dad partake in the famous Halo Halo. Which might I say this was not the best stand that I have been to, However my dad had a good time starting conversation with the “head Barista” at the stand. My dad made it a point to talk to everyone on this trip, there was not a Jeepnee ride or Taxi ride that my dad didn’t go into great lengths about something from “when I was in Venezuela” or “my daughter lives here”. Most of the times he received blank stares or like at the halo halo stand laugh with embarrassment. That day we were also was able to give Gerelene a huge duffle bag full of medical supplies and newborn care items. Thank you supporters for all your help! My Mom was able to meet a few different mothers and the babies that I delivered and that was so special to me and to the moms. Magnolia was amazed at how beautiful my mom was; she also hit on my brother…asking him how old he was then proceeding to ask if he was single then to saying that she was single which Obviously was not the case…
DAY 2- Antepolo and The Flood, Tuesday started off as a very chill day, we slept in a bit and then hit Greenhills, which is a huge indoor peddlers market where you are continually bombarded with Filipinos trying to sale stuff to you, as you pass a booth, you hear one long slur of… “Hello Mam-Sir…you buy….Mam-Sir...Rubber shoes…Mam-Sir…I give you discount…Mam-Sir…” After Greenhills we headed up to the Antepolo clinic where the Fam met the midwives there and then we took a long Jeep ride back to my house. However on the way we were informed that Rainy season started the next day…at that moment it started storming so badly…not like a little drizzle of rain or even a heavy shower…this was more rain and more pressure than what comes out of my shower head… As we neared our stop we all geared up for our exit out into the dark and what was turning into a FLASH FLOOD right down the main street, “ON THREE….1 2 3 GO!!!!!” My dad instructed…. First step off the Jeep there was water up to middle of our shins. My mom and I clutched our umbrellas that in seconds turned inside out. My brother and my dad worked on rushing us to a safe place to try and cross the 8-lane street. We started to cross when we realized that the water was getting too high and traffic was too crazy so we looked for shelter underneath a nearby awning, only to find a naked Filipino man enjoying his bath in the rain! At this point my brother and I were laughing uncontrollably, but what was even better was when the man started dancing and singing, that would be when my mom decided that we would cross the street immediately. My mom and I made it across first and noticed that my dad and brother were not with us; my dad had lost his flip-flop in the middle of the 8-lane street and my brother and he decided it was a good time to stop traffic and look for it. Lighting and thunder were getting louder and louder and rain was coming down more and more “ Were gonna die, were gonna die!” my mom repeatedly said in shock. After about 20 more minutes of swimming up the street that leads to my house we arrived home safely. My brother and I were laughing so hard the whole time and once we arrived to my house, we all were all laughing out of disbelief at what had just happened.
Days After The Flood- The last few days were spent in Coco beach accompanied by Kayla and Linds, we had such an amazing vacation. I would have to say it was one of the best. I love my Family so much and I was so excited that I was able to share with them what I have been doing on this side of the world.

What are ya gonna do???

2007-05-30T06:50:00.000-07:00

Ah mia, you put words into exactly how i was feeling today as i left Sheing Mall, i felt so "blob" as your grandma would say.... thanks for the post, i feel like in a way it helped me verbally process the hard reality we face when we step outside of our "Mochaccino land" and into the city with a devistating amount of street children. But what sadens me the most is the fact that no matter how much i give or pay for a flower decoration from a deserving child, it wont take them out of the slavery that they are in, even if they have a really good sales day, tomorrow they will be out there again, joining the other millions of kids who are sold into the trade or forced to beg to bring home that "extra" amount. My family is here in the Phils for 10 days!!!! and we are having a great time, lots of stories already and it has only been three days. But today, for maybe the same reason the heavieness hit Mia, i felt that extra burden and responsibility for these little street angles. I am 20 years old and still have my family surrounding me showing me love and support, these kids were as young as 1 years old and had no family at all. How, in all the billions of people that live in the poorest of the poor in all the world, did i end up with my life? This is not a post instructing on how to apporach beggars, because honestly after living in this city for a few months have learned that you cant set rules on it, you cant make up your mind that you will only give to those that offer a service or who look really really poor, but you can hope that when you do say a little prayer or give some pocket change that it will be making a difference.

City of Angels

2007-05-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

So, its taken me about a week to blog again, but not because I have had nothing to blog about, life is as busy if not more so lately as usual. Last week Kayla and I ventured out to Angeles City, the infamous Red Light District in the Philippines. Our experience was not necessarily a huge ministry out reach, the point in us going was to scout out the area to see if we could be of any use to these women or maybe even be able to talk with these women, who come from a variety of backgrounds and are of all ages. we saw children as young as twelve years of age standing alongside more mature ladies up to the ages of 55 ready to learn the trade of the underground industry that thrives at night. During the day these kids look like regular begger kids, and what you dont see is their boss that sends them out in the day and sells them out at night.
A University of the Philippines study in the late 1990s estimated there were about a half-million prostitutes in this country. The International Labor Organization, a United Nations human rights agency, estimates there are 75,000 child prostitutes in the country.
Orphaned children and sexually abused minors are more common in Angeles City than most places in the country. Filipinos claiming to have American fathers abound.
The trip was short but we did not fail to see the corruption that was right beneath us. ahhhhhhhhh, and what we didn’t realize was that by the time we arrived home, just right outside our house was a strip full of red lights and girlie bars. We really didn’t need to travel to Angeles City to get a glimps at what goes on at night in this big city. Here are a few pictures of the local district by our house.

8th Grade Sewing Comes in Handy...

2007-05-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

A few pictures of birth number 1 out of 7 last shift.

Big sister taking a nap after her new little sister was born.

This last Tuesday i think, days are a little blurred after 7 births in 48 hours, was my first time suturing! On a real person...no pig’s feet or an 8th grade pillow, I made a huge-up grade to the real deal. And since most of you know by now that i am practicing to become a midwife you can guess were the stitching took place. Yikes. Ate Grace, an amazing Filipina Midwife, and Kayla, My suturing Queen, coached me as i made my first injections of lidocaine to numb some of the tissue, the rest was difficult but I had great teachers helping through it. It was so cool, maybe not so much for the mom, but she was handling it well. And i feel good about it, not so bad I think for a rookie. Sorry no pictures for this one....

Happy Mothers Day

2007-05-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

Mothers are kinda a big deal round here, its fun getting to know the moms that come to our clinic; i get to see them starting a new chapter in their lives. i see them after delivery and i watch them adoring their babies and i see them just looking at them with this deep passionate love in there eyes, they talk to them and whisper little songs in their ears. And when i see the mothers like that it makes me so happy and i feel so loved by my mom. to think that when i was born my mother looked that intensely into my little eye's, well i think when i was born i had big bug eyes, but anyway, i know that my mom still loves me that way, but watching these mothers after birth is a good reminder to me that i am so cherished and loved by mom mom just like those babies. All around the world, in every culture, all ethnicities, women of all ages all have this one thing in common, motherhood, women will always be having/adopting babies into this world. and at some point we were all invovled in that cylce. cool

Shiphrah is the Coolest

2007-05-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

The last few days I started my first 48 hour rotation with Kayla at the Antepolo Clinic, we had one birth of a beautiful baby girl… well she was cute but she was a defiantly a little crybaby for sure… The name of the clinic is called Shiphrah, named after one of the heroic Midwifes in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. I love that it is named after these midwifes. In this book it talks about how Shiphrah and Puah feared God more than they feared mankind. They were defiant when the King of Egypt, Pharaoh, demanded that all boys delivered at birth were to be killed. These women did not live by fear of this king, although at the time this king was the law, they knew that as midwives they were dedicated to the life of these voiceless babies. And when the Pharaoh asked them why they disobeyed his orders they told him of how the Hebrew women are not like the women of Egypt they were strong and lively and gave birth before the midwives could get there, which was obviously a little exaggeration in defense. This was the middies way of letting Pharaoh know that, no we didn’t obey and in their rebellious way telling him that he could not control the strength and growth of the Hebrews. As a midwife you have built an untouchable trust with the mother and with the baby. Families are intrusting life into your hands; these midwives chose to honor this trust even when pressure of the Kings request was upon them. I hope that I will be the kind of midwife that mirrors this character. I hope that the mothers that we work with feel that they have that same trust with myself and the girls that I work with. And I hope that in a time of distress and pressure I would know where to place my fear

Cute little houses next door to the clinic.

Another beautiful sunday senset at the clinic.

Spiderman 3!!!!

2007-05-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

So today we went to see the greatly anticipated Spiderman 3. The girls and I had a great time last weekend on the roof preparing ourselvs for this day...To refresh our memory we spent the weekend reviewing 1&2, then yesterday bought our Spidy T-shirts, and because we bought 5 t-shirts from the spiderman collection Kayla and I recieved 2 FREE spiderman dogtags, which you will see us proudly wearing in the pictures below. I must say that the second is still probably my fave, although Venom....well ill let you all see it for yourselves:)

First Day at the New Clinic and Loving the Roof

2007-04-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

This morning we returned from my first 24-hour shift at the Antepolo Birthing clinic. I had a great first day, we started the morning roughly around 4:00am, well let me rephrase it was supposed to start about that time, but I believe my snooze button aloud me to sleep till 4:45:) we arrived at the clinic at 6 and started the day, there were a few labors that were going on, but we ended sending them home until they progressed a little further. The Midwifes at the clinic are wonderful and I spent most of the day trying to learn their names. Overall it was good experience, I was nervous about it at first, I hate first days at a new place, but this was not one of those scary first day disasters. We had one Birth last night, which I just observed to see their style of birth management.
We arrived home this morning to our little charming house in Mandaluyang. Its like our little hideaway, tucked away on Bonofacio Street. My favorite thing about this house is not the scary rooster that has his unique cookoocachoo call at 4am every morning, but I love the rooftop, upstairs and unto the roof is our own adorable balcony. On all four corners you see different classes of economic stasis, these are the rooftops of what would be "middle class" here in the Philippines if classes were be applicable. In the Philippines something that i have observed is that there is: POOR, Poor, And Rich. Just beyond the rooftops is one of many of the Manila city skylines. From our rooftop you can see four different city districts full of beautiful city skylines. Plus i love having the girls here, we had a nice night of preparing for Spiderman 3, which comes out on Wednesday here. We watched the 1st adn the 2nd, a little movie night on the rooftop of course!

So the tires on the tin roof is not just for looks, it helps the houses not blow away, seriously!

More pictures from looking out from our blacony:)

Bye Orange House...

2007-04-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

Well tonight is my last night in the Orange house, Mia and I will be joining the other girls in Mandaluon, which is about a hour from our house and the clinic here in Pinkian. We will still be in Manila just working at another clinic in a nearby city in Antepolo. it has been such a busy week and i cant believe what all has been done. Saturday we were called to a birth about noon, she was a first timer and had the fastest labor i have seen since being here...Maicy had her baby and we were out of there and on to prenatal day at the clinic by 3ish...we spent the rest of the day at prenatal’s having a great time and saying our last goodbyes. I also got to visit with one of my moms Evangelen…maybe you remember her, she was the Avril fan...
The next day we celebrated Rose's 7th Birthday party, Rose is Gerlenes middle daughter, it was so much fun and lots of chocolate cake was involved! Shortly after cleaning up from the party we started a "While you Were out" project on the Birth room...although Gerlene knew that we were painting and remodeling the room, she was still so surprised at the finished product. Today this afternoon, we finished the birth room and are still covered in Filipino blue paint…:) ill have from beginning to end pictures up soon. Now we are just finishing up packing...well okay...so I just started...but I swear I’m almost done! We leave tomorrow morning across town...I cant wait to join the girls...Dance Party!

Grace wearing her chocolate cake

Prenatal Saturday, she is such a cutie...

Maicy gave birth to this little cutie, Ar'Francis

Outside the birth room window, i love this veiw...ill miss it for sure...

Angry Avril Music, it Works!

2007-04-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

Although this picture was taken at a very quiet, peaceful time in the morning while Evangelene was laboring in the next room over, about 5 minutes later here comes Evangelene, moving into transitional stage, she comes waddling into the room and blasts some Avril Lavine on her stereo, this wasn't like she turned some peaceful music so she could try to relax and concentrate, she chose Angry Avril; you could literally hear the music coming from this little hole in the wall house throughout the whole community. But this is how Evangelene wanted to labor, and it totally worked, baby was borne about 30 minutes later!

Me and J. J. shortly after being brought into the world with some musical accompany by Avril.

Change!!!

2007-04-13T01:20:00.000-07:00

Change is consistently happening all around me, you stop to smell the flowers one time and the whole world’s appearance has changed. Change is something that you can always count on, and especially in the season of life I am in currently. In just a couple weeks I will be moving to a new city here within Metro Manila, Antepolo will be our new assignment. And as excited as I am to have this change of scenes and as happy as I am that this clinic will be busy and I will get a lot of clinical experience, which I will need to fulfill my requirements by September, I am Heartbroken to leave Pinkian and Gerelene’s clinic. I have been welcomed into so many homes and have gotten to be apart of these women’s lives. It is so hard to have to start saying goodbye them. And although I wont leave for a couple more weeks I want to spend as much time as I can soaking up this place. Change happens so fast, and once it starts you have to make a decision to stay on that train or get off. As much as I want this blur of events to slow down so that I can take a breath and regroup, life will not wait for me, who knows what I might miss.

Community Happiness

2007-04-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

Every other day we take a stroll into Pikian where we are surrounded by slums; to the right we have the neighborhood kids taking a bath outside of their house while their mom washes the clothes and watches the kiddies have a play day in the tub of bubbles and water. On the left is cute little shack that is warm and welcoming; inside you find a happy little family, two kids and a brand new baby boy. This community is a network of families that rely on one another for strength and support. When one family can not afford a weeks worth of meals for their family or a hefty hospital bill, they are right there to help each other out. They are all in this life together, through thick and thin.

March

2007-04-02T02:45:00.000-07:00

Looking back on the month of March it really did go flying by. I remember thinking to myself that April seemed like an eternity away and now we have started to walk down April’s road. But what on earth will happen? March has been the month of first, the month of thrill and the month of grief. Like I said, this month has flown by...up until this last week, I was to be the primary midwife for two women this week. Both women I grew to love and felt very emotionally involved. I chomped at the bit for them to go into labor, and finally they did. Riaza started labor at 2 am Saturday morning, she did so well through her whole labor up until the very end, she was so afraid of pushing that she refused to let herself, she spent every contraction working against her bodies urge to have the baby; by the time we decided to transport she had completely stopped her contractions, we call that an emotional dystocia, when women are able to stop labor because of their fears or emotional trauma. I know it sounds bogus but its true.
Sheila was in labor the next morning bright and early, she also labored very well and up until late pushing stage the babies heartbeat started to crash, we transported immediately. The sad thing about all this is not that we couldn’t be the ones to deliver this baby and not that they had a hospital outcome, but that we had a relationship with these women, I got to know them and their families more and more at every prenatal, we had relationships with them and when we get to deliver for them we get to properly send them home with their babies and then check up on them the next day, we get to say goodbye to them and be involved with the baby when it takes its first few breaths of air. The second we transport its like giving them away, we don’t get to say goodbye, we don’t get to see them for a few days after and even then we are just like visitors now, ah...well Im happy to inform you that the babies are doing great now and the moms are doing well.

One our moms daughters at a prenatal day at the clinic

This is a view standing outside of our clinic, its beautiful isn't it...

Despite all the sadness with the transports this week, we were able to suprise one of our co-workers Ate Doris's daughters with a new Guitar as a graduation gift. Dian is such a talented singer and guitar player, she has won local competitions...all playing on a borrowed guitar that was plastered in Sponge Bob Square pants stickers, nothing against him but..., the wood was splintering off of the neck and it just had a little too much character. She was so happy to play with her new guit, she proudly played for us some of her favorite songs, she is amazing.

Catch of the Day!

2007-03-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

Today I had my first real Catch! Little Al John was born at 7:18am Monday morning to the proud parents of Marivic and R.J...AHH it was so fun!

First little bath, he is so cute!

Just a little tired:)

One Fish Two Fish!!!

2007-03-21T03:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday Morning the girls and I headed to the clinic, Alma was in labor (finally might I add). The labor went great and beautiful baby Joseph was born at 1:45pm Mia gracfully put him on his mothers belly and started watching for the placenta when we noticed THAT IT WAS TWINS! We were so suprised and so excited, Almas Face was shocked, it was priceless. 2:10pm baby Yosuah was born and joind his brother with mom. So fun! TWINS, can you believe it?

Our beautiful midwife Gerlene

Momma and her boys

This is Yosuwa, and i know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but if i had to.........

Singin in the Rain!

2007-03-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

It pored here in Manila, it was amazing and we had a blast!

Yesterday

2007-03-15T04:34:00.000-07:00

The sunset falls
Over cradel and all

Panic, disparity awakens debris
Crowning of thorns, she tries to breath

A war has begun over this home
Once so warm, life bearing has become this capstone

Working together, the perfect unison lost
Blood marks its territory, welcoming the frost

Baby is born, a soul returns to her maker
They pleaded for so long, and He chose to take her

Debris for a minute froze in mid-air
A little soul floats up to heaven as the time stood still

A candle will be lit, a prayer will be sung
How I wish I were that note in heaven to be hung

I grieve over the life that salted the earth
My prayers go to those assisting this life changing birth

O, precious death, angels rejoice
Dancing, dancing now worshipping in one voice

Yesterday a baby died.

Alexandra Kim, Mia for short

2007-03-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

Monday morning we got a call at 4:30am to go out on a birth. Magnolia was in labor, I was so excited about this birth especially, I have been doing continuity care with her since we first met in early February. We arrived to her house and she delivered at about 6:18 am to a beautiful little baby girl, who was later named Alexandra Kim, Mia for nickname. I was honored that Magnolia would name her little baby girl after us girls. Ah I was so happy, I started doing little baby Alex’s newborn exam when Magnolia asked Gerlene, My midwife, if little Alex was born with any deformities, she then proceeded to confess that two months prior tried to abort her baby. A look of guilt glazed her eyes, I felt even more honored to share a name with this survivor, I later told Magnolia that I was so happy that she had this little miracle, she smiled and agreed. Here's the deal, I'm not asking for sympathy for Magnolia, just understanding, if I didn’t know her it would be easy for me to think, how could she… but after meeting her, spending time in her home, she is as human as I am, and she did this out of disparity, why cant these women who are stuck in poverty have a chance to let life live, why does the cycle of poverty seem to never end with or without abortion? Why did she feel so trapped that choosing to take an abortive drug to dispel little Alex at 32 weeks of life seems to be the only answer? Magnolia is very special to me and a light in her little community, my hopes in writing this is not to get opinions on the issue of abortion, but more for us to look as these women as real women who feel trapped, desperate and just want a rescuer. Ah enough of that…Look how cute she is!

Support your local Halo Halo

2007-03-10T05:04:00.000-08:00

So I found my new obsession that has almost taken the place of my coffee addiction, Halo Halo. It’s a Jell-O slash bean slash icy milky goodness mixed drink, Halo Halo by name, amazingness by description. At this stand we are greeted by about twenty little Filipino kids who laugh at us and our obsession to their average summer drink that we rave about. The lady that owns this little local stand knows to expect us and she knows that I like my Halo Halo without Taro on top, which is a mystery purple tar like substance that I like to stay away from, it's just safer this way. The girls and I come daily, twice even on Saturday’s before we go to the clinic for prenatals, where Gerlene, our midwife, expects us to come rolling in around 2 pm with our Halo Halo in hand. . So I guess you could say that I found my own little piece of Zander's O-town style here in Manila to keep me sane and alive.

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

2007-03-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

I Love these little babes:)

Two Bbies, Two Minutes of Sleep

2007-02-27T22:07:00.000-08:00

Two births, two beautiful babies, two cups of Milo, two days without sleep, I survived! Monday at 10pm Kim and I threw on some scrubs and went to Melba's house, she was at 8cm and doing so great. After hours of labor and two cups of Milo (chocolate drink) and Mayonnaise sandwiches served by her mother, the baby girl was born at 3:06am. I Mostly charted this birth, however I did get to do delivery of placenta, I did about ten minutes of cord traction before it came then after I examined the placenta for tears. So fun! By five we were back at the clinic and ready for bed when Kim started getting horrible pain in her abdomen, we ended spending the remainder of the morning in the hospital.... kinda ironic, birth at home then the Midwives go to the hospital. After returning home from the hospital Mia (other roomie) got a call to go to another birth, it was wonderful, but I was so tired. I guess the life of a midwife involves no sleep, oh well. By 11pm I finally was able to go to bed, ah sleep at last. Oh and Kim is back home all better. Today has been a day of relaxing before we go out and do postpartum checks on the last couple births. That’s all for now. These are pictures from one of the houses that we had a birth at, and some of the proud brothers and sisters.

Pictures from my new home away from home

2007-02-22T04:33:00.000-08:00

The kids and I playing on photo booth, they loved it.

Happy Birthday to Us

2007-02-22T01:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my birthday and the girls and I had a blast! We spent the day at this little spa inside of our mall here in Quazon City, where for a day we felt back at home in North America. After coming home and realizing that we still live with rats, the cockroaches are still amongst us, and the ants had multiplied, we were gently brought back to reality. Later that night Mia and I were called out on our first homebirth!!! It was so amazing, I felt so honored to share my birthday with this beautiful little baby boy. I started cleaning him up and I got to wish him a very happy birthday and let him now that he was born on the coolest day ever. Happy birthday to us.

A Day in History

2007-02-20T02:29:00.000-08:00

Today was a day in history; we received wireless Internet at the house, which for me means I can stop caulking the bathroom, and for you a little more recent updates on my blog. About the caulking comment, I have found a new outlet of frustration in caulking, weird I know but it works and it keeps my housemates happy and the ants out of the tile. It’s sad I know, but you get a lot done, try it, I know you will love it.

Fabella

2007-02-08T04:47:00.000-08:00

Today was our first day at Fabella, the largest maternity hospital in Asia. This hospital caters to the poorest of the poor in the Philippines. Bravery is the theme that I see in this hospital. These women deliver in a room where maybe 6 other women are also in the same room delivering. The women are given a chance at this hospital to deliver in a safe, sterile environment (not on the streets or back allies where most devastatingly poor women choose to deliver), however in order to average 80 births a day, each woman is not able to get the care that a typical north American women would receive. These women deliver with no husband by their side or a pillow to rest their head. Privacy is something that is rarely seen. Julie Anne was an 18 year old that delivered today, she was a first time mom, I stood back and observed as the Doctor cut a full episiotomy and told her to push, in my head my first thought was an observational thought, then realized that the young woman on the other side was terrified, I rushed around and grabbed onto her hand that was clutching a white plastic rosary, I looked at her and a the look of panic was in her face. The delivery went on and she had a beautiful baby boy. After that birth I remembered why I felt called to be a midwife in the first place, to defend and support young teen women who need it most desperately.

Midwife on a Mission

2007-01-29T06:33:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally made it to the Philippines!!! My plane arrived Monday afternoon January 22, after a long 16-hour flight to Manila. Right off the bat Mercy in Action, which is the Mission training Midwifery school I am with, put all us students on a ferry and sailed us off to Puerto Galera for 10 days of orientation and long awaited days of resting on the beach to prepare ourselves for the intense new chapter we Midwives are finally ready to start. I LOVE THE PHILIPPINES!

2007-01-29T06:30:00.000-08:00

I want you to meet Florencia; Florencia is a 98-year-old Mangyan Helot, Midwife, from Puerto Galera Philippines. She started delivering babies before World War 1; this was as far back as her memory would let her go this afternoon. Myself and the other Middies hiked up in the foothills of Oriental Mindoro to visit this beautiful women today, she graced us with old stories of being a midwife while Japan was was invading during WW1, she spoke to us about her life, she shared with us about her family history and how she has trained her daughters to be traditional Helots, which our Midwives in our culture. Florencia is one of the wisest most beautiful women that I have ever met; she is such a treasure on this earth.