O'Nell's Midwifery Apprenticeship in Cuernavaca

home again, home again, jiggity jog

2006-12-05T12:11:00.000-06:00

hi wonderfuls! i'm sitting in a new jersey coffee shop sipping a soy chai, putzing away on my computer and enjoying the briskness of the weather and the openness of my schedule. i'm really appreciating the luxuries of american life-- how when you turn on the tap here, hot water comes out, throwing toilet paper in the toilet, not having to think about what i'm going to say so i can translate it, xmas season music and lights on houses, throwing clothes in the washing machine, not getting whistled at when i walk out of the house, etc..... but of course, i already miss speaking in spanish, rubbing round bellies, snuggling new babies, being present with mamas, fresh fruit, and my heart-ful mentor, Angelina.....

the last few weeks at angelina's were fabulous and we went to oaxaca to Nuevelunas, a free midwifery school for young people who live in rural communities in the state of oaxaca--the mission is beautiful since having skilled health care workers who are knowledagable about alternative healing (as access to hospitals/meds isn't always possible in remote areas) is so critical to the health of the population. basically, the program is set up so that for a week intensive every month, the students come from thier villages/towns to the city of oaxaca and learn from guest speakers, etc--it was so inspiring and a perfect way to end my trip-- to be reminded of the larger community of midwives (and there were even 3 men in the class) who are so dedicated to thier communities and serving others and learning--so heart-centered--i felt so connected to them all and it was fun to share what i had already learned with angelina with them-- to teach them the different massage techniques, breech-turning techniques, etc. some photos are posted above of angelina demonstrating infertility treatments...i think thier website is in spanish but will soon be in english, too...they need people to donate so they can provide this service free of charge--if anyone wants to, check them out:
http://www.nuevelunas.org.mx/

I also finished my painting that i gave as a gift to the birth center-- well, i probably could have worked on it longer, but had to catch a plane, so.....

Good to be home. Please be in touch. Happiest wintery season to all.....
Lots of love,OMS

1 week and counting......

2006-11-25T14:50:00.000-06:00

hey peeps

about one week left here and i'm going to oaxaca next week with angelina b/c she's going to teach classes in one of the 2 midwifery schools in mexico, which should be a fun short trip to another part of mexico.....there's a lot of little ends to wrap up b/4 i leave, which should be fun adn slightly stressful-- well, full, i'll say....gonna paint a little more today ont he painting i'm working on

last night, i caught a little baby boy-- a really quick birth, a 4th baby--he was born with cleft pallet and 6 fingers on his left hand, but totally healthy other than that-- we fed him via nose-tube and he is a sweet little mellow guy-- the family's reaction was intense-in shock, confused, sad- at first the mom cried and wouldn't look at him and didn't want her husband to come into the room to meet thier son...later we learned that he beat her during the whole pregnancy and thus the strange energy between them.....wow! really heavy-- we assured them it is something that is easily fixable with surgery, but wow, felt really bad for this little love enerting the world in such a difficult life ahead...i pray for the best.....

love
o

gobble gobble

2006-11-23T21:54:00.000-06:00

feliz dia de gracias amigos!

just want you to know that i'm thinking of all the wonderful people and giving thanks for all of you all over the world and for this opportunity to be learning so much here.

this was my thankgiving dinner this year-- yummy tacos dorodos (like flautas or taquitos we say in the usa)-- i went with my friend daniela .....

loving you from afar
oms

Splish Splash I was taking a bath.....

2006-11-18T17:47:00.000-06:00

this is my favortie place in the birth center: sitting on the floor between someone's legs watching them cry and google at thier baby that i just caught...this particular baby literally flew/dove out into my arms...slippery little bugger and then the mom splashed blood all over me, but as you can tell, i couldn't care less (no hemmhorage, it was a normal amount of blood)...she is 16 and such a sweetie; i feel so blessed to be welcoming little people into this world....everytime it is still such a miracle and i am in love with thier little soft faces and love smelling thier birthy smell....two weeks to go, m'dears...love, me

Howdy Buckaroos!

2006-11-13T18:07:00.000-06:00

So, there have been lots of volunteers coming and going from this birthcenter and i feel blessed to get to meet them; we currently have a Brasilian obstetrician and a Brasilian doula and an American midwifery student! Here I am watching the Dr. suture; its good to see different techniques. Its great to have community and be able to split the work up a bit. What can I say? I've taken the last two weekends off to go to Tepoztlan (a local town--basically the Boulder of mexico) and chill and hike and get massages and Aztecan steam baths and eat pommegranates (pictured above)...and we're anticipating lots of births around the 20th of this month, so I am gearing up. Life is good; I feel like these last 3 weeks are going to fly and I have a lot I want to get in (like going to museums, etc) in addition to being present in the clinic and for births. Today, I gave a long massage/nutritional counselling/exercise session for a woman who has chronic back pain....like 2 hours; it was fun and I think everything I said will def. help her; we'll see.....just trying to stay present and open-hearted, even when i'm at my most exhausted.....
love
o

Tepoztlan

2006-11-12T23:49:00.000-06:00

yay..i met up with my friend from boulder, Topher.....will write more later....only 3 weeks to go...wow how times flies.....

Feliz Dia de los muertos

2006-10-31T20:36:00.000-06:00

Greetings wonderful people who are keeping posted....
These past few days have been intense; I have been struggling with maintaining boundaries and feeling overwhelmed with responsibility and exhauested from lack of sleep and tension and giving all the time, but not recharging......but, in that wonderful way that the universe works, there weren't that many clients today (b/c its almost dia de los muertos) and so I spent the day painting one room in the birth center a pale green and painting a floral trim near the ceiling (yay multi-talented me!). It was so fun and I had such good attention for it-- it looks much homier and feminine and calm in there-- less sterile. It was like one of those programs on Home and Garden TV, homemakeover or whatever its called.
We've had some beautiful births lately...the mother pitcured here (below) didn't want any of her family in the room with her during the birth-- she was so intuitive and right before the birth just took off her clothes, started pacing the room and moaning (a great sign!!) and sat on the birth stool like a champ and pushed out her little boy--i was beahind her supporting her, which was amazing; it almost feels like the baby is coming out of your own vagina...almost ;)
......and the other mom pushed out her baby girl and it was such a striking experience-- such a tranquil little soul-- she was so ancient and calm and aware...looked at her mom and everyone in the room...we were all in awe at her preciousness; it was really breathtaking and heart-expanding!.....i have some great photos of births, but i don't think i'll post them due to 'nudity' (oy vay!) so you'll all just have to see my albums when i get home to get the full stories....the families really appreciate when i take photos and then burn them discs of the photos to take home; it is a great gift i feel like i can easily give to them....
There have been other midwifery students from the states who have also been apprenticing here, which has been such a blessing to make such yummy like-hearted friends and have playmates and people to process with (in English!!) and they have finished thier program and I feel a bit lonely now, but I am so grateful to have crossed paths...I am reminded of how community is EVERYWHERE!
Love and Light
oms

Running on empty

2006-10-21T22:01:00.000-05:00

My body is tingly with sleepiness....my mind is racing with things I want to remember, things I want to do, all the wild experiences I'm having....oy, friends...in the past 3 days, I've probably gotten 15 hours of sleep....we've had 6 births...and I've run the clinic all day Friday alone (on 3 hours of sleep). I've been giving massages to people for infertility and for all other sorts of ailments....I'm enjoying being intuitive about using my energy and moving thiers...it can be really draining though....man, people are TENSE!
We had such a beautiful birth the other day...a young woman came in with her first baby (she was exactly my age, too, which was so interesting-- how different our lives can be), named Tere....She was dilated 1 cm and very nervous and didn't want to go home, even though we told her that it was going to be a while... we kept monitoring her baby and assuring her everything was fine. To get the labor going, Angelina gave her some oxytocin via IV. She really needed to look at my face during the contractions and she seemed to gain so much relaxation when she saw I was calm and encouraging; I gave her lots of pep talks and now I feel really confident about knowing what women want/need to hear. She stayed the entire day while we did prenatal checks in the other room of the birth center. I douled with her late at night, while her partner slept in the chair near the bed. She got to the point where she said she couldn't go on: she kept saying "no puedo .." (I can't)...and I invited her to change her perspective...what if we say "yo puedo" (I can) and talk to the baby instead of being so hopeless. She respoded awesomely (even though she also hadn't slept the whole night before and had been laboring really hard). The next contraction, she was talking out loud, at first weakly, and then with so much passion: "Yo puedo. Te amo mucho, bebe. Quiero saludarte" (I can do it. I love you so much baby. I want to meet you) and she was so firm and coping awesomely; we made a great team. She had a swollen cervix and so I put her in all these positions on hands- and knees to take weight of the cervix and after a few hours, the swelling had gone down...I am really learning what positions help for different problems (its so logical!)...anyway. She finally got to 10 cm and went into the bathroom and I brought her some hot chocolate while she was on the pot (this is also a really relaxing position). She came out of the bathroom and literally danced samba for an hour, smiling the whole time, like it was a party, even during the contractions (totally ready to give birth)...Anyway, she was on the birth stool for the birth and was so sweet when she saw its head crowning in the mirror and when she touched it, she just cried and laughed and prayed the whole time, as did the papa....and I cried, too and got goosebumpslike a mad-woman...a sweet little boy born at 7:30 am (that's right, I was up all night). It was so amazing to see her really come into her power, into her body, into motherhood...I know if she had been in a hospital, she'd have had a cesearean in about 2 hours....this is why i do this work; to support women....It rocked!!!! (see photo)
Anyway, all is well...there've been other women here from a midwifery program in the States and I am enjoying the company and making connections with other fabulous women (story of my life). Just trying to be present and absorb that I am learning so so much (I actually wrote down the other day what I do during a birth and it is TONS of details (from getting the cord clamps/blankets to knowing how to check dialation to helping with positioning to catching babies to measureing them and injecting vitamans, to getting stuff for suturing, etc) Full days, though and now I am off to sleep....sending you love.....

Weighing baby

2006-10-21T12:07:00.000-05:00

Yay cute little scales!! this was a 4 kilo baby with a 37 cm head...born this am....

Rebozo

2006-10-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

Part of the fertility treatment is closing the body to retain energy...we 'hug' the body with a rebozo (shawl) from head to toe....

Fertility Treatment

2006-10-21T09:39:00.000-05:00

Enrergy Work

Cupping

2006-10-21T09:36:00.000-05:00

this is part of a fertility treatment we give...suctioning glasses onto the skin to release toxins, bring energy, and relax the area...

day of rest

2006-10-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

Its Thursday, and supposedly we don't work on Thursdays, so we'll see if the fetal schedules cooperate with us :)
Life has been good here; a flu has been going around (an epidemic which I may have started a few weeks ago when I was ill :)), so I have felt low on energy, but today I feel well rested.
Last week, I caught another baby when Angelina was out on the town; a big vernix-covered girl (4th baby-man, those labors go FAST!!) who wasn't breathing....it took a lot of rubbing her back and syring-sucking out her mouth to get her crying and breathing, but she was fine (and i only had a mild heart attack!)

Things I've recently learned to do and feel mildly competant at:
1. checking dilation via vaginal exam
2. bulb syringing phlegm out of baby's mouth
3. coaching women how to push
4. doing prenatal exams for women with hardly any complaints
5. cupping (called ventosas here, but basically its an ancient healing technique using small glasses that suction to the skin to bring heat to the area, relax muscles and release toxins)
6. using the rebozo (giant shawl) to relax uterus becfore trying to manually reposition the baby

The days are full, when i get a chance to escape, I try to....here is a photo of me and Daniela (the Brasilian) eating yummy corn with mayo and cheese and lime and chili....mmmmm.....today, I'm going to try to make it to the art museum...I've been envisioning a painting that I want to paint (to the point where I couldn't sleep for a few nights b/c images were flashing through my head) as a gift for the birth center here, so I also need to go buy some painting supplies....

Love
oms

Twins!

2006-10-08T17:23:00.000-05:00

That's right! Twins! Two sweet girls! and I was out on the town when it happened! Can you believe it?!?! Neither can I. We (me and a Brasilian apprentice, named Daniela, pictured above) made it home just in time to dress the little munchkins and administer Vitamin K (one of my least favorite chores...injecting shots into mini-thighs) and weigh and measure them...They're precious...the first came head first and the second feet first..they shared the same placenta; crazy beautiful this whole life-making process!
Love
o

1/3 down 2/3 to go

2006-10-03T16:20:00.000-05:00

Hi wonderfuls!

Well, its been a week or so and things have continued to be quite busy here (surprise surprise!)....the whole concept of 9-5 just doesn't apply in the least (and I don't mean for the babies, b/c obviously they are on thier own schedule; I mean for the prenatal visits....sometimes they come at 9 at night! and we don't want to turn them away b/c maybe they work or something, but its hard to get space) (ah, the life of a midwife...I'd better get used to sharing my personal space)...Angelina is so well respected and has so many women who want to get care from her, so I guess its nothing to whine about. I'm still learning and so I don't feel totally comfortable doing everything by myself (especially all the local herbal remedies that she has....its incredible!). I'm enjoying the fact that many of the women who are giving birth, I have met and talked to prenatlly, so I feel like I have a relationship with them, which always helps....

We've had a few births and even a few c-sections, which is pretty rare. I went to another c-section surgery and feel really grateful that the doctors permit me in the operating room. Angelina actually helps them by helping the docs glove up, passing instruments, pulling the baby out, suturing, etc, but mostly I just stand there and try not to get in the way :) Again, I was drawn to the baby once it was out (how, very out-of-character, I know) and enjoyed dressing and soothing it...and the pediatrician even lets me hold the little love-head, which is nice while the mom is still woozy....

So, I've caught 12 so far (not like i'm counting-ha!) and seen probably 25(ish)

I try to get out of the house a few minutes everyday, but haven't explored anywhere really...mostly I just walk to the market and buy new flowers for my altar or go to the grocery store....I am missing the mountains and greenery, but its not like I have much free time to be enjoying it :) And you may be able to relate: I also try to go to this exercise/spinning class literally across the street everyday at 6 pm and I find it nearly impossible to get to...in fact, its been my intention nearly everyday and I haven't gone even once....I'm just letting myself enjoy the roundy-ness (what a pooh-word) of my tortilla-filled belly ;)

The boys of the house are following American footbal season, so i feel at home to some extent.

Last week we went to a temazcal again (pictured above): the Aztecan steam bath. And we have plans to go again this week with some post-partum clients and a woman trying to cure her infertility. It is really fun to keep finding little circles of women, to be together in this little womb-like cave, to sing, cry, sweat, release, etc.....

One thing that is so easy to learn here (when I apply myself) is living in the present! Because feelings of spaciousness are so rare, when they come, you just have to savor them b/c you know they might not last long...and in all the bustle, if I can keep my focus and attention, the work is so rewarding. It feels so good to be really present with laboring women (yay doulas!), even when other people in the room are gabbing away...I've gotten lots of positive feedback from women after thier births about how they felt calmer once they came here b/c we were so understanding and empowered them to make thier own decisions about even the minutest details of thier births!

Two tips: 1) you wouldn't believe how incredibly flexible the female pelvis is during birth (you can squeeze the hips (to make the pelvic outlet bigger or to ease back pain) and literally the bones move inches! and 2) how it is ususally do helpful to show the mom in a large mirror her baby's head when it is crowning (also if the dad is behind her he can see whats going on too)....it seems to embody her more...she can see why she feels like she is ripping in two and helps integrate the sensations....

Last night a little girl was born named Shakina (who knows that goddess-song? It was fun to sing it to her in her first few minutes)

Love,me

bleeding heart

2006-09-25T16:38:00.000-05:00

dearest ones,

i had a fabulous relaxing weekend (although i was quite sick with a cold on friday and saturday, but i went to a homeopath and now i feel much better)...did a lot of reading, mellowing, napping, eating healthy food....

but, this morning, a woman came in in labor and told us that she hadn't felt the baby move since Saturday (2 days ago) and indeed, when we checked for the fetal heart tones (which we did for like 20 minutes) there were none. We wanted to send her to the hospital so she could have an ultrasound (in the very off chance that we were wrong), but she wanted to wait for her mom to arrive to accomany her....I stayed with her during most of her labor, as she was vomitting a lot....in any case, afer a few hours, she was ready to give birth and we had just told the mom and mom-in-law that the baby was dead....so, I caught a stillborn babygirl this morning...it was so sad; she looked so perfect initially, a little prurple like most babies are when they are born, but no heart beat, lots of old meconium (indicates that there was fetal stress along time ago) in the amniotic fluid, and so floppy. We cleaned her and dressed her and wrapped her in a sweet blanket...I just kept wanting to put my hand on her lifeless little body and breathe life into it....After a while, once the placenta came out and we examined it, we could see that it was really small and calcified (really hard like a rock in places) and so we think many the baby wasn't receiving enough oxygen....It was a hard morning....and then I did a bunch of prenatal exams while Angelina was in the hospital getting a birth certificate for this little babe.....

So, signing off, heavy-hearted
nelita

Munchkins

2006-09-22T19:58:00.000-05:00

As you might imagine, some of my favorite moments are when the siblings are around...I miss my little people!

This little girl is so funny....she was very interested in playing 'midwife' and I was more than happy to help her measure her mom's belly and listen to the heartbeat....the best part was when she discovered her mom's hip bone and then said, 'What's this?'...We told her its a hip bone and that she has one too.....she listened with the stethescope and then pronounced, 'Its dead!'

Splish Splash!

2006-09-22T18:53:00.000-05:00

Here I am with Angelina giving a bath to a little lovie I caught this AM...born in her amniotic sack...a really gentle birth....

Dar a Luz (the word for to give birth literally means Give to Light)

2006-09-20T14:22:00.001-05:00

Hi Wonderful Folks….

Well, I’ve been here for almost 3 weeks and I’ve seen about 12 births and caught 5 babies myself….I’ve assisted at tons (usually 10 a day at least) of prenatal checkups (lots of blood pressure taking, Fetal Heart Tone monitoring, massages, turning of babies, nutritional counseling, etc). And yesterday, while Angelina was in a birth, I did one totally on my own and actually managed to turn a baby (with a rebozo massage) into a better position that wasn’t hurting the mama (so, I guess my Spanish is improving if I can do an entire check-up...well, it was pretty straight forward, but still, I’m proud of myself).

What else? Oh, I went to a C-section birth the other day (something I’m sure I would never be able to waltz into so easily in the States…they don’t even let the papa or other support person in the operating room here). Anyway, it wasn’t for a medical reason; she was just insistent on not giving birth vaginally (and one thing I’ve learned is that birth is a long process of surrender and it is quite possible to make the labor very long, tense, and painful if you are tired, stressed, scared, unsupported, etc). Although the doctors were really nice and competent, it was still rough for me to watch how they yanked the baby out, smacked it and carried it upside down to the table far from its mom to poke, prod, measure, inject, bulb-syringe it, all under a really bright light while it was hysterically crying…and although I was interested in the surgery, I went over next to the baby just to gently talk to it and put my hand on its rapidly beating heart, to calm it a bit (all the male surgeons there were all chatting to each other, but it seemed like the mom and baby were just routine objects to work on, not living souls)….and afterwards, the mom was so woozy, she didn’t even know she’d had a baby was totally shaky and vomiting all over the place (not like there were spare towels or anything for me to catch it in)….oy….I am definitely thankful for c-sections in emergencies, and I'm glad I got to see how they do it...I’m curious how c-sections differ in the States….I’m sure the equipment at least appears more sterile and modern…I felt like I was time-warped back into the 1960s J

It is interesting here that many women arrive to give birth with their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, friends, mother in laws, other children and also the papa….It feels so perfect to have that much support around the birth (and often after the baby is born, they are all crying and thanking God)….built-in doulas…I imagine this also really helps women at their own birth if they’ve been to another birth before in their lives (we show birth videos here, too, to expectant parents)….However, yesterday at the labor of one young mama was doing just fine, but as things were picking up, of course the labor got more painful and the mom and sister kept asking me to inject her like they do at the hospital (where they’d had their babies) to make the contractions stronger and get the baby out faster (aka giver her Pitocin, which makes the contractions much more painful and can cause fetal distress b/c the baby doesn’t get as much oxygen when the uterus is super-contracted for such long periods of time, plus we don’t give pain relievers like they usually do in the US in conjunction with labor stimulants). Luckily, when they left the room, we talked to the mom and she seemed clear she didn’t want those drugs (really, who is going to choose more pain?)…the baby was born not long afterwards, gently without any tears (to a first-time mom of 17)…Afterwards, they were giving the baby chamomile tea in a bottle instead of breastfeeding her…it was really frustrating (but, I keep noticing when I think I’m RIGHT and know THE BEST WAY for everyone else and balancing that with advocating for the health of the mama-baby) I still don’t quite understand the culture here about who ‘owns’ the woman’s body (Angelina tells me she sometimes injects the women with water when the family insists on drugs, just to appease them:)

The women that come here are generally young….pregnant at 15 to 26, I’d say, although other women come for menopausal problems, or fertility treatments, etc…Luckily, I haven’t taken it to heart and and decided to settle down yet, but all the oxytocin (love hormone..research it—its so fascinating!!!) flowing around here makes me want to have a billion kids and pronto!

Much Love,OMS
p.s. This is the mom whose baby I caught when Angelina was at church....sweet little munchkin....

Hi lovies!

2006-09-14T22:03:00.000-05:00

Another busy day...two births and lots of others seeking consultations...I´m learning how to turn babies that are malpositioned and am learning lots about local herbs to cure just about anything...I caught the head of a gigantic baby this afternoon....but, its shoulders were stuck and so angelina had to get them out...it was huge (she weighted more than 9 lbs....which i guess isn´t that big, but this mom was tiny)...I think it might be diabetic b-c it is hugely chubby; feels like a 2 or 3 month old...I am learning about prenatal nutritional counseling, too...so many people here drink tons of Coke, etc and don´t really eat veggies....oy
by the way, i had written my address incorrectly in the last blog, so if you decide to write, check the blog again that says ´my address´...I just fixed it...
Love
O

My address

2006-09-12T14:21:00.001-05:00

Incase anyone wants to write me (as getting mail is my favorite thing ever), my address here is:

Angelina Martinez
O´Nell Starkey
Privada Ingeniero Pedro Salcedo S.N.
Col. Temixco Centro, Morelos
Mexico
62580

Busy Busy

2006-09-12T14:21:00.000-05:00

We had 3 births yesterday and women still coming for prenatal care, too....we had to care for them in the house...as there are only 2 rooms and 3 beds in the birth center...I´ve caught 3 babies in the past few days (and witnessed a few more births (serving more as a doula)....and I received one when Angelina was in Church
and i was here all by myself (nothing like being forced to trust yourself and women´s bodies)....We´re making plans to decorate the birth center...like paint the walls....add art, etc....and I thought i could get away from painting when I came here ;) i´m going to perhaps make some yummy birth art too...yeah projects!!!!

I am very happy here....trying desperaely to remember spanish and think in spanish...my brain feel too full from all I´m learning on so many fronts...

Love,
O´Nellie

Woah!

2006-09-09T14:42:00.000-05:00

Well, folks, I´m on day 5 or so and at 1:40 this afternoon, I CAUGHT MY FIRST BABY!!! Hands on learning to say the least....It was the most incredible experience; felt both totally miracle-amazing-huge and also totally normal (like all births do to me)...I swear my hands knew what to do...She was sitting on a birthing stool, and the labor was really long and hard because the baby was asynclitic (the head was cock'eyed, not straight down), which makes it more difficult for the baby to pass through, and although we tried to rotate it with a rebozo, it was already too molded...anyway...we used moxa to stimulate stronger contractions....her mother, mother in law and sister (hubby in the USA) were all there helping her, holding her, wiping her forehead, and also all telling her what to do (oy!)...I love that Angelina always defers power back to the mom, giving suggestions, but only doing them if she wants to...and she has such faith in the body--that it knows what to do (duh)...so, I caught the slippery little bugger (a sweet boy) and the placenta...My heart is swollen with joy and awe and love and it just seemed so right that all those women were there, trusting her...I´m going to go cry a bit and wash these bloody pants...
Sometimes I feel like I´ll never be able to learn all I need to know and sometimes I feel semi-competent...ay, the learning process....
So, its official...I can´t believe this will be my job...what a blessing...I´m so in love with it...people...my heart is overflowing here in Mexico...
amor

Hola Amigos!

2006-09-07T13:04:00.000-05:00

Hi friends!!!

Well, I´m here...in Mexico...a little outside Cuernavaca central...its been an amazing ride so far and I´ve only been here for about 3 days....I´ve helped Angelina with a bunch of prenatal appointments...Its amazing, she doesn´t have regular hours, but the women just come and sometimes wait 4 hours, just sitting outside the casita (little house on her property where she attends births), waiting for her (and she sometimes doesn´t eat all day-from 9 am to 9 pm-some women are really pushy, not letting her leave to walk 10 steps to the house to have lunch). Prenatal appointments cost about $3 US and a birth is about $150 US....sliding scale though....

I´ve been really impressed with the care and attention she gives all the women, really making them feel comfortable and healthy; its crazy though because she doesn´t keep track of who is who in writing and I guess some women just show up in labor, never having seen her before--last month she attended 27 births!! alone! i thought she had people working with her, but not so--she´s incredible and in a few weeks, I´ll be able to be of more use, I think, once I learn some basics. She really listens, takes her time, gives gentle advice and often does rebozo work, which is using a shawl-or sarong-like cloth--sort of slinging the woman´s back (while she is lying down on her back) in it and standing over the mama, rocking her hips and belly to turn babies who are mal-positioned, ´close` the body after births (by tightly squeezing them in it, etc), relieve tension, etc. She uses moxabustion (see photo) (heating meridian points on the energy lines of the body (like in Chinese medicine, but she learned it all here from her mama and grandma)) to stimulate whatever--fertility, contrations, relaxation, etc.

I was doula-ing @ a labor last night that eventually ended up getting transported to the hospital @ 4 am....

Anyway, aside from seeing the clients, I´ve been to a Jehovah´s Witness meeting en español (the family here is JW), which was interesting, I guess :) and also went to a fair, where I saw all sorts of rickety amusement park rides that looked like they were going to collapse @ any second...i just watched, claiming I didn´t want to hurl my cookies...even though secretly i didn´t want to die :)...also, we went to the hospital to register babies born here with the government--the birth certificates are carbon copies of handwritten names all collected in a big ledger book, like how they do everything in India...I guess there are 38 midwives in this little area that do homebirths, etc...I´ve heard the hospitals are seriously abusive here--no family is allowed, they tell the mom to shut up and strap her down...oy vay!

The house here is really nice and spacious and I have my own room!! and the family (5 boys, 3 that live here) is really nice. I´ve definately felt frustrated with my Spanish, as I feel like I am constantly drunk (especially late at night when my brain shuts down), unable to spit out what I want to say, sounding slightly idiotic all the time, but I know that will improve shortly...and I have already learned so so much --

So, friends, sigining off...I hope you are all well
Love you all

Test Run

2006-09-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

Just trying to see if this will work and my peeps will be able to view it...
Love you
O'Nellie