14/05/04
January 23, 2012
Dear Friends and Family,
This past week has been very full. On Tuesday we had a very full day of patients. Since returning from the U.S.,I am making an effort to limit my gynecological clinic to Tuesday and Thursday and take care of emergencies. That day I admitted two patients with third degree uterine prolapse. These women’s internal reproductive organs were literally hanging out. I saw two patients with large pelvic masses, a patient with an ectopic pregnancy, a sexual assault case and many infertility cases. Just as I was preparing to leave for my lunch break my midwife, Bekalu, told me, “Dr., I think you need to see this pregnant patient. I think she may have triplets.” That definitely got my attention! This young woman waddled into our clinic room not remembering her last menstrual period. Her only previous pregnancy ended in a stillborn infant due to anencephally. I had not seen her before but she had been seen in our outpatient clinic back in September when our Ethiopian GP, Dr. Shiguti had examined her. At that time she was given a multiple pregnancy diagnosis of 22 weeks gestation. Even though I didn’t see her at the time, I am so thankful that I had that ultrasound to go by. By that calculation she was exactly 40 weeks. Triplets are almost always born at 35 weeks so this pregnancy was already unusual. When I did an ultrasound one of the baby’s heads measured at 30 weeks and another at 40 weeks. She had very little amniotic fluid. Two of the babies were head first and the third was breech. I knew these babies needed to be born immediately. She had eaten that morning so we made the decision to do her C-section that evening at the end of the gynecologic clinic.
All three babies lined up to see their mother
I told Allison at lunch time and she came in the late afternoon bringing new baby blankets, hats and three identical onesies along with two cameras. We hope to post a video for those of you that are strong hearted and don’t mind seeing blood. The first sisters came quite easily, weighing 2.5 and 2.6 kgs. Their little brother was a little more challenging. He weighed 1.6 kgs. and had meconium staining. He had definitely been under stress, but he cried lustily and later pinked up. Please keep this family in your prayers. They are from the countryside and have so little. Pray that this mother will be able to produce enough milk for her three babies. I asked if there was another mother in their village who could help nurse them and I was informed that this was not culturally done.
The couple with their three babies
Saturday morning I was awakened at 4:00 A.M. by Dr. Ronald, our Rwandan first year resident who could not reach me by phone. He was at our door with news of another mother who had just been brought to our hospital referred from a health clinic. She had been fully dilated for 15 hours. The baby’s heart rate was fluctuating between 70-140 beats per minute. We took her to surgery where she delivered a live baby girl. The mother did remarkably well.
Yesterday I was blessed to see multiple births of another kind. Abebe came by in the early A.M. and we went to the Stadium Kale Heywet church together. This is the largest Protestant denomination in the Wolaitta area and is similar to the Baptist church. This particular church is right by the hospital and is the largest of all the Kale Heywet churches. After their regular services they had a baptismal service where they baptized 365 new believers from eleven of the area churches. They have a large outside concrete baptistery. It was an exciting and beautiful event seeing these people give their lives to Christ and experience their new birth. I felt so privileged to be able to witness it.
People gathering to watch baptisms
One of 365 people being baptized on Sunday
Finally, we celebrated a birthday of another kind in the afternoon. Little Ephraim, Dr. Ruth and Dr. Mogus’ son turned one! You might remember the stressful weekend I had one year ago when Ruth was delivering with severe toxemia and I had two ruptured uteruses to manage. Ephraim weighed in at just under 2 kgs. Today he is a healthy red headed little toddler and Ruth and Mogus are expecting again in June.
For Allison’s impression of the triplet birth, please read her blog that follows.
P.S. If you did not see the pictures in this newsletter, make sure to click allow on your browser.
Thanks again for all your prayers and words of encouragement.
Love,
Mark and Allison
sending...