Finally starting to get to work in the hospital. Today and yesterday I've been working on the Ob/Gyn service, seeing outpatients and observing some C-sections and other surgeries. It's just such a different world here. I was watching an ultrasound on a pregnant woman yesterday, and we discovered she was going to have twins. I would have expected this to be exciting news for her, but when she was told she was going to be having 2 babies she looked devastated. I found out that she has already had 3 children, and she has had to give up her eldest to be raised by her sister-in-law because she and her husband cannot afford to care for all 3 children. And now this pregnancy brings 2 more. You wonder why the couple doesn't consider some kind of permanent birth control. It's not that it isn't available, they just don't know and don't understand.
If an prenatal ultrasound is done here, it is illegal for a doctor to reveal the sex of the baby before it is born. Male children are much more highly regarded, and infanticide is a major problem with female babies. It is very common for a women to terminate the pregnancy herself if she finds out it will be a girl. A doctor that discloses the sex of a fetus will lose his license and spend 5 years in jail without bail, and the parent who finds out the baby's sex before delivery will be fined 50,000 rupees (almost $1100). They're not kidding around.
I'm having to make a lot of adjustments here. First, there are no showers... or bathtubs... or hot running water. Only a bucket and a heating rod. The heating rod is plugged in and suspended in a bucket of water, and in about 20-30 minutes you have hot water - assuming there are no power outages, which happen several times daily. Once you've manage to get a bucket full of hot water, a smaller cup is used to pour the water to bathe with. It's really not that bad, but it does make me question how necessary it really is to bathe every single day.
There is also no central heating. Fortunately, the afternoons are quite comfortable, usually in the high 60s. The nights, however, get very cold. The blankets on the beds are very thick, though, and I can stay warm if I sleep in layers.
I'm slowly getting used to the food. It's basically the Indian version of cafeteria food, but it's not bad. I'm getting braver with the things I try, and I'm finding ways to help cut down on the spiciness by pairing spicy things with lots of rice and roti, which is basically a tortilla made with wheat flour.
So I'm slowly starting to get a little more comfortable here, day by day. There's a lot to get used to. But I just keep reminding myself of the reasons I came, and since I'm only here a short while I'm trying to do what I can while I'm here and take in as much as I can while I'm here. I saw a quote by Mother Theresa yesterday that said, "Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty that the person who has nothing to eat." So I'm trying to find ways to convey love without words, since I don't speak the patients' language. Please help me pray that I will be able to be of some help here, and that God will continue to give me strength.
I miss you all!
If an prenatal ultrasound is done here, it is illegal for a doctor to reveal the sex of the baby before it is born. Male children are much more highly regarded, and infanticide is a major problem with female babies. It is very common for a women to terminate the pregnancy herself if she finds out it will be a girl. A doctor that discloses the sex of a fetus will lose his license and spend 5 years in jail without bail, and the parent who finds out the baby's sex before delivery will be fined 50,000 rupees (almost $1100). They're not kidding around.
I'm having to make a lot of adjustments here. First, there are no showers... or bathtubs... or hot running water. Only a bucket and a heating rod. The heating rod is plugged in and suspended in a bucket of water, and in about 20-30 minutes you have hot water - assuming there are no power outages, which happen several times daily. Once you've manage to get a bucket full of hot water, a smaller cup is used to pour the water to bathe with. It's really not that bad, but it does make me question how necessary it really is to bathe every single day.
There is also no central heating. Fortunately, the afternoons are quite comfortable, usually in the high 60s. The nights, however, get very cold. The blankets on the beds are very thick, though, and I can stay warm if I sleep in layers.
I'm slowly getting used to the food. It's basically the Indian version of cafeteria food, but it's not bad. I'm getting braver with the things I try, and I'm finding ways to help cut down on the spiciness by pairing spicy things with lots of rice and roti, which is basically a tortilla made with wheat flour.
So I'm slowly starting to get a little more comfortable here, day by day. There's a lot to get used to. But I just keep reminding myself of the reasons I came, and since I'm only here a short while I'm trying to do what I can while I'm here and take in as much as I can while I'm here. I saw a quote by Mother Theresa yesterday that said, "Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty that the person who has nothing to eat." So I'm trying to find ways to convey love without words, since I don't speak the patients' language. Please help me pray that I will be able to be of some help here, and that God will continue to give me strength.
I miss you all!
1 comments:
I am truly amazed by your stories. Your courage and drive is inspirational. I too would cut the showers down to an as NEEDED basis with the bucket and rod system. We will have to discuss the Indian bathroom practices in more detail when you get back...you know I always have questions about these crazy things. We are all thinking about you here and I will work on the prayers. Please be safe and contact me if you need anything. Thank you for sharing you experience with us.
Brian G.
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