Flowers at the guesthouse

everyday events in bali

Cleaning and organizing

Today I cleaned one of the birth rooms, washing down all the tables and chairs and equipment. I have also sorted through boxes and organized closets while I have been here. 

I also made packets of clothes for the mothers to take home. Each mom gets a pack of clothes and a baby blanket to take home. For some of the babies that is all they have. So the baby blankets that were made are all being put to good use. Thank you all. 

I am setting up a crash cart for emergencies. Basically organizing everything that already exists into a cohesive  cart that is labeled in english and indonesian.

There are two women here in labor, one a third time mom and one  a first time mom. It will probably be a long night.  

I am enjoying my time with the Indonesian midwives, they have been very generous with me. Helping me to catch babies, and teaching me the language as we go. However I am hopeless at the language. I keep trying, they laugh and correct me and I keep trying. 

wonderful women

I am fortunate to room with two amazing young women, we all stay at the ashram, as volunteers. Our house is rustic, but together we make it home. We watch out for each other. We are constantly asking each other if we have had enough to drink, or brining home treats to one another. We plan our meals together and cook together and just hang out together. These women are brilliant, smart, well traveled and very aware of the cultures around them. They have enriched my experience. 

It came in handy the other day when we had 9 patients in labor, and 8 babies born in less than 24 hours. One of the moms had to be transfered to the hospital. Together these young women and I assisted the midwives, listening to heart tones on babies, rubbing the moms backs, helping them to relax or to Jolong-jolong (walk) in turns. 

I was able to catch three babies and help out with all of the mothers in some way. It was an intense and exhausting day. We all managed to eat and get short breaks. We worked together to make sure each mom had support when she needed it and to clean up, as we went.

These women are my friends and family in Bali.

usefullness

These are the Daily Offerings left every morning on our doorstep. 

They are beautiful small creations. 

Last night we saw 92 clients in prenatal and acupuncture clinic. It is amazing to see, all of the women and their families sitting patiently. It was exhausting. And in the midst a baby was born. I was working doing prenatals when the baby made its appearance. 

A day in Bali, though the day before, no clinics, no babies, just quiet, also a day in Bali. 

Being useful here is challenging. Sometimes I feel as though I am just an extra set of hands trying to do a job that is already being done, and no help is really needed. Sometimes I feel useful. Of course I prefer to feel useful. So maybe I will learn b

birth stories

I have been thinking about the stories of the births I have witnessed. 

I will not be writing specific birth stories or posting pictures of the families I help here. I cannot communicate well enough to ask permission of the families, and I do not feel comfortable sending their stories and images of them out into cyberspace. 

I have been to 7 births here and assisted with  of the births as a midwife. I have seen some complications, shoulder dystocia, labor dystocia (dystocia means stuck) and babies presenting with their heads just cocked slightly off center. One baby delivered LOT which basically means he was looking at his mothers leg instead of her back when he was born.  At every birth I am learning about midwifery, my role as a midwife, the practices I want to embrace and those that I want to avoid. 

Here I am also witnessing faith and spirituality completely intergrated into life. At births blessing are given and received, and prayers are sung to the new babies.  At one birht I sang Amazing Grace, and was brought to tears by the power of those words to hearten the mother, and strengthen the father. 

I have been embraced by new mothers and fathers, their families and the other midwives. The gratitude that the families express is overwhelming at times, because I am so grateful to them for allowing me to be present with them.

Tiramakasi/sama sama

Thank you or I give you love/ I also give you love

Because it is such an amazing an experience I will send snippets of stories, and images of the community in which I practice. I will always be grateful to the families here. 

love tree

three women at the clinic, one in active labor, two in very early labor. Acupuncture fertility clinic with about 30 people waiting. One volunteer out with the flu and another at the beach. It is warm and the mosquitos have not yet started to bite. 

Prenatal clinic will start soon and we will see somewhere between 20 and 30 women. 

It is always busy here. I worked with two westerners today one with a colicky baby and another who had fallen and was nervous about her baby. 

I keep trying to work on a project - online research for the clinic but never seem to have the time. I don't feel super busy I think it is just that the pace of things here is so different. I am always with other people. Almost no time alone. 

It is a cultural whirlwind, balinese traditions, hindu, muslim, christian, and then all of the westerners bring their cultures and beliefs, including of course me. I am trying to have an open heart and head, to learn from the teachers that appear before me. Two of the bidans, Indonesian midwives have taken time with me to learn, here they are my gurus. 

Terimakasih

thank you

Hi everyone

I am sitting in the office at the clinic. Had a very busy day today. At least three babies born today, and I assisted with one. It was amazing and a bit overwhelming. It was a waterbirth. We had slow shoulders, and that is always a high energy event. Baby came out and is fine. 

We also had a cleansing ceremony today at the clinic, and the whole community is getting ready for another big ceremony so all of the neighborhood women are dressed in temple clothes. 

We had several visitors who decided to drop in to see what we are all about.

There are so many people here all of the time I become overwhelmed with the number of people I interact with everyday. I live with 4 women so there is that as well. 

I have had fun though, getting a massage in Ubud our nearest city and also doing some shopping, It is an artists  culture here and I am enjoying all of the sites. I will post pictures tomorrow. 

bye for now

tree

Birth in Bali

I attended my first birth here a few days ago, and it was a gentle waterbirth. I am most struck by the families. They come and go and bring food for the mothers, They hold the babies a little, but mostly the moms rest with the babies for a day or two until the breastfeeding is established. 

I seldom here the babies cry.

I am beginning to feel like I might understand my role here. There are several other volunteers here, birth and office and accupuncturists. There are so many people. I feel as though I will never learn anyones names. But being here a few days, and I am starting to recognize people. 

Since my first birth I have attended two more, and was able to catch the baby and assist with the labor. It was wonderful to participate in a birth with so many different points of view. I am still in the role of a student so I ask lots of questions, and say "is it ok to do this or that" alot. 

Nights are very long here, for me. There are dogs everywhere and they fight at night so I wake up and sometimes can't get back to sleep. 

I did have Boxo which is the local soup sold by a vender in front  of the clinic. It was great, noodles and broth and meatballs, and crunchy fried things, mmm. And the clinic always has food too so today it was greenbeans and coconut. 

Tomorrow I think I will be going to a big temple ceremony with people from the clinic. We will take a two hour bus ride to the main temple in Bali. I have to wear special clothes. Really a serong and long sleeved shirt, I don't own real temple clothes. 

I miss everyone and my house, and cats. 

tree

sitting in bali

I am settling in. I am in Bali and I am finding my way.

I arrived day before yesterday, it was evening and a driver came to pick me up at the airport. My indonesian lessons began then. Pagi is morning. Sore is evening. Now I am going to take lessons with the other students here. there are three other students here now, and more arriving soon. 

We have our own space to live in, very rustic. When I got into bed, I heard, frogs, and crickets and so many unfamiliar sounds, and when I woke up it was to the voices of our next

door neighbors getting ready for the day and the roosters crowing. 

I began with a tour of the facility and then we went to a local guesthouse for lunch and a swim. 

As we walked through our neighborhood we saw statues and small altars everywhere. It is amazingly beautiful and green here. 

All of the students are very friendly and welcoming. 

I am going to  go to the store and ATM today and also purchase a phone, and figure out groceries. 

more later

treesa

Hong Kong

I flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong and arrived early in the morning. I stowed my bags at left luggage at the airport and hopped on the A21 to Kowloon to my guesthouse.

Above is a picture of my room. I checked in and then when out to explore. I walked all over the neighborhood and really enjoyed my day. I started out by walking to Nathan road and discovering Kowloon park. A beautiful place with lots of singing birds. 

I made it to The Avenue of the Stars for the light show over the harbor that happens every night, but I was not impressed. The harbor is beautiful but it was so foggy none of my pictures came out. 

I went to Ladies Market and to Temple Night market and ate food from stalls, octopus balls, doughy balls of octopus, corn and cabbage with a great sauce, sausages, and dumplings, all served on small sticks. I also loved the coconut sago, a slightly sweet coconut-tapioca drink. mmm and only $6Hong Kong Dollars, or about $1 us.