This week has been baby week!
First, my "Haitian Family", the Steinhauers, welcomed two beautiful new bundles of joy into the world and I was honored to be there to meet them! As we passed the two little pink bundles around the room, the joy and celebration of life was palpable in the air. I couldn't keep the smile off my face.
First, my "Haitian Family", the Steinhauers, welcomed two beautiful new bundles of joy into the world and I was honored to be there to meet them! As we passed the two little pink bundles around the room, the joy and celebration of life was palpable in the air. I couldn't keep the smile off my face.
Ted, Kathy, Myself, and Tara, with the new twins Eden and Estelle
Then today, as we were packing up the clinic at Canaan, a grandmother brought a newborn baby to us. Thursdays are usually fairly slow and we were all packed up and about 2 minutes from leaving. This baby was very sick. He had an extremely high fever, an infected umbilicus, and he was septic. (For those of you who aren't medical, this means that the infection had travelled all the way into his blood).
By some divine providence, we had Laurie, a PICU nurse working with us. She was able to get the IV line in his little hand first try! Go Laurie! She humbly said "that's just what I do".
We administered IV antibiotics and Tylenol for his fever and immediately began transport to the hospital. We took him and his parents to the children's hospital where we were told by a very cold-hearted nurse and doctor that they had no place for this critically ill infant and we would have to leave.
We administered IV antibiotics and Tylenol for his fever and immediately began transport to the hospital. We took him and his parents to the children's hospital where we were told by a very cold-hearted nurse and doctor that they had no place for this critically ill infant and we would have to leave.
After being turned away by the children's hospital I was ready to take this little guy home to sleep in my room with me! Alas, my co-worker called me crazy and we tried another hospital, where with a little diplomacy our patient was taken. The baby's parents were so grateful I thought they might cry as they thanked us. The father stated he had not slept in the last 3 days, but could rest easy tonight now that he knew his family was in good hands.
Our little munchkin looking much healthier by the end of the day! <3 <3 <3
I am constantly amazed at the contradictions in this country, in the people I meet who are burnt out of compassion, and the people I meet who will go to great lengths to help eachother. Tonight I will go to sleep knowing that the cooperation between American and Haitian medical personnel helped save this baby's life. And that is no little thing :)
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