Hospital at 7 am sharp!

We were told to be there at 7 am for a tour. But if you are familiar with Latin America countries sometimes the reality is a little more relaxed. We are motley crew, in scrubs that didn't fit right, scrub hats that kept falling off, masks etc. Some of these girls are beginning students or doulas that are not used to scrubs.

Our Tour actually didn't start till about 9 am! And I think it was after 1 before we were done! They were very pleased to show us around! I was excited to see this room with simulators since I would love to teach some classes !

This is the first hosptial in Dominican republic with a milk bank!

The whole hospital was very impressive. I was expecting it to be more like Kenya, but this is a modern, clean well equipped hospital. With real sheets on the bed!

Some of the practices are still out of date, and some things still shock me, like the mom having to get up within 10 minutes of delivery and sending them home 4 hours after!

Or one baby today that was perfect, we were later told something concerned them, so they sent the baby to the NICU. Although the baby was perfectly fine by the time we saw it up there, the baby is now in the system and will be staying one or two nights. The mother was then sent home. Mothers can come see their babies in the NICU at 10 am only. One good thing, is because they have a milk bank at this hospital they will give the baby breastmilk. But it will miss it's mothers colostrum, skin to skin care etc. Breaks my heart!

The frustrations and the helplessness is a similar feeling to other low resource countries. You have to take your eyes off the big picture and minister to one mom at a time. Pour out love and pray for those moms and babies.

Today my students did a delivery with me with

A sweet Christain mom from Hatai. She didn't speak English or Spanish, and communication is difficult. But at one point she was singing and we could tell many times she was praying! I'm so happy we could be there for this sweet mama and my students were incredible! Doing such a great job!

Our day ended with few of us going out to eat at a true Dominican coffee shop.

I had a spiced salmon with sweet potatoes. But they were not orange but yellow.

Things are always different then expected, but I know God has a plan! Looking so forward to see what that plan holds next!