Today at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao was very busy! There were many natural deliveries this morning and many cesarean sections this afternoon. I saw four births total today, two natural births and two cesarean sections. For one of the natural births, I was able to help with the delivery. I caught the baby's head when it came out, helped the nurse guide the rest of his body out, and handed him to his mother. The nurse also let me cut his umbilical cord. Erique was born at 10:27 A.M. and when he was born, he looked like he was smiling. It was so adorable! I was really impressed by Erique's birth because his mother was very calm for the whole process. She was admitted to the hospital already in very strong labor and progressed very quickly. She was accompanied by a doula and was very focused and alert. When Erique was born she was so happy and was really able to enjoy the moment. It is also interesting to note that once again, there was no doctor present. There were only Obstetric nurses and interns, which is evidence of the shortage of Obstetricians here.
I also was very excited to help with Erique's birth because this week new interns arrived at the hospital. Today was their second day and having been working there for a couple of weeks now, I was glad to be able to answer their questions about how things are usually accomplished. Thankfully, they speak English as well!
Tonight, after work I made chocolate chip cookies at home. It was so much fun and my host family was very impressed at how easy it was. I brought a package of cookie mix with me to make them since you cannot buy the mix here.
