May 15, 2013: Day 8 at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao

Today it was my pleasure to visit baby Samuel and his mother after helping with Samuel's delivery yesterday. 

Both mom and baby are doing very well after the birth and should be ready to go home tomorrow morning.

May 14, 2013: Day 7 at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao

Today the number of births I have seen at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao rose to twelve. The best part is that for the twelfth, I helped catch the baby as he was born after remaining with his mother as a doula for the majority of her labor. On Saturday, I took a class at the hospital for doulas (women who assist other women during labor, helping ease pain, promote productive breathing, and provide communication for the patient to the doctors and nurses). I was grateful that today I could test what I learned. It is very difficult since I only know how to say a few things in Portuguese that have to do with labor! Overall, it was an 
excellent experience, even though it kept me at the
hospital for almost twelve hours.

 One of the directors of Maternidade Nascer Cidadao spoke at the doula class on Saturday regarding the purpose of having doulas during the birthing process.

I made some new friends at the doula class.

I also will mention the crazy sandwich I had for dinner tonight because it is very popular in Goiania. It was called X-Tudo. It is a thick bun that has a piece of hamburger with bacon, sausage, corn, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and potato sticks on it. I have no idea how I even fit it in my mouth, but it was so delicious!!

Finally, after dinner I met some more of my host family's extended family. Tonight I met my host mother's side of the family after meeting my host father's side of the family over the weekend. Both halves of the family are lovely and so welcoming. Also, there are so many of them that I fit right in.

    

 This is the X-Tudo that I tackled!    

May 10, 2013: Day 5 at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao, End of Week 1

Me with the Directors of the Maternidade Nascer Cidadao (in my scrubs!) 

and one of the doulas who will be having her own baby in a few months.

This week I have seen a total of eight births, given baths, taken many fetal heartbeats, and tomorrow I am attending a doula class for the community at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao (it's in Portuguese though so hopefully I understand some of it).

One thing I learned today that was striking was that Brazil has a lack of obstetricians. At this hospital, unless there is a major problem, the births are attended by obstetric nurses and interns from the universities in the city, which is much different than in the United States. Maternidade Nascer Cidadao only has three obstetric doctors who also all have their own practices at other locations. I also was told that the hospital very recently had to discontinue its prenatal care because it did not have enough staff and the doctors did not have enough time. Therefore, the women are forced to go to the public health clinics in the city for prenatal care which do not have doctors or money either. Despite this though, everyone is willing to teach me whatever they are doing and share whatever they have. Obrigada por tudo!

May 9, 2013: Day 4 at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao

Last night and tonight after working in the hospital, I went to class with my host sisters at the public medical school in the city. The classes were an oncology lecture series and at the end of the night they had prize drawings. So, tonight, my name was drawn and I won a stethoscope! It was very funny to hear the people who were drawing announce my name and say in English: "The stethoscope goes to...." What a great surprise! It was nice going to class here. It is pretty much the same as Alma though. However, the public education here is better than the private according to most and it is harder to be accepted and pass the entrance exams for the public schools.

"The stethoscope goes to...." at the Universidade Federal de Goiás

May 7, 2013: Day 2 at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao

Today at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao.....

First I went on rounds with the interns, checking up on the patients for the morning. Next, I shadowed the nurses while they took care of the women in labor and learned how to say things like "breath." When it was time, I was also allowed to observe the births. The first was a girl and the second a boy, both very cute! Then the nurses who were delivering the babies today asked me if I wanted to help more next time I watched. Though I am not quite sure what I would be able to do, it struck me again how willing everyone is to teach me whatever they are doing so I can participate as well. Once the deliveries were taken care of, other patients had arrived and the nurses taught me how to use a hand-held sonograph to listen to the baby's heart before he or she is born. Then, as the day was coming to an end yet again, I went to the nursery and got to feed one of the babies there.

If you couldn't already tell, today was a very busy day! It was much easier to understand non-English speakers as well, so hopefully that is a sign I am leaning quickly. I have the phrase "I do not speak Portuguese very well" down pat though, because many people mistake me for a nurse since I wear the same scrubs! Everyone is very kind though and just asks me where I am from, so now I am able to respond to that as well. However, on top of all the business, I was very tired because last night my friends from Brasilia were here in Goiania and they invited me to attend a Paul McCartney concert with them. It was part of his "Out There" tour through Brazil. The show was incredible and there were 48,000 people there. Paul McCartney sang many old Beetles songs and Wings songs and then came out for two encores at the end of the concert.

Entering the stadium where the concert was held took a long time since there were so many people.

We sat in the very back so this was my view of Paul McCartney, but the concert was definitely worth the trip!

The Finale...before the two encores

My friends from Brasilia, Louisa and her mom Janice, who took me to the concert

May 6, 2013: Day 1 at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao

Today was my first day working at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao. I arrived there at 7 am armed with only a few phrases in Portuguese: where is the doctor, I am an American student, my name is Katherine, etc. When I arrived, I did not know if anyone would speak English because yesterday, when my host sister and I visited the hospital, no one spoke English. The doctor with whom I was supposed to work was not at the hospital when I visited either so I did not know if he even spoke English! By the end of the day though, after saying "please repeat" many times, a lot of hand signals, and more than a few laughs, I am very happy to be able to experience Brazil in this way. I did find that the interns at the hospital speak a little English and are very willing to translate. Also, I would bet that the doctor, whom the interns refer to as "this man, the best in Goiania," knows much more English than he lets on. However, he is determined that I learn Portuguese, even making a rule (thankfully one the interns love to break when he is not in ear shot) that no one is allowed to say anything to me in English.

Once I settled in, I was able to do many things at the hospital. First I watched two cesarean sections and a tubal ligation. It was nerve wracking at first, but overall I enjoyed my time in the operating room. Time seemed to go very quickly there! It was interesting to see the interactions between the doctors and the interns during the surgeries as well. After that I spent some time with the interns and learned my way around a little. Lunch in the hospital kitchen was rice and beans (as it almost always is in Brazil). This left me time to speak to some of the doctors in Dr. Sebastiao's office and get to know them as well. I am so thankful everyone is so welcoming and helpful! It is very nice that the doctors and nurses do not mind showing me what they are doing and trying to communicate even with my limited language skills. Finally, I made my way to the nursery to see if I would be allowed to hold any of the babies. That was definitely a great ending!

2 Days to Departure

Two days to departure and I am becoming more and more excited. I cannot wait to meet everyone in Brazil who has been so kind in helping me plan this trip. I am so thankful for their generosity and patience! See you soon! Ate sabado :)