Home Birth - It's not a scary thing

While I have been in school for midwifery I have been learning about normal birth and how birth is God designed. Through the years I have had the privilege of supporting friends and family while they gave birth. Up until I started this course all the births I have been to were in the hospital.

In America we are taught that if we're good parents that want healthy babies then we have to deliver our babies in a hospital. Only someone who is irresponsible or a radical would consider a home birth. I have learned that healthy low risk women can safely give birth at home and actually have a better success rate with less interventions.

Listening to the fetal heart

I have been learning what home birth looks like and while I was in Hawaii I had the privilege of attending my first home birth.

Big sister listening to baby's heart.

Home birth can sound like a scary thing but for a healthy woman and baby it is safe.

Meeting the newest addition 

This birth was one of the most peaceful births I have ever witnessed. The first hour after birth we quietly monitored in the background while the family had a chance to bond with new baby. 

Bonding with baby while mom showers.

There were no bright lights or loud noises or medical staff pulling baby away for check-ups, baby had a gentle peaceful entrance into this world and it remained that way. Our team monitored momma and baby while we cleaned up and got them settled in for the night. We let them get a good nights sleep and the next morning we came back to check on momma and baby.

24 hour check-up / healthy baby

We did several follow-ups over the next few weeks, momma and baby did great and had no complications. Our final postpartum visit was a six weeks, as our parting gift we did a photo shoot of baby for the family.

Six weeks old, healthy and growing like a weed

As always I appreciate all prayers and words of encouragement. I'm thankful to be able to follow the calling that God has placed on my life. If you would like to contribute towards either my schooling or cost of living, I have three easy ways to give. If you need a record of your giving for tax reasons you can give through my church by downloading the Givelify App on your phone. Once you have the app on your phone search churches, Orchard Church 763 Battlefield Pkwy. Ft Oglethorpe, GA 30742.

After you register the church will have a link with my name on it just follow that and my church will forward the funds to me. Checks can be mailed to church, make the check out to Orchard Church. Don't put my name on the check but include a note with it letting them know to forward the funds to me.

Another way is to give through PayPal, just follow this link PayPal.me/THittle

Remember giving through PayPal is not tax deductible.

Any questions you have about my schooling or journey towards going to Haiti please feel free to ask.

Blood work and placing IV's

In school we have had midwives from all over the country come and impart their knowledge to us. The thing I have heard consistently from every one of them is that 'midwives are so much more than baby catchers'. With the skills we are learning I'm seeing that more and more.

Learning the basics

The first skill we learned was giving injections and checking glucose (blood sugar) levels.

Me giving an injection

Now we have moved to more involved procedures, drawing blood for lab work and IV placement.

Looking for "flashback" of blood

 Everybody did a great job and in my opinion was very brave.

Everyone took a turn and willingly was the patient

 Our instructor even offered her veins for practice.

Lizzy (our instructor) was willing to let some practice on her

 There is a lot of information that goes along with these skills, what labs are we drawing for and why would a mother need an IV.

 While midwifes in a developed nation might not sharpen all these skills because of the resources available close by, anyone working in an under developed area wouldn't necessarily have easy access to emergency help.

Learning the different areas you can draw blood from

 Nobody likes getting stuck by a needle but we all need the practice so we'll have the skill once we're taking care of mothers and baby's.

Even I got stuck

We had an entire week of practice. Everyone ended the week with marks (and some bruises) on their arms but we also got some confidence in our skill level.

First attempts at blood draws

 We even did emergency scenarios so we could practice the skills that we have learned so far.

Emergency scenarios 

 We practiced what we would do if a mother had excessive bleeding after giving birth and started going into shock. And yes we actually inserted an IV. Our instructor did put us on a little bit of a time constraint but there was also tremendous grace since we're still honing our skills.

We use fake blood to get an idea of what to much blood looks like

 In these emergency scenarios I think whoever is playing the patient probably has the most difficult role.

I'm learning so much and there are times I feel overwhelmed with it all but I know that once I'm out in the real world God will help me with my skills and knowledge.

As always I appreciate all prayers and words of encouragement. I'm thankful to be able to follow the calling that God has placed on my life. If you would like to contribute towards either my schooling or cost of living, Also I need to renew my passport which is an extra expense that you can help with. I have two easy ways to give. If you need a record of your giving for tax reasons you can give through my church by downloading the Givelify App on your phone. Once you have the app on your phone search churches, Orchard Church 763 Battlefield Pkwy. Ft Oglethorpe, GA 30742.

After you register the church will have a link with my name on it just follow that and my church will forward the funds to me.

Another way is to give through PayPal, just follow this link PayPal.me/THittle

Remember giving through PayPal is not tax deductible.

Any questions you have about my schooling or journey towards going to Haiti please feel free to ask.

Time in Thailand (A look back)

For two months in 2017, I had the opportunity to go to Thailand to help a missionary family. This family has been in Thailand for 16 years and all six of their children have been born there. I'm not sure how I missed posting about my time there but somehow I did. So here is an overview of my time there.

Family time around the piano

Because I was going to be there for an extended period of time my friends helped me find a place of my own. There was a cute little house that had just been built and was in my budget, the landlords worked with me on the price … such a blessing. 

The front of my Thai house

My landlord's lived across the street and were very sweet, they kept an eye out for me to make sure I was safe. They didn't speak English and I don't understand Thai so if charades wasn't working then we'd call someone that could translate for us.

View from the front door

 In Thailand the kitchen is typically set up outside and not in the common living area. I was fortunate that my friends had a camp stove that I could use. It took a little getting use to cooking on the little stove outside.

My "kitchen" area on the back porch

I really did like my little house in Thailand.

The shower was the only area that had hot water

My friends also had a scooter they let me use. The first few times out on the main road was a little nerve wrecking but I quickly got the hang of it. The first time I went to the store by myself I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find my bike again.

There are separate parking areas for bikes

One of the main reasons I came to Thailand was to help out with the kids, mainly with their schooling. The kids are really smart and their parents have done an amazing job with them so school time was fun and I learned right along with them.

Coloring with other missionary kids

I got to try lots of different food while I was there and most of it was really good. Since my friends have been in Thailand for so long they know all the good places to get food.

Even in familiar restaurants the food was different.

Durian fruit ice cream

The reason I had gone to Thailand was because my friend had difficult delivery with her last baby and was having a hard time recovering. I went to help out in the house wherever I was needed. I loved this family before I went and after spending so much time with them I love them even more.

Sweet momma and baby

If you would like to know a little bit more about the Stubenrach family and what I did in Thailand then you can look at my previous post, "Letter from friends in Thailand".

As always I appreciate all prayers and words of encouragement. I'm thankful to be able to follow the calling that God has placed on my life. If you would like to contribute towards either my schooling or cost of living, I have two easy ways to give. If you need a record of your giving for tax reasons you can give through my church by downloading the Givelify App on your phone. Once you have the app on your phone search churches, Orchard Church 763 Battlefield Pkwy. Ft Oglethorpe, GA 30742.

Once you register the church will have a link with my name on it just follow that and my church will forward the funds to me.

Another way is to give through PayPal, just follow this link PayPal.me/THittle

Remember giving through PayPal is not tax deductible.