A tour

I have been struggling to find words to describe how one moment I am overjoyed and the next completely overwhelmed. Happiness filters through our day: a new mama smiles shyly at her infant; our nurse friends giggle at our spirited attempts at Lugandan; I stare out the window to waiting families turning the hospital grounds into a colourful spring picnic of grass mats, toddlers, yellow thermoses, and coke bottles. Yet, I am surprised to experience such frustration. Essential birth supplies are here one day, and missing the next. Women arrive to the hospital too late or too sick for us to help. We struggle with differences in practice, and in building space for labouring women to find autonomy in a hospital culture of rounds, rounds, rounds, and vaginal exams, vaginal exams, vaginal exams. I can't ever find charts, even when I had them five minutes earlier. With this said, there is something amazing about working here, in forming connections across vast cultural divides, in how the soda seller at the hospital canteen saves a mango juice box for me each morning. I love that Shannon and I feel like a smooth team as we care for our women- regardless of outcome-as best we can. For now, I am holding close these moments and hope that later, I will begin to find some understanding. I think what I will remember is that this was beautiful.

So, in lieu of specific birth stories for you today, here is a mini-tour of our beloved hospital so you can get a sense of where we spend our days. I hope you enjoy them!

-Elizabeth (Jinja)

The Labour Ward:

 Our Resuscitation Area:

 Delivery Room #1:

 Curtains between beds:

 Our little kitchen, with a favourite nurse:

 A beautiful mother and her new babe: