Things we love/ things we don't

We were sitting on our balcony talking about the highs and lows of working in such a low-resource environment, and thought it might be interesting to share our thoughts with you. So, here are our top 10 things we find difficult working in Uganda, and things we just adore.

Things that are challenging:

1) When babies don't breathe with PPV alone, and accessing oxygen requires sprinting down a long hallway and pushing through two sets of doors.

2) Monday mornings when the supplies are low from the weekend, the oxytocin is missing (again), we can't get any bleach or antibiotics till noon, and sterile gauze cannot be found, anywhere.

3) When we witness things that are against current practice guidelines such as holding a struggling baby up by the feet.

4) Wearing two pairs of gloves to tie a cord with no cord clamp as fast as we can. We are still so fumbly!

5) Suturing without breaking the bed; holding needle drivers that are not really needle drivers; and using only a headlamp to guide our way.

6) Returning to deliver another baby after difficult outcomes occur (shoulder dystocia, PPH, long resuscitations, ect..). We take a few breaths, pull ourselves together, and dive right back to work.

7) Lack of timely access to the operating room.

8) The knowledge that we sometimes feel swamped, yet only two Ugandan midwives work the floor at any given time. It is so frustrating to think about how little staff resources these amazing nurses/midwives have available, and how many women suffer as a result.

9)  Not speaking Lugandan like a pro, even though we are trying to master the basics. 

10) Missing our loved ones so far across the great big sea. 

Things we adore:

1) The pregnant dog that lives outside maternity ward 8; she spends her days trying to make friends with the resident flock of baby chickens.

2) The families waiting patiently for their loved ones on the grass with their yellow water jugs, plastic basins, basket-making supplies, and oodles of children.

3) The singing and drumming we hear occasionally while women are labouring.

4) Babies that breathe and cry right away.

5) Watching our preceptor Grace suture; we are in awe every time.

6) Walking in the hospital door every morning to see our mamas so happy tucked in bed with their little ones and family all around.

7) When we get to eat lunch, or even a snack.

8) Every single Ugandan midwife we have met and their enthusiasm for their work in such hard circumstances.

9) Looking up from an intense second stage and realizing the other one of us is always there (like magic!) to track down the blankets, find the cotton, and make up a delivery set.

10) Our new bilkon hotel family and how happy we all seem to be to see each other at the end of the day. It feels like summer camp!

-Liz and Shannon (Jinja)