Can't Think of a Better Title

Though not a day passes that I don’t think of and miss home, the longer I’m here, the more I love Mutomo and Kenya.  This past week marked 5 months in the country.  When I first arrived last October I had frequent nightmares about snakes (I still do sometimes).  Now I find myself having nightmares about having to leave Kenya.

The delivery room.

Equipment for neonatal resuscitation.

This is the vacuum machine they use to pull out babies' heads if the delivery is too slow.

Maternity beds for women in 1st stage of labor (0-9cm cervical dilation).

Baby Collins and his mother.

I’ve been on maternity ward now for almost 2 months, and I have a few more deliveries under my belt.  It can either be really busy, or completely dull… such is the nature of maternity.  A couple weeks ago we had a baby born who suffered asphyxia during a prolonged delivery.  Initially he seemed okay, but then during morning rounds we discovered the baby twitching in slight convulsions.  His mother reported that he’d been doing that all night long (but she didn’t say anything!).  We monitored his closely throughout the day.  Later, it was noticed that he was developing some difficulty in breathing.  The child was immediately put on supplemental oxygen and started on anti-seizure medications.  We were worried for a bit, but I’m happy to report that the child did well.  After a few days, he showed no signs of seizure activity. 

Aside from the seizures, Collins (that’s his name) was also having trouble feeding well.  I had to spend a bit of time coaching his mother on how to feed him properly.  Never in a million years did I ever think I’d be given a woman tips on breastfeeding.  Mother and baby were discharged home last weekend, both healthy. Before they left, I took a photo of them together and printed copies for the mother.  Most people here don’t have cameras to photograph their newborns, and I think she was happy to have a photo of her baby.

Sadly, not all the stories end so happy.  Just last night we had a premature baby die.  He was delivered prematurely at around 29-30 weeks.  His mother did kangaroo care, in which the baby is kept on the mother’s chest, skin-to-skin, 24/7.  This helps regulate body temperature, bonding, feeding, and weight gain.  Initially the baby seemed to be doing well for being so premature.  Typically, a fetus’ lungs are mature at around 35 weeks gestation, and yet he was breathing very well.  The mother was not able to produce breast milk, so we began supplementing with formula in a syringe.  The next day, though, he began having episodes of apnea, and by the evening our two gynecologists knew that it was only a matter of time before he died.  During labor, the membranes ruptured very early and delivery was delayed.  It’s believed that the baby aspirated meconium and developed a respiratory failure due to infection.  It’s sad to know that this baby probably would have survived in the U.S., but here there is no mechanical ventilator available, and most people can’t afford to seek care at the more advanced hospitals in Nairobi.

The hospital has been low on supplies lately.  Last month we were completely out of normal saline, a standard IV fluid.  That may not mean much to someone not familiar with healthcare, but let’s just say that a hospital running out of normal saline is like KFC running out of chicken.  Our pharmacists had to go to town and buy IV fluids from the local chemists (pharmacies).

Standing over the Rift Valley.

View of the Rift Valley.

Last week I took a four-day trip to the northern part of Kenya.  I was accompanied by Fr. Dan, a friend I met back in the U.S.  He has been studying in San Diego and Washington, D.C. for the past few years, but recently returned back home to Kitale, Kenya.  We journeyed through the beautiful Rift Valley, a massive stretch of fertile land which spans the entire country and produces most of Kenya’s food.  It was a nice change of scenery from the usual dry climate of Mutomo.  The roads were lined with forests of pine trees, and the weather was extremely cold and windy… I think it’s the first time I’ve worn my sweatshirt since arriving in Kenya.

On our journey we stopped for a day in Lake Nakuru National Park.  I saw the usual buffalo, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, and baboons.  But unique to this area are the flamingoes.  The birds are really a beautiful sight, dotting the shores of Lake Nakuru with pink.

With Fr. Dan and his mother.

In Kitale we toured Fr. Dan’s home town, met with his family, and visited the farm where he was born and raised.  I was also treated to a lot of great food (and some not so great).  Nyama choma (roasted meat) is a popular dish in Kenya.  I had yet to taste it, so Fr. Dan took me to several places which serve this Kenyan version of BBQ.  Most of the local restaurants are nothing more than a dirty wooden shack, but I pushed my fears of cleanliness out of mind, said a quick prayer (“Please, God, don’t let me get diarrhea”), and plunged into the meal.  I wasn’t disappointed; the food was great! (except for the goat intestines).  Also common here is roasted maize which people sell on the side of the roads.  For only 20 kshs (about 24¢) you get to enjoy a big cob of hot BBQ corn… we stopped for this three times during our drives. 

Githeri, a Kenyan staple dish of maize and beans.

Fr. Dan's family farm.

Roasted maize!

Nyama choma...

...and more nyama choma.

On the return trip to Mutomo, we took an alternate route to bypass Nairobi and it’s chaotic traffic.  I was glad we did, for the landscape was the most beautiful I’ve seen so far in Kenya.  The roads were bordered by lush forests, and plantations of tea, coffee, and pineapple carpeted the rolling hills as far as the eye could see.

Got to cross the equator and visit my home hemisphere for a couple days.

Tea plantation

And more tea!

We returned to Mutomo just after 8pm, and not a bit too soon.  Less than an hour after our return, the first rains of the second rainy season came tumbling down, accompanied by lightning and thunder.  It rained all night and continued well into the next morning.  The people of Mutomo are undoubtedly very excited.  Now that the first rains have fallen, they will start planning crops in their shambas. 

However, during the storm, a tree branch fell and hit the power lines to the hospital houses.  For three days now we’ve been without electricity.  Normally I would just rely on solar power for lights at night, but with the constant cloud cover, even the solar batteries are dead, and I’ve been forced to use my “torch” (flashlight) to cook, use the bathroom, and find my bed at night.  You don’t realize how much you depend on electricity until you don’t have it anymore.  Even now as I’m writing this I am sitting at the convent next door, freeloading on their electricity to run my computer.  Hopefully we’ll have power by tomorrow!

Here are a few more photos from around Mutomo:

The last Sunday before Lent.

Can you spot me?  I'm the mzungu way in the back.

Another Saturday at the market.  Bought some bananas and avocados.

Bought some potatoes from this lady.