Thursday, March 27, 2014

Rebeccas baby

In my last blog, I talked about being overwhelmed. About needing time to myself. How I felt like I couldn’t help everyone that needed something from me. I was feeling stretched to my limits. Well, a lot of this had to do with school starting. School uniforms and school supplies were being bought, students were registering in classes, and everything else in between had been going on. For several kids in town, who are part of my sponsorship program, I was able to buy or have donated what they needed to start classes on time. Everything from shoes, notebooks, backpacks, uniforms and pencils. Its safe to say the owner was very happy for my business that day.

One family, who is very dear to me, is Rebecca and her 4 kids. Rebecca, 25 years old, is a single mother (father in and out of the picture) trying to “raise” and “support” her children, all under the age of 8. Rebecca has a few personal issues of her own which makes it hard for her to be a “good” mother. Brayan, her 8 year old son, was in Kinder with me 3 years ago, where I first met Rebecca and the family. I met her youngest daughter Juliana (who was just one month old) my first week ever in Honduras. I love seeing the kids grow up, especially in their first years, where they change the most. With seeing them grow up, also comes a deep emotional connection.

As school was starting, I made my way to Rebeccas house to check if she would send her kids to school this year. (Last year was one excuse after another). She said yes but that her twins, Andrea and Royle didn’t have birth certificates and without them, the couldn’t go. Why one would wait 7 years to get birth certificates for their kids, I will never understand. “Well, lets get them then” I said, not knowing what I was getting myself into. So we began our forever – almost impossible adventure of getting birth certificates. (read about this process in a blog I posted 3 years ago http://katlyninhonduras.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-like-were-in-nyc.html its after the tarantula story)

To make a long story short, one morning Rebecca shows up at my house. She shows me the papers and copies she was able to gather and asks me to keep them so they wouldn’t get lost. We start talking about other things like how things are at home, her nonexistent boyfriend and her pregnancy, then she pauses… “Catalina, would you like to have my baby?”

Would I like to have her unborn baby? My throat closes up and Im speechless. She continues…”Because this is my 5th child, I don’t work and I already have 4 children. I came to ask you because I don’t know anyone else to ask.

I ended up telling her that I would love to take her baby but that I don’t have a stable job or home. I explained to her that I would help take care of the baby whenever she needed me and help with food/medicine/whatever else, until she found a place for the baby. I would help her through this process as well as to look for an orphanage or another option.

So we did. We visited an childrens home and talked about options. I gave her advice as best I could but ultimately the final decision was hers. Then the day came. Friday, March 7th, I get a call at 4 am in the morning, “Catalina, Im in labor” I rush to Miladys house where Rebecca had planned to give a home birth. 

With pajamas still on and camera ready to roll, we waited. And waited and waited. Finally 11:30 am came around and Miladys recommended we go to the hospital in case there was a complication. Rebecca was against the idea for fear of the hospital (here I would be too, I don’t blame her)

We flagged down a taxi. Already two people in it and Rebecca, myself and her cousin, Samantha were still to get in. No big deal. Rebecca gets in the front seat and the taxi driver asks if her water will break on his seat…haha….so the four of us get in the backseat piled like little kids. On the way to La Ceiba, Rebecca continues her contractions. Seems like the taxi ride is making them come faster. All I can think about is the internet article Allison read about “How to give birth in a taxi” and just hoping that doesn’t happen.

We first arrive to get an ultrasound to make sure the baby is okay. The technician is on lunch break, of course. She comes back and everything shows up fine. It’s a baby boy! We pay the lady and grab a taxi to head to the hospital. Rebeccas contractions are getting worse. First, though, we had to stop by a farmacy and pick up nailpolish remover (apparently if a C-section is necessary you cant have nail polish on). We finally get to the emergency room and go in. No one is there to greet us or tell us where to go. Rebecca has a strong contraction so she stops and I go ahead to figure out where to go. Finally. Rebecca comes over and sits down in a chair where a doctor begins to attend to her. I was told I needed to go register her. With her id number just written down on a piece of paper I go to the register window to wait in line. In front of me is a baby with a broken wrist and a makeshift cast who just vomited all over the floor. Behind me is a construction worker who looks like he cut half his hand with a machete and blood is dripping everywhere. But there we all were, waiting in line to register before being attended too. That’s finished and I go back to the nurse and Rebecca. Samantha is on the floor on her hands and knees taking off Rebeccas nail polish as she is contracting in the chair. The nurse gives me a list of supplies I have to go buy. The hospital doesn’t have anything there, you have to go outside to a little hut and buy the gloves, needles, test tubes, IVs and whatever else. Once that is done I make my way through construction tape in the hospital to find labor and delivery. Found! Rebecca is admitted. Now were given her blood sample to take to the lab.


About 3 hours later we try to investigate Rebeccas situation. No one came out to tell us she had given birth or that it was a good delivery or anything. We caught her being transferred to recovery, wheeling across the construction site hospital.


Here is where all the women stay overnight. In the same bed as their baby. We didn’t know we were supposed to bring our own sheets for Rebecca so she slept on the plastic mattress. See that window in the back? Its broken, leading to the outside where its pouring down rain.




Here he is 18 days old! I got the entire morning to love this little guy J


As for now, Rebecca has a great opportunity working for an extended family member. She cleans and cooks for distant cousins and is given a room for her and her kids. She no longer has to live in a makeshift house of wood and tarp and worry about paying her $15 monthly rent. Being in this new location, also gives her the benefits of having other people around to help with her new baby. Samantha, has said she would like to take care of the baby as well. For now, this seems like a good solution. I will also be around to check on the kids and make sure things are running like they should. Please keep Rebecca and her family in your prayers. She believes in some weird things in regards to evil spirits that can harm her baby. Unfortunately this is way too common here in El Porvenir, even affecting the doctors in terms of prescribing medicine (ex. cant take until after the full moon). Please pray that they will look to the Lord in times like this. Please pray that she finds her worth as a mother and her importance in her kids lives. 

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