Mornings start early here at the Gap Medics house, there is an early bus that leaves at 6.30am but everybody else is up and having breakfast between 7am and 7.30am before our buses leave at 8am. We made it to the hospital (I swear we go a different way each time!) where we were met by a doctor who took us straight to the OT where we saw an ovarian cyst being removed. Now this cyst started to grow when the woman was a developing embryo. The cells of this woman split differently to a 'normal' person and she had this other cell developing on her left ovary. The cell developed into a cyst about 10cm in diameter and had part of the woman growing inside it which was quite interesting, and it was also very off-putting when we cut it open to see what was inside…I won't go into detail…Next we saw another female sterilisation, and I chatted to the nurse (on the side as not to distract the doctors or disrespect the patient) throughout the procedure about pros and cons of this operation and found out that once a family was 'complete' about 2 or 3 children and a mother and father, then the woman would be sterilised about a day after giving birth to her last child. (Unless it is a cesarean birth in which case it can all be done in the one operation) Next we went on a lunch break and then headed over to the ob/gyn ward where we met the recovering mothers and their babies. We were shown through the ward and the different rooms like the breastfeeding room where the mothers learn how to breastfeed. (They are also given a tea made out of local tree bark, which encourages lactation, they offered some tea to us, but we declined because we were unsure as whether it would make us lactate!!) We were then shown into the baby bathing room. The babies are bathed every day at 2pm and this is when the first time mothers are also taught. There were a few mothers that we unable to bath their babies because they were still recovering from birth so the girls and I who are in the mid/ob/gyn placement got to bathe them, we also got to have cuddles too.

While watching the cesarean yesterday I had many mixed feelings and thoughts about it in relation to if I had to birth my babies via cesarean. There were squeamish feelings of empathy for the mother because it would be so tender for weeks afterwards while it was healing, but then the doctors did such a good job and it was a quick operation and both mother and baby were well, to feelings that it wasn't how it was meant to be, women are 'designed' to give birth naturally, vaginally, to feelings that if that wasn't possible…well the baby has to come out somehow. So there were a lot of things going on in my mind, but the thing that bothered me most was that there wasn't any mother/baby contact after the birth, or breastfeeding, the baby was rushed into another ward to be weighed and vaccinated while the mother was being stitched back up. I think that the most important thing after birth, whether it is natural or via cesarean is mother/baby contact and that first connection of when the mother can hold her baby and the afterbirth hormones can kick in. Obviously if the baby is unwell or needs further medical attention then that may not be an option. Anyway they are just some of the thoughts floating around my head.

And tonight Sophie and I sorted out an itinerary for the 10 days in which we travel together, which eases my mind a little, knowing that we sort of have a plan. Tomorrow we will do some more research and perhaps book accommodation!