We're not having a great week so far with the news!!! Breakfast time again and Lavina informed of us of another bomb in Nairobi, at the bus stop last night that insured 8 and killed 1!! Everyone is pretty anxious and the Americans are advising against travel to Nairobi!!

Anyways another interesting day, think I've turned into a midwife in like 4 days of working here!! Today I was instructed how to educate PMTCT (Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission) basically teaching mother and father about the risks of HIV to their unborn child, how to prevent it and testing the parents for HIV and then giving them the results!!

I was also palpating the mothers tummys and determining the position of the unborn baby and how many weeks gestation!! Then using a black funnel to listen for the fetus heart beat! Very basic I'm guessing to home, even though I don't have a clue what happens but i know they get ultra sounds rather than some inexperienced nurse pocking at their bellys!!

Then the same again tetanus injections, folic acid, BP's and weights!! Just as the clinic was getting quiet, a pregnant mother came in thinking she was in labour and it certainly sounded like it. The most shocking thing about this was they made her sit on the bench at reception and I asked what the plan was and why she wasn't taken through to the labour ward!!!

The answer was.. They had no sterile gloves or sterile gauze to carry out the investigation to see if she was in labour etc so she had to wait there until her husband went to buy gauze and gloves!! Totally crazy! If we get to go to the market on Friday I'm going to buy some more medical supply's - they normally have gloves etc and apparently this situation doesn't happen all the time!

This afternoon I replied to a few emails, Carole also had emailed me the picture and colour of my bridesmaid dress!! It's gorgeous and mega excited now but a big secret :D I woke this morning with a mega sore back so missed the usual walk in the afternoon and lay on the sofa watching a film and popping the pain killers! It's totally fine now but possibly cos pain killers are working!

Desmond the co-ordinator came to the house this evening to tell us about a meeting tomorrow to discuss the Kenyan situation etc and they are also doing a BBQ for us all at 6.30pm tomorrow! :)

Anyways we watched Planet of the Apes tonight and then chatted wi Allyssa, Chris and Jess! Don't know how we can laugh so much all the time!! It's such a giggle!!

xxxxxx