respire

I was awoken this morning by the cook running into my room yelling: Acouchmant; Melinda! (birth! and the name of the other midwife!) I took that to mean that Melinda needed me, so I ran out of bed in my short pirate shorts and tank top...never expecting that it would by my costume for the rest of the day.

I arrived to the dome and no one was there....very odd... I heard noises from the outside cement shower stall (where there's not an actual shower installed yet, but women take buckets there to bathe with). Just as I got there, a baby splashed into the world, into apprentice: Ninotte's hands, with Melinda at her side. They had just gotten there themselves. Melinda said she was on the toilet when she heard word of the imminent birth and didn't have a chance to flush, haha. Thankfully the baby and mom did very well.

I went down for breakfast, thinking I'd shower and get ready for the day next. I was called up to the dome again shortly after, however. There was another girl who'd come in labor who I needed to keep a close eye on (with her water broken for a day and a half), and then a post-partum visit, and then I did the newborn exam on the new baby and eventually sent them home (they usually stay about 4 hours)...then the other baby was born, and we had a girl come in pre-term labor with a urinary infection...and I'm meanwhile semi-freaking out about how the guy who is "cleaning the well" is dumping what looks like sewage onto the freshly planted garden and the "neighbor" (a guy that is actually just squatting on our land) is burning a massive pile of trash with a huge cloud of disgusting smoke floating towards the dome.... By the time I got back it was about 7pm and I was exhausted...thankfully someone had brought me lunch at least. I was still without a shower, smelling of birth, bra-less and in pirate pajama shorts...

I felt really strung out, and though the shower and food helped, I was still feeling a little crazy... Then it started to pour rain. Ahhhhhhhhh. I went outside and pulled the laundry off the line, laughing, and stashed it in a safe spot. Then I kicked back on the deck and listened to it come down. The rain was exactly what I needed. I hadn't even imagined such a possibility. My mind was so clouded and strung out, and then burst! The skies brought rain down upon Jacmel and I felt total peace again. It was perfect. I sat with my eyes closed and let everything move through me... I was reminded that everything is perfect and when I let go of my grip I can see that the universe is working it's own magic and I needn't try to control a single thing...