Baila, Gringa, Baila!

Whoever said white people can't dance may, in fact, be correct. Or maybe it's more of a Walker sister thing. Don't get me wrong, we can definitely dance in our own way, but my hips just don't move like the Peruvians do. Amber and I took a dance class on Wednesday at the gym. Think Zumba on steroids. This was some serious dancing. Front, side, criss-cross, together, spin forward, side, back, repeat! Whew! Let's just say I was almost made roadkill by the other dancers :) After letting go of the fact that I looked ridiculous and attracted many stares, I had a great time. It was definitely an ab workout from all of the laughing!

The best part (insert sarcasm here) was that there is an overhang for observers, and the back of the room is lined by floor to ceiling windows that open to the gym equipment. During the dance classes, I think the men do less working-out and spend most of their time watching (or in our case, laughing at gringas) while we get our dance on! It was absolutely hysterical.

I am SO happy to tell you that I got to help deliver my first baby yesterday! (And second baby, a 28 week old preemie!) It was absolutely incredible. Let me first tell you how lucky women are in the US. (It giving birth freaks you out, you may not want to read all of this!) 

In Peru:

1.) Women are not allowed to have any family (no spouses, mothers, sisters, etc.) in the room from the time contractions start until the time they go to recovery 8 hours post-partum.

2.) The labor and delivery rooms are combined. When it's time to push, women have to climb off their bed and climb onto the delivery bed. (Which is no more than a metal bed with stirrups, covered in a plastic towel, with a metal "catching basin" that leaks fluids into a bucket below.)

3.) Forget an epidural injection. These do not exist here.  And forget numbing medication for episiotomies... eek!  I could not believe the strength these women have; barely a sound was made in the room until the baby's first cry! No tears, complaints, or screams!

4.) After giving birth, the baby is literally whisked away to a little room where it is measured, cleaned and placed in the same crib as all the other newborns. And Peruvians are so creative! I learned swaddling techniques I had never seen, and a genious way to make a hat- simply put a diaper upside-down on the baby's head! They definitely make use of what they have! The teeny tiny newborn don't meet his mother until approximately 2 hours later.

5.) Sterile is a relative term. Washed sheets are used to cover the mother's skin, betadine is poured over her and wiped away with non-sterile cotton gauze, scissors and instruments are placed on a non-sterile table, sterile gloves are also used to move things, open packages, etc. In addition, some nurses and doctors wear masks and hairnets, while other's don't, and the same scrubs are worn daily.

6.) Forget privacy. Women give birth either nude or wearing only a shirt, with the door wide open and approximately 15 people are scattered about the room observing the birth. After delivery, all of the mothers are placed together in large room filled with beds- it would almost be like a slumber party if they weren't so exhausted from giving birth...

7.) Fetal monitoring is nothing more than hand palpations, blood pressure monitoring, and checking the babies pulse using a heart monitor every hour, or less.  Even in the case of the premature birth. 

It was such an amazing learning experience and the best Mother's Day present for those young women! Speaking of which, ¡Feliz dia de Madre! (Happy Mother's Day!) to all of you who are mothers, and a very special "Happy Mother's Day" to my Mom!  I love you!  I am so much more appreciative of what mothers have to go through to bring us into this world!