Slow Month of May~

One Monday, I had 32 woman waiting for me for prenatals. A record I think.

This month has been unusual for me. When I returned for my break, I thought for sure I’d be walking into busy-ness and chaos. But I didn’t.

Yes, I still had lot of prenatals and tasks to do at the compound, but the births I had been expecting, never arrived. We had only 8 births whereas the month before (April) we had 19 births!

Why?

It’s a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately.

Do they not know they can come? Is there some obstacle in coming I haven’t identified? Do they really need to come, or am I just jonesing for a birth? What is it?

By mid-May, it finally occurred to me that the rain might have something to do with it; So, I asked Sabet.

He explained that most of Tonj left this month for the village. Apparently, once the rains start, people head to their land to plant crops. Any babies born this month were born in the fields!

The coming rains made for unusual obstacles for prenatals as well.

In fact, one woman came for a prenatal, explaining that she missed her appointment because she was building her house!

When I looked down to see an enormous belly, I chortled and snorted in laughter. What was a 8 month pregnant woman doing building a house?!

Once I stopped laughing, it dawned on me that the men weren’t going to do it (women build homes here not men); she had to miss her appointment, she needed a new roof!

Have to mentioned how much I respect and admire the women here?  -- Cuz, I do! Amazing!