Month of Madness!

We’ve had a record number of births so far this month and there seems to be no end in sight! It gets even better though. Many of these births are coming to labor with us!

This is a remarkable change as often those that do deliver with us wait until the last possible moment before coming. These ladies barely have time to lie down on the bed before they push their babies out. Although it’s good they come... not having them labor with us leaves me a little sad.

Well, this week has been very different. They are coming to labor and deliver. And they are bringing their entourages! Frankly, it’s been a Preggo Party for the last three days!

Margaret and I have delivered 12 babies this week; and there is a 13th in the wings right now!

Yesterday one of our ladies delivered twins!

Everything went smashingly well --despite the fact the first one came out footling breech.

We thought his brother would come out breech as well but were happy to see a hairy head emerge instead! 

Their father was in the room for the birth and was so pleased he asked to stop and give thanks in prayer. Then removing his leather cowboy hat, he bent his head and prayed. It was a tender moment I won’t soon forget!

But it gets even better!

Because not two hours later he came back with another wife, saying she was in labor too!

At first I laughed thinking that he was playing a joke on me. Perhaps I misunderstood and she was really only his sister. But no. She was one of his other wives; and she was most definitely in labor!

Apparently when he learned she was getting active, he went to get her and insisted she deliver at the clinic, too. She delivered another boy 4 hours later.

Think of that! Three sons all with the same birthday!
    --Only in Sudan.

Also this week, I got another name sake. His mom walked 3 hours in active labor to get to me! I marveled at her dedication and love for her child.

When I asked if she really walked 3 hours to come, she nodded gravely and explained she wanted to be at the clinic in case of trouble. I’m so glad she did.

As it turns out, her baby was severely compromised when she arrived. His heart tones were all over the place. And when she delivered a few hours later, he came out flat.

Dennis helped me resuscitate as his parents watched on. By God’s grace, within a few minutes he was doing better, and we all let out a collective sigh of relief.

The father was so happy with the birth he asked if he could name his son after me. He wanted to give him my father’s name. I told him it was Steven, but ... such a name is hard to pronounce here. So I then told him it was Williams (my last name).

He jumped at that and decided his boy would be named William Deng. ‘William’ after me and ‘Deng’ (which means ‘rain’ in Dinka) since it was raining when he arrived!

I wish I could write each birth story out for you, but I’d bore you with the details. Suffice it to know that we are crazy busy, getting little sleep, and yet... I’m loving it!

Please pray for all the little ones born this week. Pray they thrive and these two lone midwives would somehow survive this month of madness! Thanks!