Hello everyone We spent the day with 9 of our Master Trainers who live throughout Guatemala. They wanted a review of hemorrhage after birth & practice with the Antishock pants; we also reviewed the new Helping Mothers and Babies Survive training called Prolonged & Obstructed Labor. Check out today’s photos for their photos and especially their reactions to the breech video. I love these brave & energetic professional midwives who provide prenatal, birth, and postnatal care and seek to learn more to help other women. Many thanks to Silvia for arranging all the details and Mariana, Who is
such a great interpreter and Jeannette for the printing! We couldn’t complete all that we planned so we’re scheduling future zoom meetings.
Hello to any who dropped in to this week’s blog posts from Guatemala, We’re enjoying perfect 75 degree weather and completed our 3rd day of training in San José Pinula. A couple of the supervisory staff have stopped by and asked that we do the training for all the doctors and nurses there. A good sign! Maybe during our next trip!
During today’s training while discussing patients dying, a midwife told her story of bleeding, hysterectomy and near death, and ended her story with a quite shocking quote I will remember: “A pregnant woman always has one foot in the grave.” This is a sad commentary; Supporting Safe Birth will continue to provide education to these amazing midwives as long as we can. Here’s a few photos of today’s class. Hasta luego!
Nancy
Hola from Guatemala, the land of the eternal spring. We had our 2nd group of comadronas learning about bleeding after birth today. They had interesting questions: One midwife described what sounded like a placenta accreta and was asking what happened.
The class was going well until we found out that the clinic was being fumigated for roaches and we needed to leave so out we went, packing as we went. Never a dull moment!
Our dear friend Jeannette hosted us for lunch the past two days which was so great for the team: Mary and Harrison, Silvia and Marilú, me and Chepe, our driver. 75 degrees and sunny today—did I say I love Guate? It’s my 33rd trip here.
Our first training today, Bleeding After Birth Day 1, was held at San José Pinula. The midwives were engaged and excited about learning new things and hands-on practice. We’re happy to have two of our Master Trainers, Marilú & Silvia, providing such excellent instruction.
May 7, 2022 Right to left: Dave, Jessica, and Nancy arrive and are welcomed to Guatemala by Silvia and a random guy that was invited to join in on the photo fun.
May 8, 2022 Mariana and Dave (members of the volunteer team) uncreating, sorting, packaging the equipment and supplies to be distributed to the Master Trainers. This process took several days to complete.
Left: Neo Natalie unboxed Right: More supplies bagged up for distributionLeft: Action posters, flip chart bags, and more. Right: Gloves, Mama Natalie supplies, bag and mask kit.
May 9, 2022 AM
Off to Juzgado de Paz y Centro de Atención Permanente Fraijanes, Fraijanes, Guatemala. Helping Mothers Survive Severe Bleeding After Birth – a lecture for doctors and nurses with demonstrations and simulations.
The doctors, nurses, volunteer teaching team, and interpreters, May 9, 2022
Left: Dr. Wilson Aroldo Zacarias Matzar – timing is everything. Right: Explaining timing of medication administration in English and then Spanish.
(Objective Structured Clinical Examination) OSCEs are very helpful in medical education because they allow a student to practice.
Inoculation – a when and how simulation.
May 9, 2022 PM
We went back to the Juzgado de Paz y Centro de Atención Permanente Fraijanes, Fraijanes, Guatemala. Helping Mothers Survive Severe Bleeding After Birth – for first responders. A lecture and hands on practice for when, why, and how to use a Non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG).
Is the patient able to breathe?
Is the patient able to stand?
Is the patient able to sit?
May 10, 2022 PM
We went back to the Juzgado de Paz y Centro de Atención Permanente Fraijanes, Fraijanes, Guatemala. Helping Mothers Survive Severe Bleeding After Birth for comadronas.
The beautiful garden at the entrance to training room at the CAP in Fraijanes.
Coffee Break!
May 11, 2022
Our next stop was the Municipal Palace, San Jose Pinula, Guatemala.
Thirty-four comadronas attended a lecture and simulations Helping Mothers Survive – Essential Care for Labor & Birth
Lois Marie Foundation donated delivery aprons, masks, & baby hats that were distributed to each midwife in a Rotary branded string back pack.
We’ve been enjoying our first few days in Guatemala! We’ve been working on organizing our equipment here and the project mannequins and equipment for our master trainers. Here’s some photos along with a photo of the thermometer device taking hand temperatures prior to entering a restaurant. Thanks to Sylvia and Jeannette for all your help!
Special thanks to the Lois Marie Foundation for a grant providing water-resistant aprons and masks for a group of Guatemalan midwives. More photos to follow in Guatemala! Thanks & congrats also to new nurse midwife Bridget!
We had two great training days for Helping Mothers Survive: Bleeding After Birth-Day 1 and Essential Care for Labor & Birth on September 18-19, 2021, in Madison, Wisconsin, in anticipation of a training trip to Guatemala planned for October 20-30, 2021.
Please contact us if you are interested in joining us. Many thanks for your support!
We are excited to be planning our upcoming trip to Guatemala, supported by a Rotary International Vocational Training Team Global Grant!
We are scheduled to train 87 midwives and nurses in 4 programs: Helping Mothers Survive-Bleeding after Birth, Preeclampsia-Eclampsia, Essential Care for Labor and Birth and Helping Babies Survive-Helping Babies Breathe. Along with the training days, we will be providing mannequins and teaching supplies to 11 Master Trainers we have already trained so they can continue to train others in rural areas of Guatemala.
We have trained 3 new trainers on our team. Stay tuned for their stories of new adventures in Guatemala!
Supporting Safe Birth 