As you can probably tell from the title of this blog, today is someone’s birthday, new someone, who was born at approximately 10:20 this morning.

After arriving in this warm, beautiful island at noon on Sunday, I was eager to start my work with the doctor the next day. Unfortunately, the Trinidadian system of bureaucracy, I did not get to actually get any work done until today. The country had just finished celebrating a huge holiday and nothing was opened on Monday. Then, first thing Tuesday morning, I had to go and register my name at the Trinidad and Tobago Nurse’s Council and fill out tons of paper work. All of this was to basically give me permission to enter the hospital and to be able to get all of my information without any hassle from hospital security.

Today was my first day with the midwife, Marcia Rollock, and we spent most of it conducting our first interview. I learned that Marcia is a midwife and a nurse and has been working helping women deliver their babies for 33 years, that’s a long time! She is now the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Midwives Association and also the principal of the Trinidad School of Midwifery. We spoke for about an hour, during which time I was able to see one of the school’s campuses and also speak with a few students.

After the interview was through, I asked about being able to see a delivery and I nearly cried when I heard that the patient whose delivery I was to see had given birth during the interview. I was quite a bit upset, but when I looked through the windows of that neonatal center and saw little Amelia with her mother, all feelings of anger seeped out of my body. She was the most precious baby I had ever seen, only about two hours old, and already fighting to look out of her blanket and smile at the world. I walked over and talked to the attending nurse, and she told me there was nothing more beautiful and fulfilling than helping to bring smiles like the one Amelia was giving her mother into this world.

I did have to wait quite a while before getting anything done, but I must say it was totally worth it. I wanted to take tons of pictures of Amelia, but I was not allowed to since she was in the neonatal unit. I will be allowed to take as many pictures as I want tomorrow, however, when she is moved next to her mother in the maternity ward. So be on the lookout for this little beauty!!

=) Jhewel