Shanksteps of Faith #90 Mar 26, 2008
She lay on the table, drawing in short, shallow breaths. Blood pooled on the floor all around. Her cloths were soaked. The nurse couldn’t find a blood pressure or pulse. She was oblivious to her surroundings. Her husband, mother, and some neighbors stood by shaking their heads and “clucking” the way they do when something is to bad. She had been having her first child at home. Her water had broken about 12 hours before she made it to the hospital. She had bleed a lot at home then went unconscious as blood covered the floor of the house. She was brought to the hospital about 3 hours later. No fetal heart rate was found, the child had died and mom was following. I came into the delivery room where this was happening and ushered all the gawkers outside. She had received a little fluid and her blood pressure was 55 and her pulse only 80. She was dying in front of us. The nurse started a second IV and we gave more fluid while waiting for the lab technician to draw and find blood from the family for this woman. Her blood pressure slowly climbed and the pulse climbed also, up to 140. The bleeding had stopped. Fortunately not because she was gone. Probablybecause of the low blood pressure. As liter after liter poured into her she started to stabilize and became conscious. After much discussion the husband and mother both gave 500ml of whole blood for her. There seemed to be sufficient space for the baby to exit normally, so using forceps I delivered the stillborn. Liters of blood and the placenta and about a liter of blood clots gushed out after the baby. The mom had a condition called abrupto placenta. Over the next 24 hours the mother stabilizedand was week two days later but requesting to go home. I know that God is watching over this hospital. While I was gone at my mother-in-laws funeral there was only one surgical referral out to another hospital. Another, likely appendicitis, refused to go elsewhere and the nurses treated them with antibiotics and the child went home two weeks later. Since Ive been back these past few weeks, I have had 1-3 surgeries every day except Sabbaths (Saturday). There are still times when we don’t understand why some things are allowed to happen. Like thechild who died because of lack of oxygen as the nurse took them off unmonitored. Unfortunately the same nurse did it again a week later with the same result. So we have had to change oxygen “policy” and termination. Though there are things we may not know until heaven, I choose to trust in God. He has made Himself very evident in many ways to me in living here and in the nature around me. I hope you also have had that same experience. If not why not ask Him for it. He enjoys helping us. I hope that you feel His power and love in your life today.
In His Service, Greg