We needed Mich’s birthparents to come sign some papers so we can get his adoption started. They live far away up the mountain where you have to go on foot or on donkey and they don’t have a telephone so when we heard that a young man we know was going up that way we sent word along… They were supposed to bring all ID cards and papers but somehow the message didn’t get relayed properly and they came but didn’t bring their cards! Mich’s birthmom, whose name is RoseMartha, was heavily pregnant and we knew if we sent them back up they would likely not come back so we kept RoseMartha here and sent birthdad up the mountain again to get the cards.
All week long RoseMartha lay and sat around very uncomfortabley waiting for the cards and then for us to get more ID papers made so we could go to Petion-ville to sign the reliquishment forms which will then make Mich completely free for adoption! As the week progressed RoseMartha kept getting increasingly more uncomfortable as the time for delivery drew near and it became apparent that somewhere along the line she would have that baby before she went back up the mountain!!!
It was a hard time because Wilson and Mich were both extremely sick and the others weren’t feeling good either- Dadou had double ear infection, Eddie and Veronika both had nasty colds, coughs and crankies Wilson had malaria and an extremely bad cough and cold that kept him up at night and made him vomit over and over and over… Mich had burning fever and pretty much nonstop coughing for four days and LONG nights plus he had a very ouchy leg so he cried out in pain whenever it got bumped or I picked him up the wrong way. All of us were lacking sleep!!
Finally by Fri. we had everything we needed! Thurs. evening RoseMartha told Dadou she thinks she is going to have the baby very soon. We all went to bed a little nervous, what if she has that baby during the night!! Before I drifted off to sleep I read and reread my MMI book about delivering babies, just to make sure I remember the proper way to catch a baby!! The baby did not come that night.
The next morning I took Veronika and Mich, and Mich’s birthparents along with two guys from the mission, Tiboutson and Wisky and we started a long, hot, bumpy ride into to town. RoseMartha begged not to go but we assured her there are plenty of hospitals we can go to and if that reliquishment paper does not get signed before she has the baby it would be months before she even thinks about stepping foot outside her house long enough to go do it and Mich’s adoption cannot progress until it gets signed.
We bumped and lurched and then sped along whenever we could. I kept peering back to check on Mom. On the way there she did really good but I could tell things were moving along so I kept telling Tiboutson to drive faster and poor Wisky was popping up and down like a bundle of nerves!! Finally we got to the office and went over the papers only to find out that Mich’s birth certificate has grandmother’s name instead of Mom’s which makes it useless!!!!! So we have to get a new one. My heart just sank to my toes. This process will take long because of his age and how will we ever get his birthparents to do this again?!! But God knows!
We got back into that truck and we started that weary drive home. Poor RoseMartha was extremely uncomfortable now, she was up on the seat, then kneeling on the floor, then laying down on the seat, then standing… my heart just ached for her as she softly moaned and cried. Tiboutson tried to hurry but we were stuck in the hopelessly snarled traffic creeping along the filthy, streets of one of the trashiest cities in the world. Several times we offered to stop at a hospital but she was terrified of having a ceserian and said she could make it till we got home so on we went.
Finally as we got to the edge of the city the road cleared out and we drove fast!! And we made it with nervous Wisky still chattering and bouncing around!! Since I have never delivered a baby I didn’t feel comfortable just taking her home so we stopped at a birthing center just down the road. The guys went to find something to eat and Veronika and I stayed with RoseMartha. I was so hoping to be able to be in on the birth but I figured it would be several hours so I didn’t even ask the Dr. right away which was a huge mistake because no sooner had Veronika and I settled down in the waiting area then we heard the distinct cry of a newborn in the delivery room!! Veronika and I both looked at each other and gasped, “A baby!!”
Then the Dr. came out and in went Veronika and I to investigate!! And there on the table, wrapped up in an orange cloth was the newest baby I’ve ever seen!! His skin was so soft, and warm and damp and he lay there with his big, curious, eyes wide open looking around at the big, new, world! I scooped him up, Mich’s little brother, and held him close. He was so tiny, so perfect, so completely undamaged, innocent, pure and fresh; so new!! His Mama smiled, and the nurse smiled as they watched Veronika and I love and admire that precious baby!
Here he is in all his newborn glory!! I know he’s wearing a pink hat but he’s a boy and no, he will not be scarred for life!! In Haiti we don’t do the pink is for girls and blue is for boys thing!
So after that baby was born we bundled him and RoseMartha up and home we went!! I marched up the to the house bearing my precious bundle and almost caused some heart attacks as no one else knew about it yet! I put RoseMartha in the bedroom but I had no idea how to care for her in this culture so I had one of our Haitian friends who is a midwife come over and educate me!!! Here are some things I learned: The windows all have to be tightly closed so no air gets in, the mother dresses in long warm pants and long sleeved shirts and wraps up her head all tight and warm. She does not bathe until she has some kind of leaves that she boils to put in the water but because I don’t have any bathing was totally not an option. The mother drinks only hot water and I mean hot, not room temperature!! I learned how to make a hot ginger tea for her that is very good but tastes like fire when you drink it and I learned to make boiled banans, ( plantains ) and serve them with a legume sauce…
It was very fun and educational! I loved it!!
Here is RoseMartha with her two sons! Notice how she’s bundled up against the cold, oops I meant heat!!
Here are some more very cute pictures!
And here is a beautiful one right after I gave him a bath!! And did I ever mention that bathing a tiny baby is one of the most fun things in the world?!!!
Early this morning birthdad brought a donkey to the foot of the mountain to carry Mama and baby home! Here is the last picture I took of them before they left…
And when RoseMartha gets to her tiny house in the mountains she will go inside, close the door and won’t come out for two and a half months!! Hopefully someone can find leaves for her though so she can at least bathe every once in a while!! And hopefully eventually when Mich’s new birth certificate is made she will be willing to once again make the long trek down the mountain and in to the city to sign the paper so that Mich’s adoption paperwork can begin…!! God knows everything!
I thank God for the privilege of caring for one of our kid’s birthmothers in this way! It was very special to me and I think we bonded with each other in a unique way!
