Pekins Post Fistula

(Pekin is Krio for child)

I knew there was one more story I wanted to share yesterday...

I was sitting with the women yesterday evening right before dinner. When the dinner cart comes rolling out, all the women sit on benches on the opposite side of the wards and wait to be served. There was a maternity patient and her new pekin who was staying on the fistula side since maternity was full, and she came out and sat down with her child. Haggar, our main teacher for the patients, was there. She told us that this woman had a fistula, was healed at the centre, and returned to have her pekin here. Haggar went on to preach to the patients about how there is hope and possibility to have more children after having a fistula. Some women can't, but this woman did and now she has a beautiful child. Do not lose hope!

It's neat how having a maternity centre here brings it all full circle. After the women have their fistula surgeries they are given a card which will allow them to have a free c-section if they ever become pregnant. If they were to try and have a child again vaginally, the chances of getting another VVF or going into obstructed labor again are very high, putting the mother and child at great risk. If a previous VVF patient registers with us they are admitted at 38 weeks. They will wait until they start feeling labor pains and then they will have a caesarean. While the women are waiting they usually wait on the VVF side since we usually have extra beds. It's a great example to the patients waiting for their surgery and wondering if there is hope for another pregnancy since one of the major ways a woman has status in this country is by her ability to bear children.