Dias de Capitaciones en Santa Eulalia y Regressomas Al Capital

Morning in Santa Eulalia

Obstetrical Teaching and Workshops with the Midwives of Santa Eulalia and Nurses of the CAP

Lisa Arnold and Dana Gersten have been wonderful colleagues and teachers (not just of things medical but dancing and keeping  "el ritmo" going on this journey. 

Lisa graciously volunteers to author this blog of Santa Eulalia and our meeting with Bal Maria. 

Iglesia S Eulalia

We woke in Santa Eulalia to blue skies and sunshine, and enjoyed the view of the hills from the roof of our hotel before heading to the salon to share our capitaciones.  When we arrived, the room was already filled with many of the comadronas (local midwives) we had come to meet.  They were dressed in traditional brightly colored cortes (skirts) and fajas (sash-like belts), 40-50 brave women who ‘hold the space’ for the laboring women in their care. Bob reprised his now-legendary role as “Roberta”, the pregnant patient who has an ataque (seizure) during her labor, and then we split into groups to deliver workshops on postpartum hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, essential neonatal care, and complications of pregnancy.  

RN Freddy teaching about placenta remnants causing bleeding

Nurses practicing neonatal ventilation

The language of this region is Q’anjob’al, and many of the comadronas speak very little Spanish.  Thanks to Dana’s language sleuthing skills, we were able to begin our session with a tradition greeting of ‘txajin’ to which they replied to us ‘cai tu’, accompanied by smiles and nods.   

The wonderful nurses from the Santa Eulalia CAP translated our words from Spanish to Q’anjob’al during our workshops.  The comedrones began and ended the session with a prayer; we bowed our heads together – the comedrones, the nurses from the CAP, the staff from casa maternal, and the three of us who had been so warmly welcomed into this exchange of information. 

  We were all moved by the sense of community and common purpose shared by people of many different backgrounds and languages, all working together to support the women and families of this region. We shared a meal together before the comadronas left for their sometimes-long journeys home.  Every comedrone took the time to thank each of us with a heart-felt hug, a kiss on the cheek, or a hand taken in theirs and squeezed.  They are courageous and devoted women, for whom we feel such respect and admiration. Part 2 of the capitaci ones was for the nurses and medical students.

After just delivering Roberta's Baby, Dana helps lead the discussion as Lisa provides respiratory support

This time, poor “Roberta” had the misfortune of a shoulder dystocia while delivering her infant, who did not breathe at delivery and needed neonatal resuscitation, demonstrated by Lisa and Dana.  Fortunately, the resuscitation was successful, and we are happy to report that Roberta and her baby are both doing well. We then repeated our workshops, and sat down with the nurses and students for lunch, before making the windy trip back to Huehue.  

We shared a meal of delicious Abesiada – prepared chile rellenos with our host family, accompanied by much conversation and laughter.  The next morning, we met with Balmaria and the casa maternal team for breakfast, sharing our unforgettable experiences of the past few days and hearing about the far-reaching impact of PCI in improving the lives of women and families in these communities.

Bal Maria and Dali of PCI

On Friday we shared our final hugs for the trip with Abesaida and her family, feeling deeply moved  - yes, there may have been a few tears - by the welcome she had extended in opening her home and her family to us. 

We rode a very comfortable bus back to Guatemala City, and enjoyed a luxurious evening of dinner and salsa dancing.   

Ronald was NO Help!

We had a little trouble finding the perfect place to get our dance on, and had to stop once or twice to ask for directions. 

Salsa Dancing Lisa and Dan (I am solo) at Cadeleria in Zona 10

Ronald McDonald was not particularly helpful, but we did find two young law students who told us that the destination we had in mind was ‘feo’, extremely far from our current location, and who were kind enough to drive us to a better ‘dicso’, where we waited 2 hours for the live salsa band to start.  

It was worth the wait, however, and all three of us danced until we dropped, quite literally, into bed at around 2am.  

Tomorrow, we will venture out on part 2 of our Guatemalan adventure, joining the rest of the PCI team for the ride to Chicaman, where we will provide training sessions for nurses and doctors in the region.  If it fills our hearts the way this first week has, we may not fit on the plane!  Sending some of the love we have shared to each of you, thank you for reading!

Lisa Arnold - renamed by the Lopez-Guerrero familia and my co-workers Bob and Dana as  "La Colibrí Brilliante" (The brilliant hummingbird)

Making Santa Eulalia Great Again

Last October when Team Suzy Happ were here in Santa Eulalia, she was so impressed with the dedicated young nurses who work at the CAP (Centro de Atención Personal) in Santa Eulalia that she really wanted to find out what we could do for them in our next trips. They modestly asked for supplies including fetal dopplers, bandages, suture, sterile drapes and medicines so they could continue to serve the people.

Many of the nurses visit their patients in even more remote areas in the mountains above Santa Eulalia at even 9000 feet elevation. When Suzy returned to the US she organized a fundraising effort and in the spirit of the taking a poke at the candidate who is now president and shall not be named...opined his trademark in a sign above the donation box at various events, hence "Make Santa Eulalia Great Again!".

Jasmin Emfra PCI y Phamacista La Maxima

People responded generously and the supplies purchased were hand delivered in 4 large duffles by our crew! The faces and appreciation of the staff was heartfelt, beautiful and touching. Santa Susana is so appreciated and loved in this very poor yet proud community,

Our trip from Huehuetenango began at 4:45 am in the pitch dark and through the winding route up the mountains. By the time we arrived in the nearby Soloma, we took a stroll in the streets around the cathedral.

It was market day and Dana, the animal lover and also now known at La Cabra Huera (White Goat) befriended several baskets of live chickens. Once we arrived in Santa Eulalia the waiting room was full and after delivering the aformentioned supplies, we went right to work. Dana saw over 30 woman and children with a variety of complaints. Lisa (hence named Colibri Brilliante) saw about the same numero of pregnant women and did quite a few 1st trimester dating scans. Drs Suzana also worked hard alongside in her own consultorio.

Nurse "Fredy" helper & Q'anjobal' translater with two of our patients

The little old Providence Milwaukie US Machine performed like a champ, we did over 30 US including checking for a hemoperitoneum on a patient who had been battered by her partner. She has no signs of injury, was the last patient of our day and reminded us of how domestic violence affects every community.

Dana also found time to write down several words in Q'anjobal' Above is a picture of her dictionary and two Ultrasound images from the dat...can you tell which is "Ish" (Girl) and Wei' nach (Boy)?

We had a restful night in a odd but comfortable hotel with a great view of Santa Eulalia and had rested well for the next busy day of workshops and teaching. We were so impressed with the valor, intelligence, dedication and kindness of the staff of this "Health Post" and they were so very much appreciative of the supplies and help we provided. They do so much for there people with so little. We hope we can continue to help support their work!



Hasta Manana
Loro Verde.

San Antonio Huista

San Antonio Huista is a small community in the foothills of the mountains of Guatemala near the western border with Mexico. We awoke at 5:30 and made the 3 hour drive to this picturesque and quaint village to a salon full with the most courageous midwives and nurses in this region
 for a

workshop on Obstetrical emergencies. It was an amazing day full of great stories and lessons, hand-on sessions and hugs and Gracias. The morning began with a fun dinamica led by Casa Materna's newest MD Susana that even got me dancing. Then we broke up into 4 small groups and led stations on Essential Newborn Care at Delivery (Dana), Shoulder Dystocia (Lisa), Maternal Complications (Susana) and Post-partum hemorrhage (Bob). The teaching session concluded with a"sociodrama" of a very odd looking pregnant character (me) dressed in indigenous garb presenting to the group with severe symptoms of pre-eclampsia and then having a full "ataque" or seizure. I owe much of my performance to the masteful Matthew Sperry who created this role a year ago. Unfortunately, the camera "broke" and no photos of this are currently available...que lastima!  After a "retroalimentation"-

feedback session and a massage treatment for each other, we treated the participants to a wonderfully prepared lunch of Pepiån and arroz by the owner of the salon, Else and her workers. We learned that many of these midwives have been providing safe in- home birth experiences for their patients for over 20 years and a number inherited the profression from their own grandmothers. After many hugs and prayers for a safe journey, the nurses left on their motorcycles and the co-madronas were provided transportation to their homes and communities.

While we waited for our very safe driver Eric to return, Dana and I explored the pueblocita while Lisa wrote, I believe, a Valentine to her esposo en Seattle! We were invited into a coffee purveyor's shop and given an education on Guatemala Coffee beans that were ready almost for export to the US, treated some horses to a massage and grass (not That Kind), danced in the street to Salsa music, met some Mormon missionaries from Las Vegas and had some wonderful roasted cafe tambien.

The 3 hour drive back to Abesiada and Arnoldo's house seemed to fly by and we enjoyed another fun evening with the Lopez-Guevarra familia. The tamales were awesome y muy rico and we seemed to come to agreement that all men who gather no matter from where can share a common interest of Sports, Women, Cars and Vices, but women do not have such a common consciousnesses and are more complicated! Well that is at least what I understood. I say, viva la differencîa.

I miss my sweetheart, Kim on this Valentines day and we wish all of you a wonderful Dia de Valentina! Tomorrow we travel to Santa Eulalia to spend two days with this community, we will be doing ultrasounds and consults all day tomorrow at 9000 feet. Amor a todos!


Roberto "El Loro Verde"

Casa Materna y Hospital Nacional de Huehuetenango.

  Hola a todos! This morning we woke up at the crack of 7 (its been a long few days of travel).  Our gracious host family made a typical hearty breakfast of eggs, black beans, and thick savory tortillas, all washed down with Guatemalan coffee, of course.

  We rode to the Casa Materna.  The house, which is only a few minutes from the hospital, serves as a place for pregnant women living far from the hospital, who may have complicated births, to wait for labor so they can deliver in a safe place.  It also houses women who have babies in the hospital, so they can stay close by and continue to care for them.

Just a five minute walk down a dusty road takes you to the National Hospital, which serves the city of Huehuetenango as well as the surrounding countryside.  Women come from all over, and they see an an incredible amount of deliveries, many with women who have had prenatal care.
   Bob and Lisa spent the morning giving consultas and performing ultrasounds for the women that arrived.  Bob's first scan was a women with triplets and then he even had another with undiagnosed twins at 20 weeks!

Recognize this shot Suz &Matt, 

We finished the day with a wonderful run up dusty hills just by the cemetario and rural areas outside of town and then had cervesasand a big dish of Pepian which was muy fabulosa de Abesiada. The entire Lopez-Guevera familia entertained us (we we them) with political discussion about Trump, Guatemala, recipes and of course jokes about Chantla!

Pepian!

Tonight we practiced our workshops for tomorrow. We will be leaving about 5:30 Am for a trip to a town called San Antonio near the Mexican border to learn from and teach comadronas (midwives) from the region! Wish up safe travels and much love on the day of Valentines!

2017 Viaje a Guatemala

Dana and Lisa with "stuff"

Neuvo Grupo "1" of 2017 has arrived in Guatemala! Lisa Marguerite Arnold C.N.M. from Swedish Ballard, Dana Gersten and me "el Loro" from Providence Hood River had two long but uneventful travel days to finally get back to this beautiful and amazing country.

Lago Atitlan y Volcano from viewpoint

Our 6 huge duffles and bags containing obstetrical and neonatal mannikins, fetoscopes, supplies, medicines and you name it - sailed through Customs or "La Aduana - without any problemas so quickly we could not believe it. We were then wisked to our beautiful Hotel Ciudad Vieja en Guatemala City (La Capital). After a wonderful nights rest thanks to Senior "Botran" we awoke to sunny skies and warm and mild breezes. Dana decided to go for a brief run while Lisa and I enjoyed una desayuna tîpica al fresco in the Hotel's Patio.

Henry es el pilote maximo y cuidadoso

Roads are shared by cows and their babies

Our driver from PCI Huehuetenango,  "Henry" arrived on time and after a 6 hour voyage on windy and narrow mountain roads and hiways we safely arrived in Huehuetenango again at Arnold and Abesiada's home. We met the newest member of the Lopez-Guevarra family 3 month old adorable "Pablocito". After a lot of hugs and kisses, we sat down for another fantastic sopa de res y verduras and are now ready for a full week.

Bob, Lisa and Dana

Tomorrow, Lisa and I will work at Casa Materna while Dana works at the national hospital. We will let you know how it all goes. Everyone here says hello to the Oregon Team and sends much love to Suzy, Chris, Melissa, Brenda, Josh, Orlando, Alexis, Mike, Tom, Matt, Peter, Mariah and Rosaalicia. We are so fortunate to have this opportunity to be here and will keep you all updated.

Hasta Manana!