Lola was 9 months pregnant on Tuesday. Per her husband, who is a public health nurse and a community health worker, an ultrasound two weeks previously demonstrated a breech position, and they were advised by the physician that she would most likely require an operative delivery. The local Centro de Salud recently opened a maternity ward to much fanfare; nonetheless, despite a staff of 3 physicians and 6 nurse-midwives, they do not offer C-sections.
On Wednesday, Lola began to have contractions. They immediately contacted the Centro de Salud. Two hours later, in the back of a speeding ambulance on its way to the regional referral center at Hospital Nacional de Sololá, Lola gave birth to a little girl. Likely suffering from intrapartum asphyxiation, and because the "ambulance" was not fitted for any of the emergent diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers that are required in such cases, the baby was dead at birth.
On Thursday, following an overnight vigil and baptism by one of the community's catechists, the little girl was buried alongside her deceased grandmother, in a small community cemetery on a neighboring plantation. Lola, thankfully, is recovering and has not suffered further physical complications from this harrowing experience.
I spoke to Lola's husband on Friday morning, the day after the funeral. He said:
"All of this is an experience for us; we are trying to start over.
"Despite the whole team of personnel, so many doctors and nurses, they work like midwives, nothing more. And we have no other alternative. This is an experience for us, and it motivates one to continue fighting to improve our healthcare system."
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