These are some of the pictures from our Birthing Center yesterday. It is such a joy to see these moms with their babies, being born in a “clean, joyful, beautiful, and Christ-centered,” environment! What a contrast from seeing a poor mother give birth on the floor of a mud hut, with someone reaching for a “rusty razor blade,” to deliver the baby! (I have been there and see this with my own eyes!) This is exactly why there are so many orphanages in Haiti… mothers die from infections during and after childbirth.

Our midwives (fanm saj in Creole) are professionals. They are “almost like doctors,” in the jobs they do. They are cheerful and funny, and really help the mothers through difficult times. If a baby has complications after birth, we rush them to the hospital.

To have their baby in this beautiful environment, with a clean bed, hot meals, Christian music, and “professional midwives,” is unheard of in Haiti! Each morning, the mothers are required to go to our “classes” where they learn about birth control, care for their babies, and the fact that “mothers’ milk is best.” The women can ask questions and believe me, they do!!! (“If my breast milk is white, will my baby be white?”) It is amazing the questions they ask!!

We are so blessed to have this beautiful Birthing Center for the poor. We just hope we have not made it “too nice,” because we heard one mother say, “This is such a wonderful place! I think I’ll come back here every year and have a baby just so I can spend the night!” Ha! We may be in trouble!!! 🙂 Sherry