Hello again! I’ve just finished a few weeks here at Manos Abiertas (AMA) in Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala and in just a few more weeks I will be heading back to Tulane. Through my time here at AMA, I’ve learnt so much. Every day I get to sit in on pre-natal, postpartum and gynaecological appointments and I’ve even assisted in 2 births so far! I’ve learned so much in my time here and reflecting on my learning objectives from the start of this internship I have:
- Explored and achieved some practical experience in the field of maternal and child health: As mentioned earlier, I sit in on pre-natal, postpartum and gynaecological appointments every day, I have learned so much about the culture on reproductive rights here and on maternal and child health in general. The first birth I assisted with was a water birth of a healthy 8-pound boy and the second birth was of a 7-pound boy. The second birth had a few complications and so the mother had to have an emergency C-section which was quite sad. I have also learned all the different stages of labour, how to take the fetal heart rate and how to administer injections!
- Improved my conversational Spanish: My conversational Spanish was atrocious during the first week here, however, I have been taking 2 hour Spanish classes 3 times a week and now I’m able to communicate with the patients and locals with much more ease. This has also helped me in communicating with my co-workers that speak only in Spanish as I did have some difficulty communicating with them initially. I hope to improve my Spanish even more before leaving!
- Understanding how culture plays a role in women seeking medical care: Through my time here, I constantly keep unconsciously comparing Guatemala to my hometown in India and while there are obviously a few differences, there are also quite a few similarities! In Guatemala, women are far more inclined to take better care of their health and take the initiative to come to the clinic regarding topics like family planning, contraceptives and regular pregnancy checks, however, in many parts of India women disregard these as not important and compromise their health leading to higher rates of STIs and poorer standards of health. It has been so interesting to see this stark difference but also how similar the two cultures are in terms of how early women get married and start families here. In almost every appointment I sit in on, women will ask me how old I am, if I’m married and have kids yet and in all honesty, it’s pretty similar back home in India.
- Gained a better understanding of alternative medicine: AMA uses a lot of natural oils and teas in place of medication for pain and in aiding with pregnancy. For example, chamomile tea helps with easing the pain of contractions and a tea called “Rosa de Jamaica” (A type of Hibiscus tea native to Guatemala) helps increase iron levels in the blood. It has been really interesting to see these and other alternative medicinal practices for the first time.
- Becoming more confident in how I interact with my peers and patients: In general, I tend to be a little shy, so during my first week at the clinic, I was really quiet, didn’t really speak up and second guessed myself all the time. However, after some practice, observation and time I was finding my way about the clinic, started feeling more confident around patients, in taking their blood pressure and just talking to them, whether it was giving them advice or even just making conversation!
I have to complete a project here before I leave and so I am making a teaching pamphlet for women who cannot read or write Spanish on fetal resuscitation and postpartum haemorrhaging, and making a model to demonstrate both as well. One of the senior midwives at the clinic will be teaching this class at the end of this month so I have been trying to get these ready as soon as possible. I’m finding making the model on fetal resuscitation a little challenging but hopefully I get it done by the end of the week.
Manos Abiertas is a clinic completely founded and operated by women. In fact, the motto of the clinic is “Care for women and by women”. Every single person working at the clinic is an inspiring female leader and I learn so much from them every day. Seeing these women thrive in this field, especially when the healthcare field is so overwhelmingly dominated by males, is so encouraging and motivates me to continue on my path to healthcare and pursuing a career in the field of public health.