The Miracle of Life

~ Thursday 14th August

Today was such a busy day ohmyword I'm ready to hit the pillow and sleep but I can't without writing a post so here goes.

Nothing majorly stood out in the dental department today, it was the same old, same old. Although we had a 20 year old guy who came in with periodontal disease and it'd resulted in abnormal tissue that was already progressing to a tumour and also the formation of a ranula cyst. The tissue had to be excised and his four anterior teeth had to be extracted, and they were obviously adult teeth so he'll need dentures.

There's something about watching a guy who's the same age as you, from one of the most impoverished districts in Africa and completely unable to pay for treatment, sitting in the dental chair and having tears silently stream down his face because he's going to be left with the front of his mouth toothless, and he's needing dentures before he's even hit his twenties. It really really hit home. To the point where I actually just wanted to give him a hug.

The rest of the day surprisingly passed pretty quickly; we had lunch at The Village Coffee Shop - their toastie and coffee milkshake was divine. I almost felt like I was back in England. Almost.

Then we went to town and picked up our African pants. I was apprehensive that they wouldn't have turned out right but mine are perfect! They're so incredibly cool. And then we headed back to the house because we were going to the local orphanage to spend an hour there playing with the kids. The ride there was a bumpy one to say the least but we did it make it there safely and we had fun, kicking a ball around, breaking up the odd fight or two, taking selfies and whatnot...pretty standard stuff.

It put life into perspective though...we saw them have their "tea" and it was basically flour mixed with water, that made some kind of brown paste, and they have that three times a day, everyday. At the entrance of the orphanage there were stacks and stacks of flour bags, and it was heartbreaking to try and comprehend life in their shoes.

Ironically, dinner at the house was a barbecue. Which was awesome. It felt a little bit like a campfire and the food was brilliant (as usual). Although now my hoodie reeks of smoke and I have no idea what to do because I wear it every evening and I'm going to need it on the plane. It's too hopeful of me to think no one will notice.

Thursday nights are club nights so the whole house have gone to Shooters for a night out so I skipped and signed myself up for a night shift in obstetrics and gynaecology. I'll be honest, I was terrified about it because I've heard horror stories from some of the others, particularly about caesareans. Like, when a C-section has to be done, the doctors quite literally rip the uterus and then place the uterus on the mother's chest while she's awake and alert because anaesthetic has to be paid for and the mother can't afford it.

Just thinking about it makes me inwardly cringe. And obviously there's the low probability of babies surviving and the painful nature of childbirth more so because of the lack of resources. I guess that's kind of linked to women being expected to have a much higher pain tolerance so they're pushed to give birth as quickly as possible.

Terrified was an understatement. But then I figured I've travelled thousands of miles to experience this, and it'd be a complete waste if I had the opportunity to see a child being born, and not take it simply because I was worried I couldn't stomach it.

So I went. And at the last minute, Aleks decided to join me which eased the nerves a little. I was lucky, there were no C-sections tonight but we did get to see the natural birth of a child.

And it was single-handedly, the most amazing, unreal, and simultaneously gross thing I have ever seen.

Seeing a child take its first breath of life is unparalleled. It's crazy to see the process and witness first-hand just how much of a miracle it is. From start to finish. It's easy learning about human biology and how life begins, and everything in-between, but it's surreal to actually see it. And it hits you just how meticulously designed the human body is. It's inch-perfect to accommodate something so incredibly complex and fragile and precious.

Just wow. Seriously, if any of you ever get the chance to witness the birth of a child - go.