March 1st, 2025:
We had another intensive day at the hospital yesterday.
We’ve noticed that many C-sections are performed, even in situations where vaginal delivery could be possible. Repeated C-sections carry risks, so we focused on transferring knowledge about techniques that can help reduce the number of unnecessary C-sections.
We gave a training on external cephalic version—a technique in which a baby in breech position is manually turned to a head-down position. This reduces the likelihood of a C-section and increases the chances of a natural delivery.
We also discussed the management of miscarriage and introduced the all-fours technique, where a pregnant woman delivers on her hands and knees—an approach that can facilitate labor and delivery. It was inspiring to see how motivated the local healthcare staff were to learn and apply these techniques.
For the training, we were able to use a practice belly loaned to us by the Academy of Verloskunde Maastricht. This gave participants a realistic opportunity to practice the turning technique and better understand how a version is performed. We are incredibly grateful for this support.
In addition to the training, we also assisted in the delivery rooms. There, we saw firsthand how valuable the donated materials are. For example, the heat lamp we previously donated was being used frequently to keep newborns warm. We also noticed that the whiteboard is being actively used by the medical team—a great sign of sustained learning and collaboration.
Care doesn’t stop at childbirth. We had a touching meeting with an 80-year-old woman who comes to the hospital every two weeks for a new catheter. Ellen replaced her catheter and gave her incontinence trousers that had been donated from the Netherlands. The woman was incredibly grateful. A moving moment to witness. 🙏🏿
