# 29 Twenty-four

Twenty-four.  No, not the T.V. show (if that exists anymore, I don’t even know).  

I AM 24 now.  No, not MY age, though 24 years old was a good age.  It’s the age I was when I met Olen.  Now we’re wiser and much more mature.  Ha.  

And with a second one on the way!  The second one is 24 WEEKS in my belly.  

Being an obstetrician, that’s when things start to get scary.  The age of viability.  It’s when a baby can possibly live outside the womb.  Though no one hopes to deliver a baby so premature.  Still, it’s possible to live at this early gestation.  In the states that is.  Not here in Tchad.  

I’ve never been the nervous type.  I wasn’t really worried with the last pregnancy.  But I probably didn’t really appreciate that we were having a real, live baby until he was out.  I work in OB.  I know the kinds of problems that happen with pregnancies.

I didn’t have problems with Lyol’s pregnancy, even working 70-80 hours a week.  On my feet, long surgeries, running to OB emergencies, etc.  At Baystate I had great OB nurses who forced me to drink water and put my feet up when I was sitting at the desk though.  It sure is hard to stay hydrated here! 

Plus....working 80 hours a week in residency was also great (somehow) because IF I did have any obstetrical problems, I was usually in the PERFECT place to have one....on labor and delivery.  But, nope.  No complications.  I actually went into labor WHILE I was working one Friday night one day before my due date.  I was spoiled.  I had a wonderful OB doctor who came in even though she was not on call! (Thank you Dr. Bell!)

Here, I do find it a little more intimidating that probably the only OB doctor in the COUNTRY is me.  Olen’s delivered like 20 babies probably during his training.  Samedi, the nurse who is a surgeon, can do a c-section.  But....that would be less than ideal for me.  

24 weeks.  Somehow I’m still at peace here in the middle of no where.  

I would like to say thank you to Olen’s mom, Rhogam-lady in the UK, and Scott & Bekki for miraculously getting a shot filled with Rhogam to our fridge here in Bere.  (Yes, we have a fridge.  It’s really a freezer with a timer, that is turned into a fridge, better for when the electricity goes off).  Let me tell you it was not an easy task to get Rhogam here!  But leave it up to moms and they will get the task done.  Yes, that’s right, there’s only one vial of Rhogam in the whole country of Tchad, and it’s in my house!  Saving it for 28 weeks.  

I’m thinking about doing a 1 hour glucose test also with orange Fanta.  I wonder if  it would work.  Maybe if I add more sugar to it???  It would be worth the risk to get a cold, sweet drink from the market. 

Keep us in your prayers (the four of us!). 

Danae

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