Getting a little personal...

I am sitting here at my parent's house in the upstate settling down from a busy holiday season. Christmas was great this year--it was exceptionally special because I was able to see my sister (Amy) and her soon to be husband, Sean. As my family and I sat down for our usual Christmas Eve feast, I found myself looking to the empty seat beside me and longing for someone to fill that place at the dining room table. Being single is hard, but I think the holidays tend to make it a bit harder. The past couple of days I have been pondering over some of my hope's and desires for 2009 in regards to my personal life and the Bamberg Nurse Midwifery Service... As many of you know, I feel very ready to meet someone to share the rest of my life with here on this earth. The wait has been hard, and I find myself becoming more and more consumed with the fear that it is simply not going to happen. I have hesitated on how personal to really be on this blogging site as I know it is out there for anyone to read. On the other hand, I think of my patients as friends and sharing some of my personal life really doesn't scare me. So here are some of my hopes and dreams for 2009...If some of my readers would like to make these into prayer request that would be awesome!

1. A Godly Husband.

2. An increase in business for the Bamberg Midwifery Practice.

3. Continued financial security for the Micheal Watson Rural Health Clinic.

4. A Year of beautiful births and healthy babies!

5. Guidance, direction, and protection for all of the staff at the Micheal Watson Rural Health Clinic and the Bamberg Nurse Midwifery Center.

I will end this blog with a quote by Mother Teresa...
"There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those."

A Sad Day.

Today was a sad day at the Bamberg Nurse Midwifery Service. I found out this morning that one of my patient's (whose name I won't post for privacy purposes) died Monday in Columbia after suffering from severe preeclampsia and other underlying health problems. Preeclampsia only occurs during pregnancy and has many speculated etiologies. It is a rapidly progressing condition that is characterized by high blood pressure, swelling, decreased kidney function, vision changes, etc. Unfortunately, you can also have very little symptoms and never know you are preeclamptic if you are not receiving regular prenatal care. Globally, preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and infant illness and death. By conservative estimates, these disorders are responsible for 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year. It is our job (as health care providers) to check for signs of preeclampsia at all prenatal appointments. The death of my patient and friend is just a reminder to myself and others that life is precious and that regular prenatal care is CRUCIAL. I am going to miss seeing my friend. It will be hard to see her 2 year old daughter in the office without her mother holding her in her arms. Each day with my patients is a gift. In memory of NJ. One day, I am confident, I will see you again.

Back in the Berg...

This week was my first week back in Bamberg since August. In a sense, coming back has felt like coming home. It has brought great joy to my heart to be welcomed back to Bamberg with open arms and smiling faces. I have learned so much about myself and grown tremendously within the past 4 months. I don't regret for one moment leaving Bamberg and coming back. I never would have known just how truly good I have it if I hadn't left. I always knew (since I came to Bamberg as a student) that something was amazingily different and special about this practice. To look at the practice as an outsider looking in you would see an old office with no bells and whistles. You would look across the road and see an older hospital that is in need of repair and remodeling. The difference between Bamberg and other places is the people. In Bamberg, you find people that are genuine and caring. Anyone can go to a place and come back and say the facility was externally beautiful and the technology was amazing. All of these things mean nothing, however, if the people inside the building aren't genuine and caring. So, I end this blog by saying...a place is as good as it's people.:) I am so blessed to be where God has placed me.

Birthing of a website

How amazing it is to (for the first time in my life) to witness the birthing of a website..and not a baby! :) Since I joined the practice in 2006, I had often thought of how amazing it would be to create such an entity. When I rejoined the practice this month (it's a long story) it occurred to me that if I put forth the effort, this dream of mine could perhaps become a reality! I called around and ask several individuals about helping me out with no success. I was told "I don't have the time" or "The price for the website you have in mind will be a couple of thousand dollars." I knew that I, nor the Bamberg Practice, could afford to pay this kind of money. I continued to think about the website and pray that the Lord would provide me with a way to get a website created without involving massive amounts of money! A couple of weeks later I had the opportunity to go with my best friend, Rachel, to witness the birth of her 5 th child, Anna. I didn't get to catch this one for Rachel, but at least I did get the honor of giving her my name! While we waited for baby Anna to arrive I happened to mention my desires for a website to Rachel's husband, Jeremy. Without any reservation, Jeremy stated that he would create this website for me..for free!!!! Little did I know, but I was sitting beside the blessing that the Lord provided for me! The website is a work in progress, but the site (as it is now) way surpasses my hopes and dreams for what the website would become. I just want to thank Jeremy for his friendship and his dedication to this website.....he is truly a God send! I never thought I would say witnessing any thing other than a baby being birthed was exciting, but I am kinda digging this whole website thing...

Baby-Catcher Anna

The pic enclosed is Abbey and baby Anna Felicity:)