“The life of a midwife isn’t so hard,” Carina reflects. She’s seeing her 4th patient this week. The woman is only 19 years old and preparing for the birth of her first child. Carina speaks calmly and reassures the woman. It’s always difficult for first timers, so many fears going through their heads, but Carina knows what she’s doing. She’s been a midwife for more than a decade and she speaks with a voice sharpened by experience, “It’s going to be okay, I’m here.”
She grabs the warm towels and puts them underneath the woman’s back. “This should keep you comfortable while we wait for the baby,” Carina reassures her patient. “Should I push now?” the woman is calmer now, Carina smiles, “Not yet, we still have to wait. Why don’t you tell me about you husband?”
Talking always helps the mothers calm down and Carina is a good listener. The young woman and her husband eloped to this part of the country, their parents didn’t approve of their marriage. The husband had been trying to find work for months and went to the city to see if there was anything there. He was expected back next week and the woman is disappointed he won’t be here for the birth of their child. “Oh you can always expect that from husbands,” Carina laughs. The woman laughs as well, humor wins over fear most of the time.
Carina knows this is going to be a hard labor, and it will take a few hours before the actual work will happen. “It’s a good thing I prepared everything,” she thinks to herself. It always pays to be prepared.
Something wet suddenly falls on Carina’s shoulder and her breath stops for a moment. She smiles. Carina can’t let the woman see any hint of fear, childbirth is already hard enough without worrying about something like this.
Carina silently curses under her breath for forgetting about the suba*. She must have left it in the tricycle on her way here. “No use worrying about that now,” she thinks. There’s still the sharpened piece of bamboo in her bag. It always paid to be prepared.
“Okay, we’re going to try something, so just close your eyes okay? And don’t open them until I say so,” Carina’s voice is sterner now, but the edge of experience still shines through. “Is something wrong?” The woman’s voice had a hint of fear.
“Oh no, nothing wrong. I just need to take care of a pest.” Carina closes the woman’s eyelids, thankfully she was looking at Carina the whole night. “Now just keep telling me about that husband of yours. We have a long night ahead of us.”
————————–
*Pomelo fruit
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the Wak-wak entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Wak-wak (Surigao) Illustration and Watercolor by Nightmaresyrup
Tumblr: http://