Breathing for Baby, Two Births in as Many Days, and Pequeño Muchachos in the Street

At a birth in San Raphael our 17 year-old primeriza was 10 centimeters and complete when I arrived. There were the three of us in the room; her mother-in-law, Dona Eulalia and myself. The husband had to work and couldn't be called because he had no phone. Being the biggest and strongest person in the room I supported her with all of my strength, until I was breathing as heavily and sweating as profusely as she was.

Her baby tumbled out as it was born, but dead weight, head and arms slung forward, eyes open, lifeless and unresponsive. Dona Eulalia started suctioning with the aspirator, applying alcohol and I began rubbing the baby up and down, but the baby wouldn't breathe.

Like it is often said to happen, time slowed to a crawl, as if as a gift; a chance to act, to find the ability to do something. Feeling unlike myself; braver and more confident, I somehow knew what to do and how to do it. 

Barely able to speak, and stammering out the spanish words for, "with my mouth, suck, baby, breathe," Eulalia nodded and I put my mouth over the baby's and began to suck ropy, liquid and mucus out of the baby's mouth and into my own. I coughed and spit onto the ground. Covering the baby's mouth and nose with my mouth, I began giving her breaths of air. I felt her chest rise and catch the breath, again and again, until her eyes began to blink and her shoulders rise. Slowly, little by little, this tiny creature came to life and began to cry.

The cord was clamped and cut, and I put her upright as close to my heart as possible, rubbing her back and listening to the cry grow stronger. I've never heard a sound more beautiful and I cried with her. 

In the moments that followed no one said a word. My eyes locked with the mother's and I felt nothing but love. 

I brought her baby to her side and their eyes met and stayed that way, expressing things I don't yet know, saying everything.

I fed our mom my breakfast of bananas, papaya and water, and kissed the two of them on the forehead when we left. I came home exhausted, wrung dry and needing to sleep, but wasn't able to. 

We were called to another birth at 2 am that night. The second birth also a first-time mom went smoothly, and though I was exhausted I found all the energy I needed; somehow, somewhere. 

Once she felt like pushing our mom gave all of her strength to her arms and her chest, and the pushing did no good. Then something changed, she figured it out, got the hang of it, pulled her knees to her chest and pushed ferociously. Crowning slowly, we put her hand on her baby's head and that seemed to give her the extra bit of strength she needed. Her baby was born that afternoon, a healthy baby girl. 

We are waiting on other births. Carolina thinks we will have one tonight. 

That look. 

Our second birth. Tiny futbol player.

Kevin and his buddies getting rowdy in the street

See the couple in the righthand corner? They stand there for hours, in the same spot, every single night. Making-out and dating in the street has got to get old.