2/23/12

Today I was walking to the hospital and a nurse came running, “Dr Jennifer, come to ER, there is baby with cough!”  So I went to the ER and there a 5 month old baby that is laying on the table…NOT breathing. I called for a bag mask and notice that the baby eyes are twitching, then he begins to gasp for breath rhythmically while the arms twitch. This baby is seizing! We gave meds and the seizures calmed down. The fontanelle is boulging, the spinal fluid is cloudy…oh meningitis!

Enis is a lady I was taking care of on the adult ward with necrotic, foul smelling leg wounds. I literally have never seen so much pus in my life than the day we cut her thigh wound open and expressed massive amounts of it out.  She is unmarried and when she found out she was pregnant, her family in anger burned and tortured her which led to her present state in addition to a miscarriage. I would pray with her every morning, and she never said much.

Today on call, a 16 year old school girl came into the ER after fainting. With an ultrasound, I let her know that she is 18 weeks pregnant. The entire family is in uproar.  She is shocked, clearly upset. I keep thinking of Enis.  After a long talk with the girl, we walk back to the family. I have them lay their hands on her belly and we pray for this baby together, pray for mom and for protection over both of them. Is it wrong to make a family promise to protect and care for an unwed mother and her unborn child? There is a lot of domestic abuse here. I fear for her and I pray this family keeps their promises.