It was the last full day for my family in the Philippines and we hadn't finally decided what we were going to do, find a sea side, go to a water theme park or what.
Just after breakfast grace told me that May, who lived just outside our gate and was (very) pregnant was about to give birth. The midwife was there and didn't think that the house was suitable for a birth as it had mud floors and more holes than walls (this was because it was being rebuilt)
So it was decided to move May to our garage. This is a big double garage bigger than the house May was living in and with good solid walls , roof and floor. And so we waited. All day there was a procession of people in and out of the garage. I looked in a few times and saw May walking about as the labour proceeded. Once it got to a more serious stage, Catherine was in there holding May's hand and helping. I had thought it was the kind of event where men weren't wanted/needed but on one visit I saw one of the friends leaning across May's head and pushing down on her tummy to help persuade the baby to come out!!
Finally in the early evening a little boy, John Carlos, was born. Both Alex and myself rushed in with our cameras to take photos. All the local children were there as well, including Louisa, getting biology lessons at first hand.
I think that being born in a garage is something to be proud of, after all wasn't another JC born in a stable and isn't a garage just the modern equivalent?
Here he is.........
That's Mum's knees in the foreground!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment