HuMA has been conducting support activities in the cities of Suzu and Nanao. HuMA dispatches medical personnel as needed to ensure that support is not interrupted. At Keiju Medical Center in Nanao City, there was a change of HuMA dispatchers. The following is a report from a HuMA nurse.
It was the day I was to leave. A woman who had gone over her due date requested a painless delivery, and the anesthesiologist on duty was on call. The ward suddenly became busy, during which time I attended to the mothers and babies on the ward. The woman’s labor did not develop and the baby’s heartbeat was stable. I completed my other day shift duties by serving lunch, discharging food, cleaning up linens, and maintaining the environment. I greeted and thanked all the staff members.
I have received a warm collection of letters from the staff of Keiju Medical Center. It seems that they are written to individual supporters, which may have been time-consuming for them. I received them with great appreciation. I, too, am filled with gratitude for the acceptance, for working together, and for the once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
With my bags on my back and still feeling hot, I felt a range of emotions as I crossed Carrot Road, the hospital’s aerial liaison corridor. When I first entered this maternity hospital for support, I struggled to remember the line of flow from the nap room to the temporary maternity ward. It is a complex building, and I got lost many times until I got used to it, each time returning to Carrot Road to reset. From this corridor, I could see the calm sea on one side and the town of Japanese houses lined with blue sheets in places on the other side. Nervous and anxious, I always made my way down Carrot Road to the ward.
On my way to the activity site, I always put my hands on my chest here and prayed, “May we do our best for the mothers, babies, and staff, and may today be a safe day for them. I was determined to carry on the activities of our predecessors to whom we have been connected, thinking about safety first, respecting the site, what I could and should do, and what I would want them to do if I were in the opposite position. I got into the spirit at Carrot Road and headed toward the site ahead, taking in the contrasting scenery of the sea and the cityscape.
I felt better after hearing directly from those I worked with on the night shift that the staff was able to take a little more time off because of the arrival of our support staff, and that we were helpful as personnel during the night and during the birth of the baby. I came to my last day just as I was getting a feel for where I stood and getting used to working with postpartum mothers. I have mixed feelings as well as a sense of having done it all.
With the sun streaming in and the shadows of the carrots reflecting off this memorable carrot road, I proceeded with a different feeling than when I arrived. As I gazed out at the peaceful scenery, I returned home with a sense of gratitude for all the people I had met during this support activity.
