iguanas, the temple, and CPR

Tuesday we visited El Parque de Iguanas. Basically it's a block of the city with trees, benches, and TONS of iguanas!!! We saw them all over the grass and then we looked up and they covered almost every branch in the trees. We didn't have hand sanitizer with us so we were kinda leery of touching them (not that I wouldn't be leery of them anyway!). Reptiles aren't really my thing, but hey whatever floats your boat.... 

Then on Wednesday we got to go to the temple! It was such a relief after a few crazy days. I also love hearing the baptismal ordinance prayers in Spanish. 

Finally, on Wen we had another fabulous day at Sotomayor (the maternity hospital). We actually got to help teach basic life support (similar to CPR) to the nurses and doctors! At first they were a little timid to participate in the simulation situations but I think they were excited. Our instructor, Debbie, teaches basic life support, and advanced cardiac life support classes down here. She's awesome! Oh funniest part of the whole lesson- we taught it in the labor and delivery room with patients and all! We were following the charge nurse to do the lesson and she took us right to the room where all the patients are laboring. Luckily it was a slow morning so no one was actually giving birth yet. Usually in the US we do inservices and training behind closed doors but in Ecuador we do it in front of our laboring patients! :) 

Debbie is on the left and you can see the nurses frantically reviving the dummy on the right! 

On Thursday we showed up and the Baby Factory was bursting at its seams! We turned the corner after changing into our lovely green capri scrubs to see every inch of the hallway filled with stretchers. I guess they had a busy night! 

I couldn't believe it when they said they had 25,000 births per year at the hospital but now I do! 

One last picture! I ran into my patient from the first day on the postpartum unit. She and baby Jeffrey are doing well. :)