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four births in 16 days

One of the requirements of training/experience that we’re to fulfill is that of having “continuity of care” clients. These are clients where we do most of their prenatal care, attend their births, do the newborn exam, the postpartum follow-up, etc. It’s quite a bit of work to plan around.

Back in Sept-Oct, I carefully choose 3 women to approach for this, and I was offered a fourth. They were all due in February, each due in each of the weeks of February. So for months, I’ve been meeting with them and anticipating the month of February. So, with their due dates, I was on call from the last week of January through the middle of March.

That’s a long time for me to listen to the rings and dings of my phone, which I usually have on vibrate.

So for months, I’ve been anticipating this month, a long, marathon month of being on call, attending births at any time of the day/night, and doing then all the scheduled follow-up.

And now, February 22, it’s all over. All four births happened in a 16-day time period! Only the follow-up visits are left, and those are already starting to space out nicely. No one was transferred which was a minor miracle. I’ve been praying for these births for all these months, each woman by name.

I want to remember one set of a 3-day marathon–day one, labor, day 2 a birth around 1am, then working prenatals in the morning, then class in the afternoon, then another birth just before midnight. Wow. Midwife life!

It’s been a special month! <3 I’m thankful for God’s timing and help! I’ve not gotten much school work done with all the distraction, but I’ve sure gotten a lot of other special things done 🙂

Thank you, Lord.

2023 and midwifery

This was a great year for midwifery. Looking back over it gives me a lot of fulfillment, even though it was emotionally probably the worst year of my life.

So in 2023, I worked 42 prenatal shifts and 125 birth room shifts (that’s just over 1000 hours in the birth room)–this involves many things: labor care, births, newborn exams, giving injections, and baby meds, charting, filling out birth certificates, doing the newborn screening, postpartum checks galore, and a few other details I’m forgetting.

I also worked in the well-woman area 4 times learning to do Pap smears and gram stains on my own.

I certified in CPR in July and was later moved, along with my class, into primary roles. It feels wonderful to have gone from such incompetence to feeling more comfortable with the myriad of skills we need to learn.

Advent Scripture readings

ТИЖДЕНЬ 1: НАДІЯ

Рим. 15:12-13 “І ще каже Ісая: Буде корінь Єссеїв, що постане, щоб панувати над поганами, погани на Нього надіятись будуть! Бог же надії нехай вас наповнить усякою радістю й миром у вірі, щоб ви збагатились надією, силою Духа Святого!”

Іс. 11:1-5 “І вийде Пагінчик із пня Єссеєвого, і Галузка дасть плід із коріння його. І спочине на Нім Дух Господній, дух мудрости й розуму, дух поради й лицарства, дух пізнання та страху Господнього. Його уподобання в страху Господньому, і Він не на погляд очей своїх буде судити, і не на послух ушей Своїх буде рішати, але буде судити убогих за правдою, і правосуддя чинитиме слушно сумирним землі. І вдарить Він землю жезлом Своїх уст, а віддихом губ Своїх смерть заподіє безбожному. І станеться поясом клубів Його справедливість, вірність же поясом стегон Його!”

Іс. 7:10-14 “І Господь далі говорив до Ахаза й казав: Зажадай собі знака від Господа, Бога твого, і зійди глибоко до шеолу, або зійди високо догори! А Ахаз відказав: Не пожадаю я, і не буду спокушувати Господа. І він сказав: Послухайте, доме Давидів, чи мало вам трудити людей, що трудите також Бога мого? Видадуть пах мандрагори, при наших же входах всілякі коштовні плоди, нові та старі, що я їх заховала для тебе, коханий ти мій! Тому Господь Сам дасть вам знака: Ось Діва в утробі зачне, і Сина породить, і назвеш ім’я Йому: Еммануїл.” 

Іс. 9:2, 5-6 “Бо Дитя народилося нам, даний нам Син, і влада на раменах Його, і кликнуть ім’я Йому: Дивний Порадник, Бог сильний, Отець вічности, Князь миру. 6 Без кінця буде множитися панування та мир на троні Давида й у царстві його, щоб поставити міцно його й щоб підперти його правосуддям та правдою відтепер й аж навіки, ревність Господа Саваота це зробить!” 

Єр. 3:14-16 “Верніться, діти невірні, говорить Господь, бо Я вам Господар, та візьму вас по одному з міста, а з роду по два, і вас поведу до Сіону! І дам пастирів вам згідно з серцем Своїм, і вони будуть пасти вас умінням та розумом. І буде, коли ви розмножитеся та розплодитеся на землі за цих днів, говорить Господь, не скажуть уже: ковчег заповіту Господнього, і він вже не прийде на серце, і його пам’ятати не будуть, і більше не буде він зроблений…”

week 2: Preparation: Лк. 3:4-6, Михей 5:2; Мт. 2:1-12
Week 3: JOY: Лк. 2: 7-15, Рим. 15:4-13, Мт. 1:18-25, Лк. 1:26-38
Week 4: LOVE: Иоанна 3:16-17. Иоання 1:1-3, 14, Лк 21:25-36, Еф. 2:12-22
Christmas Day: Псалом 100, Лк 2:8-20, Отк. 3:20-21.

тиждень 2 підготовка

“як написано в книзі пророцтва пророка Ісаї: Голос того, хто кличе: У пустині готуйте дорогу для Господа, рівняйте стежки Йому! Нехай кожна долина наповниться, гора ж кожна та пригорок знизиться, що нерівне, нехай випростовується, а дороги вибоїсті стануть гладенькі, і кожна людина побачить Боже спасіння!” Лк 3:4-6

Михей 5:1 (5:2) “А ти, Віфлеєме-Єфрате, хоч малий ти у тисячах Юди, із тебе Мені вийде Той, що буде Владика в Ізраїлі, і віддавна постання Його, від днів віковічних.”

Мт 2:1-12 “Коли ж народився Ісус у Віфлеємі Юдейськім, за днів царя Ірода, то ось мудреці прибули до Єрусалиму зо сходу, і питали: Де народжений Цар Юдейський? Бо на сході ми бачили зорю Його, і прибули поклонитись Йому. І, як зачув це цар Ірод, занепокоївся, і з ним увесь Єрусалим. І, зібравши всіх первосвящеників і книжників людських, він випитував у них, де має Христос народитись? Вони ж відказали йому: У Віфлеємі Юдейськім, бо в пророка написано так: І ти, Віфлеєме, земле Юдина, не менший нічим між осадами Юдиними, бо з тебе з’явиться Вождь, що буде Він пасти народ Мій ізраїльський. Тоді Ірод покликав таємно отих мудреців, і докладно випитував їх про час, коли з’явилась зоря. І він відіслав їх до Віфлеєму, говорячи: Ідіть, і пильно розвідайтеся про Дитятко; а як знайдете, сповістіть мене, щоб і я міг піти й поклонитись Йому. Вони ж царя вислухали й відійшли. І ось зоря, що на сході вони її бачили, ішла перед ними, аж прийшла й стала зверху, де Дитятко було. А бачивши зорю, вони надзвичайно зраділи. І, ввійшовши до дому, знайшли там Дитятко з Марією, Його матір’ю. І вони впали ницьма, і вклонились Йому. І, відчинивши скарбниці свої, піднесли Йому свої дари: золото, ладан та смирну. А вві сні остережені, щоб не вертатись до Ірода, відійшли вони іншим шляхом до своєї землі.”

Exercise in pregnancy

Exercise during pregnancy 

Regular exercise is important at all stages of life. When you’re pregnant, regular, moderate exercise can help you feel better and enhance your social life; it can possibly help your labor go faster; regular moderate exercise can also lessen your chances of labor interventions, of needing a C-section, or of experiencing preterm delivery.   

 Here are a few guidelines I’ve gleaned that you can add to your own common sense. And during our prenatal visits, let’s talk about what kinds of activities your already doing or might want to try.   

 Guidelines:  

  • Be sure you’re adding calories, water, and nutrition to your diet if you’re exercising.   
  • Warm up and cool down; include gentle, careful stretching when you cool down.   
  • When rising from the floor, go slowly.   
  • Walking and swimming are good forms of exercise.   
  • During pregnancy, avoid scuba diving and exercising at very high altitudes.   
  • Don’t exercise to exhaustion, stop if you get tired. While exercising, your own sense of how you feel is the best judge what is enough or too much. During pregnancy, don’t push yourself to achieve higher goals, rather, use exercise as a form of supporting yourself.   
  • Don’t lie on your back to exercise. Don’t pull yourself up using your abdominal muscles.   
  • Go gently. Avoid exercises that require jumping, jerky motions, speed, etc. The pregnant body has a different load balance because of the heavy uterus, so move carefully. Be careful of your muscles, tendons and ligaments—pregnancy is a special time when hormones loosen the joints, and having a heavy uterus can strain the body and alter the posture in specific ways.   
  • No exercises that might cause abdominal trauma or can cause you to fall.   
  • No exercises that require you to hold your breath and bear down.  
  • Stop immediately if you feel unusual sensations or pain.   
  • 30 minutes of moderate exercise (like walking or swimming) a day is a good amount. Don’t overdo.   
  • Stop exercising and re-evaluate your situation with your midwife or doctor if you are spotting, if your cervix is opening preterm, or if your baby is not growing normally.   
  • Don’t exercise if you have a fever.   

Sources:  

Frye, A. (1998). In Holistic Midwifery: Care during pregnancy (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 262–264). essay, Labrys Press.  

Sinclair, C. (2004). In A midwife’s handbook (pp. 47–48). essay, Saunders. 

newborn bath

Bathing your baby

You can think through when and how you want to bathe your baby. Some parents like to wait days or weeks, so the vernix remains on the baby’s skin as that is also considered healthy and protective. Others like to put the baby in the herbal bath that the mom takes in the first few hours/day after birth. You can think through beforehand what you’d like to do, or just decide in the moment, it’s up to you. I’ll explain here basic information about giving the newborn a bath.

I’d like to start by saying that I personally think it’s important to have a peaceful bathing experience, for the whole family. This is not something worth arguing over or forcing. If you or the baby enjoys bathing, that’s great. If not, you might want to try calming elements, like bathing the baby with you, or using a different tub setting. Or not bathing that frequently if it’s distressing. Babies are very different from each other and they grow quickly—what they dislike one month might be what they love the next.

Basic bathing instructions:

Items you need or might want to have on hand: warm water, baby bath or regular tub, washcloth (optional), soap (optional), herbal “tea” to use in the water (optional), clean towel or two, diaper and clean clothes ready.  Free up your time so you’re not rushed; your constant presence with the baby in the water is essential. Don’t leave babies in the bath by themselves or with a sibling who’s not ready for that responsibility.

Simple baby baths just need some kind of tub and warm water. But sometimes it’s fun to add in natural skin care (like an herbal soap) or herbal teas to add to the water (that are already prepared and cooled down).

If you buy a baby bath, the ones with the backs tilted up are really comfortable so the baby can sit up and it’s easy to run water over the baby. If your tub is a flat baby tub or an adult tub, you can consider putting in about 2 inches of water and letting the baby lay in it flat and you keep a hand near their face, not allowing to turn to the side all the way and get their mouth/nose in the water. Babies often love relaxing in the water.

Also, you can consider making a bath for yourself and just having someone hand you the baby. You can spend time letting the baby float around while you support him, and also have the baby lie on your breast with you. All the while, you gently wash him. There are lots of ways to bathe a baby.

It’s important that the baby not get overcooled during the bath. So make the room warm, if possible. (If the room air is cold and you need to bath the baby, consider a washcloth bath, not uncovering the baby all the time and drying off the body part right after as you clean it.)

The water needs to be a good temperature, not too hot nor too cold. If the bath takes a while, add more warm water to keep the temperature warm enough.

Herbs to consider using are chamomile and calendula. There are many other options, so if this interests you, look online! I’m sure you can buy premade mixes also. Follow their instructions, or just make it up as a tea, let it cool off, and add it to the bath water.

If you need a systematic way to start off with baths, here’s a step-by-step method that made a lot of sense to me. When you first put the baby in, the water is cleanest, so use some of the water to rinse the baby’s face. Using soap on the face might get into the eyes, so just water is fine. If you have a washcloth, you can just wipe the face: over the eyes, the nose, forehead down the cheeks, under the nose and over the mouth.

 For the rest of the body, you can use soap if you want to use soap. I usually go from the neck down, making sure to get into the creases—neck, arms, legs. Gently wash the genitals and the bottom crease, not being invasive. The legs are usually easy to wipe downwards. I usually soap one part, then rinse that part off. Then, I turn the baby over on one hand and soap/rinse the back.

I pay more attention to the hair, as this usually has a lot of dried fluids and particles from the birth. I wet it, then soap it. I try to be very gentle so the baby likes it, and I spend time massaging out all the things in the hair. I may rinse-soap, massage, rinse-soap-massage-rinse a few times. I make sure to get around the ears and then the back of the head, too.

If you want to have a heating pad on low setting under the towels, that is a nice touch. Get the baby out, covered in a towel, and dry quickly. I dry from the hair down, and sometimes I use two towels, the first to get the bulk of the wetness off and the second for the baby to lay on while I finish drying and putting on the clothes. Drying the hair well can be important, as babies lose heat through their heads.

Putting some kind of healthy natural oil (olive, coconut, etc.) on the bottom helps while the baby is passing meconium, as the mec tends to stick a lot. Putting it under and on the male scrotum, too, helps to make it easy to wipe off.

When not to bathe the baby: if the baby is sick or cold or there is some other common-sense reason that it’s better not to bathe him, there’s no harm in waiting. You can always use a damp washcloth to deal with something troublesome. If you don’t have access to clean water, consider using store bought wipes.

Grace, A. (2022, May 18). I’m not washing my baby for a month because it’s healthier – if gross. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2022/05/18/im-not-washing-my-baby-for-a-month-because-its-healthier-if-gross/

Heidi. (2021, September 27). DIY herbal bath for babies. Mountain Rose Herbs. https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/baby-bath-herbs

Lund C. Bathing and Beyond: Current Bathing Controversies for Newborn Infants. Advances in Neonatal Care : Official Journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. 2016 Oct;16 Suppl 5S:S13-S20. DOI: 10.1097/anc.0000000000000336. PMID: 27676109.

Хто я як акушерка?

Існують різні види акушерок, і це добре, якщо ми чесні перед собою та нашими клієнтами щодо того, ким ми є та своїх можливостей.

Частиною навчання є вивчення того, ким я є як акушерка, примірка та/або спостереження за різними типами акушерок і акушерства. Це передбачає постійну оцінку мого стосунку з медикалізацією багатьох життєвих процесів.

Сьогодні я змогла висловити частину своїх особистих цінностей як акушерки.

Я хочу бути акушеркою, яка розвиває наш зв’язок із Богом і Його творінням, а також шанує медичні методи лікування, розроблені завдяки Божій укріплення для людства.

Who am I as a midwife?

There are all kinds of midwives, and that’s a good thing as long as we’re honest with ourselves and our clients about who we are and our capabilities. Part of schooling is exploring who I am as a midwife, trying on and/or observing different types of midwives and midwifery.

This involves a constant evaluating my relationship with the medicalization of so many life processes.

So today I was able to express a part of my personal values as a budding midwife.

A midwifery that cultivates and preserves our connection to God and His creation yet honors the treatments of medicine that God has enabled men to develop.

Update on my studies

I’ve been in school for almost 7 months now.

For academic studies, I’m enrolled in the National College of Midwifery’s program, and I completed several Antepartum classes (Basic Skills, Provision of Care, Risk Screening, Diagnostic Lab Tests and Procedures, Observation & Charting).

I’ve completed several other classes (Family Planning), just waiting for grading.

I’m currently working through History of Midwifery and we’re finishing up Lactation and Perinatal Education.

For my clinical studies, I’ve assisted the midwife at about 80 prenatals, 17 births, 4 newborn exams, almost 20 postpartum exams. I’ve learned venipuncture and soon we start our IV class. Checking vital signs, palpation to determine fetal position, listening to FHTs, evaluating labs, charting–these are all things I regularly practice.

My three philosophical thoughts from this time: 1) I hope the world tires soon of all. the. research. and realizes the limits of what is actually measurable. Reducing these experiences to numbers is a major weakness of the allopathic system.

2) How on earth did the legal system become such a chokehold to good care?!?!

3) I continually remind myself that clinic midwifery has it’s pros and cons. Pros: amount of experience, multiple teachers and input, ability to leave it until the next shift. Cons: lack of the emotional synergy, freedom, and physiology of home birth.

When missiles struck our hearts

My name is Anne Sokol. My last name is Ukrainian; sokol means “falcon” when translated into English. Twenty years ago, I moved to Ukraine, and less than two years later, I married a Ukrainian man, the air to my lungs. We have four children, currently ages 17 to 8.

2022. Rumors of war filled the air, and the evening of January 25, 2022, the US embassy in Kyiv hosted an online meeting for Americans living in Ukraine. “Significant invasion” was mentioned, and we were given instructions on various ways to leave the country, hasten document processing, etc. Emails from the embassy every 2-3 days followed, repeating and updating these warnings and instructions.

We left our apartment January 30. It is now early September, and I’ve never returned to that apartment. We’ve been to Albania, Romania, Moldova, Poland, and in/out of Western Ukraine. Once the war started, three kids and I stayed in Albania while my husband and oldest daughter went to work on the Ukraine/Poland border then into de-occupied areas in Ukraine. We’ve lived in so many places—camps, churches, apartments. We’ve packed and unpacked so many times. Washed clothes in so many different machines. Learned Thank You in various languages. Our wallets bulged with coins of different currencies, and we had to keep track of tiny SIM cards with each new country.

When we left Ukraine ‘just in case,” I had no idea of the emotional terrain ahead of me. We’ve driven through the Carpathian Mountains in the dead of winter, the enormity of the winding Balkan Mountains, the tiny highways of Albania, the lovely roads of Poland, and crossed countless borders. But by far, the emotional terrain of war is the most difficult to traverse. It’s taken me into territories of the heart I never asked to enter and finding my way back across the border is perhaps impossible. My heart must painfully expand to include this land, too, without becoming lost in it.

My husband is a pastor, and my world is shaped by intimacy with God. When the war started, I agreed with God that I would not hide, run away from nor ignore the horrific pain of whatever lay ahead, that we would go through it together. The following are my attempts, in journal form, to express what it was and is like. It includes my intimate thoughts, prayers, events, and, as time passes, my observations about being a refugee and war displaced.

_____________________________

January 25, 2022

The embassy has recommended that Americans leave. So now I’m packing in earnest. Vitaliy left for classes today. I’m taking the van for an oil change today.

January 28

Awakened early with evacuation thoughts. The sadness of leaving our cat, our known home and soft bed. Lord, whatever lies ahead, I thank you. I thank You that You are leading us by the hand in a way suited to us. Fill our hearts with such love for all those we meet. Use us. Use others to love us, too. Help us be sad, be glad, be mad– all in Your way and with and unto You.

22 February

In Albania, waiting. Olympics in China are over so we should know soon if something will happen. Watched Putin on TV, listened to his whole speech… crazy.

Feb 23

Well, we’re feeling better today about returning to Ukraine

25 Feb

Second day of war, full war, in Ukraine. Situation quickly deteriorating.

26 Feb

Oh, such fighting.

28 Feb

Victoria’s birthday. I cried on the guy who arranged a party for her. It’s all so horrible what is happening. And I feel like I can’t cry with Vitaliy because he is also sad. His family is under occupation! I don’t want to burden him with my sadness but to help him bear his. Now I’m crying at a café in Tirana while the kids are at the birthday party.

1 March

Oh God, my life is stuck in this war. Time has stopped for us. We can’t go on. Will it be like this forever?

7 Mar

Day 12 of this terrible war. War. World War. Sanctions. Cyber attacks. And so many words I’d rather not think about.

8 Mar

It’s an all-out holocaust on Ukraine. Very bad in Irpin right now.

9 Mar

Oh God, some days I just feel like throwing up. It’s hell. So here we all are—a pandemic and terrible war during our lifetimes. God, give us maturity, patience to endure hardship and discomfort; love, to shower around us all. Love, for this is your presence.

11 Mar

God, save Ukraine. I can’t take pictures of our “war sigh.” The “war sigh” is a sigh that Vitaliy and I both developed simultaneously—it’s a particular sigh we make when reading and absorbing certain war news. We’re glued to war news.

March 14: Vitaliy is ready to leave with Skyla for helping at the border. Lord, I bless him. Am I angry, always feeling left behind? It’s an old friend [this anger]. Why am I so mad? “Keep me . . . from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul.” (a prayer from The Divine Hours).

Days are a terrible cycle: I am terrified to fall asleep—that while I sleep, I am not praying. But then I think, my friends in America are waking up and they are praying while I sleep. Then I wake up, horrified, roll over and grab my phone to check the news. Is Ukraine still there? Praying.

I finished my latest diary. When I started it on November 17, 2021, I had no idea it would be a “war diary.” Flipping through those days of November, December, January– such a banal, sweet life: home school, sick kids, Hercule Poirot reruns… Such different life it was. It becomes a dream, a life hit by a missile and exploded into a million pieces. Gone.

We were walking to church today and Victoria suddenly said, “I’m tired of this.” And we all agreed. We are tired. We are tired of never having a home, never having a home the way we like it. Never able to relax. And there is no *homecoming* in sight. What to do with this tiredness?

This church in Albania is so full of love for us. They have activities for the kids, which I never anticipated how important that would be, because what else are displaced, homeschooled kids going to do? And the people here have fresh memories of the Serbia/Kosovo war, so they are full of compassion.

One Sunday not long ago, I picked up the church information letter, and it was talking about how they needed children’s workers. So I was reading the letter, imagining myself volunteering with the children during church, ready to sign up. Then the final line said that those interested in serving should contact so-and-so for an information packet.

I’m not sure I can explain in words this experience. I read the words “information packet” and suddenly I wanted to heave into major crying. I just wanted to wail, hard and deep. An overwhelmed cry of how it’s all too much and adding an Information Packet to it all just tipped the scales of emotional control.

It was one of the most bizarre experiences of my life. I, Anne, who love information packets! Who have dealt with more paperwork and documents than the average bear can even imagine. Here I am, reduced to an incapacitated mess by the idea of a volunteer information packet.

Volunteering for the children’s ministry is probably not what I should do at this point.

I haven’t had the heart to post any family photos on FaceBook while this horrible genocide is going on in our beloved country. I have a deep sense that I must respect the horror of what people in Ukraine are experiencing. I feel it with them, and I have no desire to post my usual photos of what the kids do during the day while, in real time, people are being tortured, raped, and destroyed in the most unthinkable ways.

Normal life hurts. It hurts to exist in normalcy because, while I drink a coffee or do a math lesson, people are living in this hell.  

I’ve decided to let people here love me in an uncomplicated way.  I desperately need their love and comfort. I’ve noticed this trend of criticizing things people say when trying to comfort those in tragedy. Like those lists of phrases one should and shouldn’t say to those grieving.

It’s helpful to some extent, but poor people! I’ve never been in a war before; I have no idea what people should or shouldn’t say to me. So how will they know what is correct to say to me? I’m committing myself to accept people’s love to me no matter what words came out of their mouths. I’ve been surrounded by compassionate people, and I’m not going to close my heart off by criticizing their love. I need their love, I need their compassion. It’s how God made us in His image, to be comforters. And to need comfort.

Poor people. They also hear and read about this war and are slightly traumatized, they are also inconvenienced by the gas prices and other issues, and this war has been politicized by their own media and government, so who knows what they are hearing and believing.

Last Sunday, a lady at church asked me how I was doing, and then she looked embarrassed for asking me that. But she was trying so hard to reach out to me and be friendly! She wanted to show love to me and welcome me. So I smiled and said I was fine. Another lady acknowledged that my life is just about survival right now and survival is exhausting, and I was surprised by the truth of her comment. Even though I’m “safe” and thousands of kilometers away, she is right.

In a rare outing with kids, we were sitting in a group, and one lady asked the perfect question that opened the way for me to share my feelings about this war. I can’t remember what she asked, but it was spontaneous and kind, expressing her own horror about it. They didn’t ignore my pain or feel uncomfortable about it.

There is one time I struggled with this principle. There was one moment when a person publicly prayed a general sentence for Ukraine, then paused and prayed the same general sentence for Russia. And I felt like I had physically been struck–praying identical prayers for the abuser and the abused!

But if I think compassionately about this, it was just a person who had too much distance from the situation to feel the nuances. She wanted to show love, and she was doing it as she knew how. [And later that person cried buckets when we moved on from that place.]

Doing a small thing alters lives, March, Albania still.

I’ve never met G—, I’d only written him about homeschooling in Ukraine. He’s from Canada. Canada has been quick about starting their refugee program for Ukrainians, and G wrote me saying they had some Canadian families organized, ready to sponsor refugees. Here I am alone in Albania. But I know Ukrainian refugees in Romania, Poland, Germany, France, Hungary, Spain, Czech. And Ukrainians are excellent networkers.

Just feeling obligated, I took a few minutes to write a brief message in Ukrainian about this Christian man G, who was willing to help Ukrainians who wanted to move to Canada. I put his contact email in there and said to mention that Anne Sokol told you to write. I posted this message in 3 social media groups (I was pretty sure that by the end of the day, it would be all over the place).

Jump forward to July. I must confess that when I sent that message out in March, I hardly thought about it. But G thinks I know everyone in Ukraine from all the people writing him that Anne Sokol told them to write. At least 10 refugee families have moved already, and more are in the process. I had no idea the scope of G’s plans, and I want to cry about how amazing they are. These thoughtful people have organized themselves and their whole community to integrate Ukrainian families into their space. They even give them option of flying the family back to Ukraine in six months, if they so decide, which is what every refugee needs to hear who is making these life-altering decisions unwillingly.

M and B (a married couple from our church in Ukraine) were the first to immigrate to Canada. Months later, thanks to G and all the Canadians helping them, she wrote: “Exactly three months ago we flew to Canada. Five months ago, we lost everything that was dear to us in life, we didn’t know how to live further, what to dream about or strive for. Now we have new dreams and hope, and we again want to continue living. Thank God for G…”

April, still in Tirana, Albania, still without my husband

We moved away from Ukraine to be safe. I didn’t expect feeling myself in danger. I feel pursued and in danger. I am very glad we live in the second-floor apartment of this house, with a family downstairs, and a high fence around us. It helps me a lot with feelings of safety. Even the glass shards along the top of the fence comfort me. I am alone looking after our kids, and I feel like, even here, because of propaganda, people are coming to find and kill my half-Ukrainian children. How will this war go? What will the world believe? What will the European leaders decide long-term? Will everyone believe the terrible Russian propaganda? I don’t post any photos or place-identifying information. Call it paranoia.

The longer this war goes on and the more bizarre and unrealistic the propaganda, the more I feel myself in danger.  Plus, it becomes obvious that Putin wants to wipe all things Ukrainian out of existence, so all the more I feel that my children are in danger.

April 7:

God, my heart! They are extinguishing our people! Our culture!

I did not anticipate the emotions of this experience at all. Also, I didn’t anticipate the hateful politics. This war is Russia’s delusions of grandeur and its ideology about Ukraine.  But each country takes it and makes it about their own politics–to them, their own politics is the cause/prevention/meaning of the war. I no longer feel safe because a lot of people who’ve never been to, much less lived in, and have hardly even heard about Ukraine, are suddenly more knowledgeable about who we are than we ourselves are. This actually causes me much pain, and I never expected this. At all.

May 2022, Romania

Tonight, as I was getting ready for bed, I realized that I was looking forward to waking up. For many weeks when the war started, I dreaded waking up; it was painful to be conscious, to be awake, aware of what was happening. So I tried to stay asleep as long as possible.

I assumed that “recovering” from these war emotions would be like going down a mountain– I would logically move downwards and out of all these feelings.

It is not logical nor downwards. It is waking up every day to the emotional carousel ride. Round and round on the same emotions, sometimes going up a little, or down a little. Round and round.

I’d “recover” from an emotion, think, phew, glad I’m done with that horrible experience. Then bam, there it was again.

I’m glad we have photos of us smiling. At some point, I’ve stopped smiling so much. It’s not worth the effort right now. Not many people ask me how I’m doing, but when someone does, sometimes I tell them I’m OK, sometimes I tell them I’m terrible. Both are true. Because it is the most terrible thing that has ever happened to me, but I’m still OK.

It’s still February 24, 2022, in so many ways. The date that destroyed the lives we all had. We remain frozen but in motion. I’m trying to somehow integrate the devastation and somehow build a life out of this experience. It’s an untimely rebirth of sorts, a rebirth from destruction, not from life.

Years ago, in Kyiv I got acquainted with a lady who was a religious refugee because of persecution. She said to me one sentence I’ve never forgotten. “I don’t live a life here. I’m just watching other people live their lives.”

I’m in these places, and when I can look up from the pain, I am watching others live their lives while mine is frozen, back in Ukraine, in the war. I’m waiting for the end of the war, forced to figure out an “in-between life” somehow, somewhere.

Our stresses used to be so simple. Education of our children. Money questions. Ministry issues.

We’re doing pretty well. But in my angry weeks, early on, when Vitaliy was gone, and I was periodically hemorrhaging my repressed anger (and Vitaliy is my safe person to do that with, poor man), we had some tense conversations, along with all those lovely internet problems that complicate heartfelt, long-distance communication.

It was nice to be reunited, to hold hands and eat ice cream and drink coffee together, to chat about the animals in the fields. To soften the hard things.  So many couples are forced to make life-altering decisions that came upon them in this unnatural, destructive, grief-wailing situation. Working through decisions they never wanted to make.

June 2022, Poland

It’s time to step over some line, from focusing on the horrible present in Ukraine, to focusing on the future that is before our family.

I’ve been trying to get rid of these feelings of sadness and anti-anticipation about our future. I’ve been having a lot of anxiety that is unfamiliar to my own life experience. I’m feeling a lot of stress about moving between my “sad life” here and my “happy life” that I so desperately want to have in our next permanent location. All my imaginings of moving are colored by feeling sad all the time. But I don’t want to feel sad there. I wanted to feel happy and excited.

How strange! I usually love “adventure,” but during this war, I realized that “adventure” takes on a horrible new meaning. I remember sitting in Romania and thinking, “I don’t like this adventure, not at all.”

In a way it’s comfortable to stay here, in a life in contact with other Ukrainians who are displaced, who are living in cramped and uncomfortable places, trying to fashion a life they never wanted to live, carrying around this invisible pain and trauma. We can sigh about the latest bomb destruction together. Moving on is scary.

But like other refugees who’ve gone to Canada, England, the US, etc., we’re taking the risk of a new place, of a life not really touched by this sadness. I talked to God about this, about how I can’t feel very much all the ways He’s blessed and protected us during this time. I can just feel and anticipate pain and sadness.

So I started to think specifically about things He’s given us … especially all the friends who can see a bright future for us when I cannot feel it.

July 2022, Poland

I’ve never read about a condition called “Refugee Brain”, but I’ve now had it, and so many others have, too. The decisions we make must look hasty or crazy to outsiders. But with all the unseen factors that are constantly shuffling around in our heads, a particular decision makes perfect sense to us. It does not make sense at all to someone living a stable life, sincerely wanting to help in the best way. I’m amazed by those who remain able to help refugees in the long term without becoming cynical about this.

I’ve been walking around feeling like someone poured Jell-o into my head, then used their fingers to mash it up.  But this morning I had a moment of feeling like my former brain was back in my head, the brain that could make decisions, handle lots of details, and go through complex processes like international flights. It was there for a brief moment. I was standing at the bathroom sink, feeling it in there, so strong and capable.  

Imagine, all these refugees with “Refugee Brain,” having to make life-altering decisions and do more documents and paperwork than they ever have in their entire lives.

I’m glad now that I’ve photographed some memories of this strange, sad time in our lives. We smile, do happy things, while our hearts are bombed into a million pieces. The first 3-4 months of this war, I wouldn’t let myself cry; I was alone with the kids, holding it together.

Now I can’t hold it back. I just leak tears all day. The TP roll is my undignified friend. The losses stemming from this event don’t get easier, they get harder and sharper. I’m sure that at some point this will turn around, but it’s not yet. “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14

I want to record again a bright gift God gave us–Skyla’s new dog. He’s a “refugee” puppy from Ukraine, so we love him all the more. The grief of losing all her relationships she’s had since birth is somehow soothed by this new doggie she can befriend and attach to.

It was hard to lose our cat due to this war, and I was surprised by the sadness I felt about that later. The sad memories are made smaller by new memories, and the sharpness of the loss is less. But there is something terrible about giving up a creature you’ve cared for, and in such violent circumstances. Una keeps remembering the cat and praying for her.

I still feel like big pouches of tears are stored behind my eyeballs. Vitaliy asks if I’m still leaking. But I also experience more moments of feeling like the person I used to be, so the Anne that loved her life and had energy and interest for many things must still be down in here somewhere.

August, 2022—we’ve moved to a permanent location

For months, there is this hope or expectation that suddenly I will wake up or suddenly the war will stop, and in a snap, the sadness will be gone; life will instantly return to the emotional flow it once was.

I was imagining that this will be like a light switch: On. Off. I’ve been waiting and waiting for that click Off. For my emotional landscape to go back to what it used to be.

It slowly dawns on me that the sadness will never go away entirely. It will never turn Off. I will have to live with this Sadness. It must become a part of me; I have to integrate it into my future life: That I will choke up unexpectedly when holding new babies or thinking about Christmas. That swallowing back tears around people untouched by this tragedy will be a new part of life.

I recently read about an extreme case of this in a book about the Hmong refugees who ended up in America. A quote from an American psychologist describing his Hmong patient: “It turned out he was an agoraphobic. He was afraid to leave his house because he thought if he walked more than a couple of blocks he’d get lost and never find his way home again. What a metaphor! He’d seen his entire immediate family die in Laos, he’d seen his country collapse, and he never WAS going to find his way home again. All I could do was prescribe antidepressants.” (The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, p. 204)

Another way I often feel these days is … numb. Not happy, not sad, not excited, not dreading. There is something soothing about this particular stage after all that’s been before. But it would be nice to feel some kind of pleasant emotions.

Just before we flew here, I remember having about 30 seconds every morning of feeling anticipation and excitement. That has left me. When I was first here, I had a few first meetings that involved certain urges to cry.

I don’t like being emotionally flat. I worry that I’m depressing to be around. But I don’t think I’m technically depressed. I’m just riding all this out. Who can control it? I’m controlling what I CAN control– like reminding myself of loving God, waiting to feel emotions towards Him again. Reading the Bible. Praying. Doing the work I ought and want to do every day. Also resting.

My worst fear is that I will be stuck in this flatness-bordering-on-sadness forever. But I think that’s a ridiculous idea, as humans are so changeful.

I was thinking recently about the one-year anniversary of the US military leaving Afghanistan and comparing it to Ukraine. The people of Afghanistan are in a seeming place of such setbacks a year after their president suddenly fled the country.

I remember, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the US immediately offered a refuge/government-in-exile option to President Zelensky. And he refused with his famous words: “I need ammo, not a ride.”

And, in the providence of God, that made all the difference. Russia immediately spread rumors that Zelensky had fled Ukraine, but I remember watching, with Vitaliy, Zelensky and all the major leaders of Ukraine–on live video–recording themselves and reassuring the people of Ukraine that they were right there, in the capitol city.

And, in the providence of God, it’s made all the difference. This leader chose to stay and suffer with his people. He has chosen to live with the overwhelming stress and trauma of leading Ukraine through a disgusting, relentless, brutal war. He’s not let the defamation of character stop him. He has, with great dignity and with relentlessly reminding the free world of the price of freedom, asked, asked, and asked for weapons to fight with. He’s not given up after incredible physical, psychological, and moral blows have struck us over and over.

There is something emotionally healthy about his staying and fighting—the loyalty, the striving for justice.

I’m thankful today for God’s providence in leaders for Ukraine, who are willing to risk their lives, health, and futures in the face of such incredible darkness. And we all keep praying, which feels like grasping God’s muscular arm in the darkness, for the future still hangs in the balance.

About the end, whatever that end will be, I also feel nervous. Once it ends, especially if Ukraine wins, we’ll be free to feel and acknowledge the horror of what we experienced, and I think all the grief and shock will be experienced a second time, in even more awfulness because it will be opened up for all to see and know. And the unhappiness of destroyed lives still having to be lived.

But what if Ukraine is forced into a compromising end? To somehow make peace with the evil? That type of end will darken these continually-beaten-down people, and we’ll face a new level of cynicism and hardening. I don’t like to think it, but maybe fighting (as it now is) will be better than the end. Now at least, we’re fighting the evil.

People ask me what they can do about the war and to help refugees. I don’t hurry to answer this question.

Years back I read a book, Visions for Vocation by Steve Garber. I remember one pivotal thought from that book that really affected me. The author recounts stories of young people moving to Washington, DC, with lots of passion and visions of changing such-and-such an issue. Then they get disillusioned realizing they can’t “fix it.”

And the author makes the point that we have to be OK with doing *something* good, with doing something in the good direction. And that thought has stuck with me for many years because the savior complex wants to save everyone and fix everything. To make it all completely right.

But only Jesus will do that. So can I be fulfilled and satisfied with doing the good works He made me to do, living in the tension of not being able to fix it all? It’s an important moment. Because if I don’t accept the grace of my limitation, then I tend to give up. All or nothing? then nothing. Like, if I can’t give the entire million dollars, why send one? If I can’t stop the war, why do anything at all?

Singlehandedly, no one can’t stop the war. But each can use his ‘hand’ to do *something,* and it’s important that we use our agency to do that something. I’m thankful for those who ask, What can I do?

I am so touched by many things these days that would never have touched me if I had not been forced to cross into the emotional territory of war. Today’s tears were brought on by the beautiful first line of Rachael Bunger’s poem “I Am.” (She is, incidentally, also a half-Ukrainian teenager, like my own teenagers.)

“I am a star, small but crucial in this night.”

Start of my 6th week

Last night I worked on night shift, and for the first time ever, I was taught how to check the fundus after birth, and I checked it myself once, too. I was thrilled that it’s actually there and palpable. I’ve always thought it’s crazy to try and feel for an organ inside the abdomen, and I didn’t believe I’d actually be able to feel anything. But I did!

I also learned in my reading that the #1 way to prevent tears during birth is a slow pushing stage. (And it’s actually better when the head emerges between contractions.) Last night I saw a physiologically “slow” (ie, absolutely normal) second stage. And no tearing 🙂 Which also helps there to be decreased blood loss.