Nursing students make birthing kits

Women will continue to have babies despite horrible conditions, such as in the aftermath of the massive earthquake in Haiti.

Many of those births in Haiti will take place outdoors, on piles of rubble or in tent cities, said Gay Purcell, a nursing instructor at Trident Technical College and a midwife.

Purcell and members of the school's Student Nursing Association last week assembled kits for Haitian midwives who help women give birth. The kits contain straight-edge razor blades, soap, bath towels, strings and paper towels.

Angie Smith, a nursing student who is four months pregnant, was helping out Friday. "It's kind of humbling that this is all they get to deliver babies," she said. "I'll have access to all kinds of technology, and I'll be in a nice hospital with pain meds."

Lucinda Jenkins, another nursing student, said the kits contain "no epidurals and no pain medicine. But, believe it or not, this is enough."

Jenkins was placing strings, which will be used to tie off umbilical cords, and razor blades, which will be used to cut the cords, into the kits.

Purcell said the kits also include a towel, which is especially important, because it can be used to dry the newborn infant.

"If it's not dried, the baby's body temperature could drop and that could lead to a blood temperature drop. That's a big deal," she said.

Purcell said she heard about the need for birthing supplies at her church, Bethany United Methodist in Summerville. The 600 kits the group assembled will be sent to a United Methodist Committee on Relief warehouse in Louisiana, then immediately on to Haiti, she said.

Money and supplies for the kits came from students and staff at Trident Tech, Trident Medical Center and many school and community groups, Purcell said. People were touched when they heard about the need, she said, and they contributed generously.

Reach Diane Knich at dknich@postandcourier.com or 937-5491.