Hi friends!
This week we’re celebrating new life.
Of course, celebrate new life is something we do every week, if not every day!
With two Birth Centers and more than 2,000 clients in prenatal care at any given time, we help welcome a lot of babies!
But, it’s not everyday that we get to welcome one of our own.
This is Noah.
He’s one week old and a product of a Second Mile Haiti love story between one midwife, Manithe, and one Operations Manager, Herode.
The story of Manithe & Herode starts out like the story of many lovebirds who meet at work—they were friendly, but not exactly “good” friends.
Manithe, who first trained as a nurse, started as a midwife at Second Mile Haiti in 2018. She was one of the first three birth professionals to join our team!
She is loved for her quick smile, her wit, and her sweet demeanor. But she is also excellent in an emergency, easily making everyone around her feel safe and supported by her calming, take-charge presence.
Herode is our Operations Manager.
He’s been working with Second Mile Haiti since 2014. You may have seen him in our Black Friday posts—or seen his name in any story that has to do with car trouble, logistics, supplies, or working in the community.
Back in 2018, his only workplace interactions with Manithe would have been in the event that the Midwives had reported a maintenance problem (i.e. plumbing or electrical) and he’d be required to oversee the work of a professional he’d called in to solve said problem.
In other words, their paths did not cross often.
But then Manithe changed roles at Second Mile Haiti, becoming the Maternity Center Manager for the newly constructed campus in Saint-Raphaël.
When the Maternity Wing at the new campus was finely ready for its opening debut in 2021, Manithe was present to cut the ribbon and welcome women on the first day.
Herode was there too!
While still based primarily in Cap Haitien, Herode’s role as the Operations Manager had him traveling to the new campus every few weeks for those first few months.
When it was time to time to fully launch all of the Maternity Centers many services—including birth—it was time for Manithe to move to Saint-Raphaël full-time.
Manithe giving women a tour of the birth room after a day of Prenatal Education
A sad occasion triggered Manithe’s prompt return to Cap Haitien. Herode’s mother had passed away suddenly and Manithe travelled all the way from Saint Raphael to support him by attending the funeral.
And that, I believe is how their love story officially began—as two friends offering support. Manithe, for Herode through the loss of his mother and he, to her, through the process of moving to a new city and into a new role.
They married in January 2023.
Flash forward to February 2024.
Manithe is freshly on maternity leave and everyone is still teasing Herode for failing to commit her due date to memory.
And then Manithe is here! Much to my surprise, she is here at the Cap Haitien Maternity Center and she is in labor!
Noah Maëlo came barreling into the outside world right here at 11:03 AM, after a relatively short and complication free labor.
I was standing on the other side of the door waiting for the baby’s first cry.
Herode was in the room with the two Midwives who happened to be working that morning, Miss Cossier and Miss Claude. They’d come in to replace Miss Gedalia, another one of Manithe’s long-time colleagues, who had been with her through the early morning hours.
Noah’s cries were loud and immediate. Yes, I cried.
And no, crying is not a common response to birth in Haiti. I received many looks of confusion and concern from Manithe’s family who had been standing by the door just as I had.
But this is why I cried:
The truth here is that birth in Haiti can be so very scary.
Sometimes, the hospitals don’t have power. Sometimes, the blood banks don’t have blood. According to the most recently collected data, one in 240 births is associated with a mother’s death.
These facts are why you can often find me outside of the birth room, holding my breath, and ready to spring into action if necessary.
This is also why, sometimes, you’ll see me cry with relief when everything turns out all right. Especially for the people we call family.
We are so proud to have these two on our team and so happy for them.
We feel honored that they chose to have their baby at Second Mile Haiti.
As a double income household, with two well-paying jobs, Manithe and Herode could have chosen to give birth anywhere. They had the funds for a hospital birth. And the health insurance benefits, provided through their jobs at Second Mile Haiti, to cover any expenses related to a hospital birth.
You may be wondering what it costs for a family to give birth at a Second Mile Haiti birth center. Do we charge? And that’s a great question. We do charge a small fee for prenatal care and birth (family planning and postpartum care is free).
It is the equivalent of $6.50 USD which includes an unlimited number of prenatal consultations with lab tests, vitamins, medications (all included). The cost for birth is around $11 USD at our centers, and again, any supplies or medications a mother or a baby may need are covered in this one-time fee.
The care we offer is not reflected by that minimal fee.
In fact, little Noah is proof that the quality of our team and the quality of our service is good enough for two people in managing roles at Second Mile Haiti, two people who could have afforded to give birth anywhere.
That makes me proud. And as a supporter of Second Mile Haiti, I hope it makes you proud too.
The Second Mile Haiti family is one (tiny) person bigger, thanks to you!
Sending love from Noah, Manithe, Herode, and all of us at Second Mile Haiti 🇭🇹