Meet Ninotte Lubin-Assistant Midwife, Administrator

Ninotte Lubin listening to fetal heart tones. 

 Ninotte Lubin

Ninotte Lubin

My name is Ninotte Lubin. I am from Haiti from the southeast. Jacmel is my region. Jacmel was created in 1698 , a wonderful city that had welcomed Simon Bolivar in1812 for the freedom of some countries in the South America like: Venezuela, Equator, Peru and Bolivia

I was born in 1974, we are six children, three girls and three boys, in my family. My mom is alive, my dad was dead 25 years ago. I am the fifth one in my family. One of my sisters died two years ago, she left a son who ten years old, one of my older brothers left to the United States 20 yrs ago and has never returned. He lives in Missouri. I am living with my mom, my little brother and one of my older sisters, and my nephew. We come from an area they call Lafond, a nice area about 7 kilometers from the town of Jacmel. Lafond is the village of Merisier Jeannis ( a big cousin of my mother), an illiterate countryman who had fought a lot to escape of humiliations, hardships, and sacrifices that the rural life had been imposed on him.

I grew up with my family, my dad was a great person. He was a responsible man, he took care of everyone, even if we did not have a lot of resources. He was in the military. Before he died in 1985 he left the military because he did not want to do bad things because he was very sensitive. He tried to give us a good education like I remember he always told us life is a struggle so you should fight for what you love, for what you want to do. He loved his children because we were always at the top of our classes. He said that he wanted to help us to become whatever we wanted to become in life. That is why after his death I said my life is gone but my mom even if she did not have work she was strong and she loved her children too she said I have two things in my life that I never want to do as I want to help my children. I do not want to be a robber and I do not want to sell my body for sex to help my children. But I can do everything. That is why she never got married after her husband death or be with another man as she loved my dad so much.

She did all good things that she could do to help us. I am like my mother because she has conviction. My responsibility revolves around children. I was always thinking about children and always feel bad when I see children in the street. I ask where do they come from and why are they in that situation? I wrote about that even though my book is not yet published. I see children's lives different like if the mothers take their responsibilities from when they get pregnant they can change the children lives in the street. When I heard about the birth clinic I was working for an organization called FOTCOH ( friends of the children of Haiti) in Cyvadier. A friend of mine told me that there is a clinic at St. Helene who needs a female translator (Marie Antoinnette is her friend). He told me you can see and talk to them and see what happens.

My first impression of birth (I had not seen a birth before coming to MHI) was terrible because I saw how the baby came and when they explained to me what the placenta was and I saw the roots in the placenta I said, "Wow we are all a gift of the universe. I was scared. I did not think I was ready to see all of this. I took three weeks to understand birth. After three weeks I was ready to see all the things. Now I see life like I saw it before I understood it. This clinic has a excellent impact in my community because we have only one public hospital in Jacmel. We have some private clinic too, but this clinic after the earthquake is a miracle for everybody in Jacmel. Not only in Jacmel but from all over the southeast. People come from all areas of the southeast. They come because one after one they are excited and happy and their people are happy are to come to birth here. They love the way that we take care of them. Because we have an education problem in Haiti the nurses do not take care of the women respectfully. That is why they prefer to come to this clinic. The other thing is money too, they do not have to pay money to birth with us and the last thing that is most important is the psychological part. The way we talk to the women we help them to love themselves. We help them not to be scared and to feel their power that they have in their body and mind. When they are with us they feel secure. This is my second impression of birth. Women are powerful to give birth easily with suffering but lovely and gently.

The baby is also feeling the same thing that mom feels. When we try to help the women like we do help them to break all the bad things that they have inside. Because we help the mom we help the baby too. If you help them then you help the society and we help them to be responsible. People that are responsible are able to build a stronger society.

After two months in this clinic I remember that I talked to myself, I said

"Ninotte you are a translator but if you want things changed in Haiti you should move your mind. You should help this clinic stay alive and study everything you can study to help the mothers and to help yourself to do what you want to do in your life." That is why when the board asked me if I wanted to be a midwife I said yes without hesitation. Now the board has asked me to help run this clinic. I am very comfortable to do this.

I have a lot of things to talk about but, I want to resume all in a few words. I am a student in the midwifery school mama primativa, I am a co-administrator of MHI, one of the part of the philosophy of this group that I love so much is "educate Haitian women to be midwives, so, they can help themselves to stay alive."

Women we can, help yourselves to survive honestly with dignity that come from in the universe that has been created with LOVE. This love you have it in and around you.

In 1804, Haitian people fought for their freedom, now, women around the world must fight to change births to change the world. NOU KAPAB.