Midway

3 weeks down! I'm on my Clinic sub-rotation right now, which is decidedly less intense than the OB or Gyn sub-Rs. For one thing, we start at 830 which means it's actually light outside when I leave home. And waking up at 530 is comparatively heavenly to 345. Plus there is an Endocrine specialty clinic which is about as close as I'm going to get to the field of my choice so I'm gonna milk it for all its worth!

I was on my first solo call this past week which was actually about as intimidating as I had imagined it to be. It was a fairly busy night, and I went 3 for 4 on blood draws which I am somewhat proud of. Next, I have to get over my complete and utter trepidation at starting IVs. The theory is more or less the same as a blood draw in terms of getting the needle in, but it's a much larger gage needle and it's placed in the hand, not the arm, which makes it more painful. Therefore, if I don't get the stick right the first time, I have to inflict more pain and terror on the patient for a second stick. Given that you know, these women are in the middle of LABOR, I'm in no hurry to do that to them. Although I suspect that the contractions are likely distracting enough for them to not pay attention to the third year medical student trying to get a stick. Or so I hope.

Also, here's the thing. There's a hella lotta pregnant women out there. Young ones, old ones, in between ones. But some of my patients have been young, real young, and I can't help but think about how they might've endured the last 37 odd weeks and how crazy of an experience it was for them. A lot of them are primigravidas, though some of them are multis. Often time they show up to L&D alone, or with their best friends, or their mom. More often than not, the father of the baby isn't there. I can't help but compare experiences and draw parallels in my head. When I was 19...I was suffering through Organic Chem, not Braxton-Hicks contractions you know? When a 25 year old shows up in labor all I can think about is "Wow. She's 25. I'm 25. And that's where the similarities end." It's just trippy to think about sometimes. Ultimately though, a pregnancy is a pregnancy and regardless of the age or the story we give them all the same quality of care. At the end of the day, the goal is to deliver a healthy baby and to get the mom back to a functional pre-pregnancy state which is what we aim to do.

Finally, let me just say, that childbirth is a truly ridiculous endeavor. Honestly, I can't think of another way to describe it. It is gross and disgusting and painful and bloody and frustrating, but ultimately SO amazingly miraculous. OB-Gyn is definitely not the field for me, but I never get tired of waiting for that baby to head on down the birth canal and then all of a sudden...out pops the head- anterior shoulder- posterior shoulder- abdomen- and legs- and he or she has finally arrived in all their screaming glory. It's truly a labor of love on the part of the mommy to be and everyone on her side. It's awesome and fascinating and maybe I'm just a big ol' ball of sap but I always get a lump in my throat when that kid opens his mouth and screams his first scream. It's pretty wonderful.