Little ones

Highlights of Obstetrics so far:

• Inspiring woman who after 8 yrs of heavy heroin injection drug use turned her life around and has been clean for 10 years. wow. I cannot imagine how difficult life must have been for her and how she managed to get through that to where she is today with a normal healthy life. People are so strong and resilient, it blows me away.
• Babies. Actually, it's more the faces of the parents upon the birth that delight me in how much they shine with happiness. And seeing different relationship dynamics is really interesting too. Happily, I've mostly just seen people that are either partnerless but with good supports and still quite excited or couples that seem crazily in love. It's nice to share/witness such a special moment in their lives.
• Learning. I've been doing a lot of it mostly just by watching women in labour and being taught by nurses & family docs. It's pretty amazing to see these women go through so much pain (and the difference an epidural makes), to learn what the typical sounds are that women make at different points, some things that can prompt them to vomit during labour, the positions that can help the baby swing into position, and often how little is required of us bystanders - mostly cheerleading (and helping out with catching the babe & placenta and cleaning up afterwards). I've also been hearing about things going sour in a hurry for the unlucky few, though I haven't been directly involved in any patients for whom this has happened. And I'll spare you the details on those patient experiences.

Lowlights of Obstetrics so far:

• Feeling terrible for a couple receiving the news that their unborn child of 27 weeks (out of a full term of 40 weeks, so late in their pregnancy) likely has a genetic anomaly causing the baby's growth to be abnormal - resulting in a form of dwarfism. It gave me pause for thought as to what my own reaction would be to receiving such news if I were pregnant. I can't imagine.
• Having a dreadful schedule with 4- 24 hr call shifts crammed in 7 days. yuk. A tough start to this rotation but I make up for it later with almost a full week off to study before exams.