I'm adapting well to my bottom-of-the-totem-pole role. I have shed my title of M15 back at the library of Tufts and am now referred to as an MS3 at Baystate Medical Center, otherwise known as a clumsy, know-nothing, overly-enthusiastic, in-the-way annoyance to any part of the healthcare team. I know so much, but I know nothing about the true ins and outs of the hospital.
Last week, after completing my Family Medicine clerkship, I started my journey into the awesome and powerful world of Obstetrics & Gynecology - OB/GYN.
I LOVE IT. As one of the most outspoken reproductive justice activists in my class (and Boston), nobody should be all that shocked... And soooo much oxytocin!!!
A few weeks ago at a dinner function, Dr. Wiczyk, the OB/GYN Clerkship Director of Baystate, mentioned to a group of MS3s that when considering our future, we need to "Chose our Fluids." She went on to explain that she can't stand mucus, sputum, earwax, nasal discharge, or saliva, but has no problem with feces, semen, vaginal discharge, blood, or urine. Dr. Piccioni, the Medicine Clerkship Director chirped in that he had to get friendly with all of the bodily fluids, and Dr. W. smiled and responded, "Exactly, you chose ALL of the fluids!" After Family Medicine I was so sure that I wanted to do Family Medicine. But now I am back in the land of ambivalence. And I feel like I am sitting in a big bucket of fluids that I don't know what to do with... ew! Medical professionals sure know how to chose great dinner conversations.
(I hope that the title of this post was warning enough of the graphic nature of my ramblings this evening.)
So last week I started with Night Float on Labor & Delivery (L&D). I spent my nights checking fetal heart tracings; playing with newborns; estimating fetal weights; guessing cervical dilation; chatting about post-partum contraception, baby names, and breastfeeding; scrubbing into cesarean sections; and of course CATCHING BABIES! I saw 7 vaginal births and 3 cesarean sections (2 were emergencies!). I pulled babies' heads out of vaginas and suture Pfanensteil incisions closed with subcuticular stitching. I drew cord blood, inspected placentas, and learned how to stitch women back together again. The residents, nurses, scrub techs, and even the cleaning staff were incredible to work with - patient, fun, friendly, helpful. I could not have had a better experience.
I think my favorite moments were spent with mothers and their babies during post-partum checks, when we got to chat about the delivery, discuss the bright future for their newborn, and get to know each other. No matter what age, what background, what expletives these women used during labor - during the post-partum checks all of the mothers looked at their newborns gushing with love (and oxytocin). A few of them even brought me to tears. I may not EVER want to have a vaginal delivery of my own, but it absolutely seems worth it when I catch a new mom and new baby staring at each other.
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Other topics not covered in this post that need to be mentioned:
1. I saw one of those "I didn't know I was pregnant" patients. It is real.
2. Saw a lot of teen pregnancies. Although I loved my teen moms (they are so strong!) we as a society need to do better at sexual education, and teens should use long-acting reversible contraceptives (Nexplenon, Mirena, or ParaGard), not daily or weekly methods that they are likely to misuse or forget!
3. OB/GYNs only take care of the pregnancy until birth - once the baby is born, they hand him/her off and the nurses do everything or call Peds. There is one exception - OB/GYNs do circumcisions!
LARC <3 !!!! haha
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