smirkingatyou

Last night went well. I saw one vaginal delivery. I actually just saw the labor. Things got complicated toward the end and the attending and another resident had to get involved. With three docs and the leg drapes, I couldn't see anything until it was over. She was given an episiotomy, a incision that extends the vaginal opening so the baby could get out. I did get a ringside seat for the sutures that closed it. That was intense. That actually made me more nervous than a C-section. With a C-section, the patient is completely draped except for the belly. The patient might be conscious, but there is another drape between the docs and her head. Everything feels very sterile. Also, a C-section mostly involves the patient's insides, which feels very alien. However, with that epistiotomy, the patient was right there looking at us, and the area of interest is a familiar one. I'm not ashamed to say that it felt kinda creepy. So there you have it, folks. Another milestone.

The rest of the night went smoothly. The attending bought us all dinner. I got two hours of sleep (every little bit helps). I also got to do a cervical exam on a woman in labor. I got to feel the top of a baby's head before anyone had ever seen it. Strange.

Tuesday night I wrote a powerpoint presentation on intrauterine contraception. I didn't do my presentation yesterday (because we ran out of time) or today. The attending from last night sent me home this morning. I jumped at the opportunity. We had almost no patients, and I was on the verge of falling asleep every time I sat down.