So far in the Maternity Ward...
I've seen a Caesarian section done, including the administration of a spinal anesthesia right beforehand. It was a good thing I was behind the patient, because otherwise she would have seen me tightly clenching my hands on my uniform while the anesthesiologist did her thing and I said in the most relaxing tone I could conjure up, "You're doing great, just take a breath in...now out." Heh. After seeing that, I hope I never have to experience it.
For this particular patient, I got to start the IV, although my instructor had to take over because there was no blood coming out and I didn't want to "dig". After getting blood flow, my instructor had me finish it up. I also got to put in a Foley catheter (you know, the pee tube/bag). Apparently, pregnancy causes the acreage down there to increase, which makes landmarks disappear and therefore hard to tell where to insert the tube. Also, the pressure from the baby pushing down on the pelvic cavity makes it hard to get the tube in. Which is why my tube went into the wrong hole. And my instructor had to get another kit and put that one in the right place. Which is not uncommon in pregnant women, I was told. So I didn't feel too bad.
I've also seen a normal vaginal delivery. That baby came out pretty quickly. I was standing next to the mom (by her legs/feet), and the doctor was in front of the mom, getting his instruments/equipment ready, so his back was turned when I saw the baby's head coming out and said, "Ummm, the baby's coming out right now." And the doctor had just enough time to turn around and say, "Oh, you're right!" before catching the baby. And then quickly handing it to me so he can cut the cord and get ready for the placenta that was going to come next. (He handed me the baby since I was the closest one to him because the other nurses were prepping other stuff.) All the while in my head, I was like, "Oh, god, what do I do with this? Just don't drop the baby! Don't drop the baby!" Good thing the nurse was quick about getting a towel onto the mom's abdomen so I can place her newborn on it.
That particular patient had an epidural and couldn't feel her contractions. So there wasn't a lot of warning signs of when the baby was coming out. It was kind of an unusual situation, because the mom didn't feel any pressure and didn't have to push; the baby just went down the chute. Pretty smoothly, I might add. If I hadn't been there, looking at the mom's vagina and seeing the baby's head come out, the baby might have fallen onto the floor because everyone else was busy prepping stuff. And that was my second day on the floor of the Maternity Ward.
This week I got to see two different methods of circumcision. Apparently there are at least four different ways to cut off the foreskin. I learned that the Mogen method (the one that Jewish people use) is the fastest method, which means the least pain for the baby. The Plastibell method, on the other hand, has the least occurrence of infection. There is also the Gomco method, which looks rather archaic, but also seems to take less skin off than the Plastibell method. And the fourth one, I forgot what it was called.
Aaron and I are still deciding on whether or not to get our son circumcised. The biggest "con" is that it's largely unnecessary/mostly cosmetic, so why subject a newborn to that kind of pain on their first day of life? The biggest "pro" is an issue of cleanliness (smegma, anyone?), and there's also a major social/cultural factor. There are also recent studies (which I have not yet looked at) that say circumcision provides some protection against certain STDs. And as far as I know, no one remembers being circumcised as a baby. Even the babies I saw just seemed to go about their business afterwards.
But do the pros outweigh the cons? It's a tough decision to make. Although we could also do it the Filipino way, where boys don't get snipped until they reach puberty. Yes, my brother had to wear a skirt for a couple of weeks as he hit adolescence. But at least he could have a say in it. Although he might have preferred not to be able to remember it :P
So anyway, that's what's been keeping me busy. 5 weeks left!
For this particular patient, I got to start the IV, although my instructor had to take over because there was no blood coming out and I didn't want to "dig". After getting blood flow, my instructor had me finish it up. I also got to put in a Foley catheter (you know, the pee tube/bag). Apparently, pregnancy causes the acreage down there to increase, which makes landmarks disappear and therefore hard to tell where to insert the tube. Also, the pressure from the baby pushing down on the pelvic cavity makes it hard to get the tube in. Which is why my tube went into the wrong hole. And my instructor had to get another kit and put that one in the right place. Which is not uncommon in pregnant women, I was told. So I didn't feel too bad.
I've also seen a normal vaginal delivery. That baby came out pretty quickly. I was standing next to the mom (by her legs/feet), and the doctor was in front of the mom, getting his instruments/equipment ready, so his back was turned when I saw the baby's head coming out and said, "Ummm, the baby's coming out right now." And the doctor had just enough time to turn around and say, "Oh, you're right!" before catching the baby. And then quickly handing it to me so he can cut the cord and get ready for the placenta that was going to come next. (He handed me the baby since I was the closest one to him because the other nurses were prepping other stuff.) All the while in my head, I was like, "Oh, god, what do I do with this? Just don't drop the baby! Don't drop the baby!" Good thing the nurse was quick about getting a towel onto the mom's abdomen so I can place her newborn on it.
That particular patient had an epidural and couldn't feel her contractions. So there wasn't a lot of warning signs of when the baby was coming out. It was kind of an unusual situation, because the mom didn't feel any pressure and didn't have to push; the baby just went down the chute. Pretty smoothly, I might add. If I hadn't been there, looking at the mom's vagina and seeing the baby's head come out, the baby might have fallen onto the floor because everyone else was busy prepping stuff. And that was my second day on the floor of the Maternity Ward.
This week I got to see two different methods of circumcision. Apparently there are at least four different ways to cut off the foreskin. I learned that the Mogen method (the one that Jewish people use) is the fastest method, which means the least pain for the baby. The Plastibell method, on the other hand, has the least occurrence of infection. There is also the Gomco method, which looks rather archaic, but also seems to take less skin off than the Plastibell method. And the fourth one, I forgot what it was called.
Aaron and I are still deciding on whether or not to get our son circumcised. The biggest "con" is that it's largely unnecessary/mostly cosmetic, so why subject a newborn to that kind of pain on their first day of life? The biggest "pro" is an issue of cleanliness (smegma, anyone?), and there's also a major social/cultural factor. There are also recent studies (which I have not yet looked at) that say circumcision provides some protection against certain STDs. And as far as I know, no one remembers being circumcised as a baby. Even the babies I saw just seemed to go about their business afterwards.
But do the pros outweigh the cons? It's a tough decision to make. Although we could also do it the Filipino way, where boys don't get snipped until they reach puberty. Yes, my brother had to wear a skirt for a couple of weeks as he hit adolescence. But at least he could have a say in it. Although he might have preferred not to be able to remember it :P
So anyway, that's what's been keeping me busy. 5 weeks left!