L&D: The Usual

This morning rounds began at 5:30 a.m. and lasted just barely past 7:00 a.m., so we made it to check-out in time. The Blue team chief immediately warned us about a 15-year-old in arrested labor (of some sorts), and her dad was pissed that the baby wasn't coming out as expected. News flash: babies don't always arrive on schedule. The L&D board was full and triage was packed as well, so we immediately started writing up H&P's. Shortly after 8:00 one of the nurses sent me to the Family Health Clinic to pick up "goodies" from the drug reps. I got lost and arrived a bit too late, but I was still able to pick up a few pens for one nurse and several students as well as a burrito for Dr. P. We had a PA student named Russell join us today; it was his second week in L&D. The first C-section came rolling in around 11:30, giving me just enough time to finish up an H&P before scrubbing in. It was a usual C-section, though my duties as a student are increasing with each additional C-section I see. Instead of the usual retracting, blotting, and stapling, this time I got to massage the uterus, hold it during the suturing step, and hold the thread while Dr. D sutured. Not much, but more than before. Maybe next time I'll get to tie knots =)

L&D had its usual craziness. There was construction going on outside that sealed several doorways, making it hard to navigate through the halls, so when Cristy came into L&D trying to get out of the building, I was able to help her out. Then in another room another woman was in major pain and screaming so loud we could hear her many feet away. One of the nurses couldn't help but laugh, and the woman's husband poked her head outside the room saying that it wasn't funny. I got to deliver a baby with one of the midwives, and it had to be one of the smoothest deliveries I'd ever seen. No lacerations, no excessive pain from the mother, nothing. The only setback: I wasn't wearing a face mask (we had to gown in a hurry) so I got some bloodspatter on my cheek. Nothing a little soap and water couldn't take care of. What did piss me off: on the way out of the OR, my arm got slammed by the closing OR door, leaving two bruises on my arm near the elbow. It hurts a little to move my elbow now, so I'm hoping that nothing's broken.

More good news: round start at 6 tomorrow instead of 5:30 =P