It's a boy!

It's a boy!

7.9.11:

Spent most of the morning in the hospital laboratory as I heard that's the place to be if you want to practice taking blood (which I desperately do, at the moment someone could have a vein the size of the M25 and I would probably still miss!). Unfortunately the first patient who came in was a terrified 8 year old who was shaking like a leaf. The lab technician told me I could take his blood but I declined. I am not going to put a scared child through what will almost certainly be additional pain as would probably not manage to get blood from a kids tiny veins. Will definitely wait until I am confident at taking blood before I try on a child! Unfortunately although the next patient was an adult who had juggernauts for veins, the lab technician did not offer me the chance to take his (presumably because I had declined taking the child's). Massive shame because his veins were obvious enough that even I would have probably managed and I could have done with a taking blood win. Unfortunately even though I stayed a couple of hours more no other patients came to have their blood taken. The lab technician did show me some interesting things like what tuberculosis bacillus looks like through a microscope and how to test someone's blood group, but it was still a bit of a waste of time seeing as I was hoping for some blood taking practice.

Went to OPD for a few hours after, a few interesting patients but I won't go into details today as am trying to make posts a more reasonable length!

After OPD I went to maternity to see how a woman who was in the starting stages of labour in the morning was getting on. During her last vaginal examination a couple of hours previously she was already 8cm dilated so decided to give going home for a late lunch a miss and stick around with Aj because she would probably give birth very soon. Soon the midwives were asking which of us wanted to deliver the baby and because AJ is doing some research which involves having to observe deliveries rather than actively participate, I got to again. Woooo!

The actual delivery this time was harder because the size of the woman was smaller in comparison to the baby's head. In the end the midwife had to perform an episiotomy (cut the tissue at the opening of the vagina in order to try and prevent a less well controlled tear occurring) without even any local anaesthetic - OUCH!! But it was successful in that the baby came out much more easily after this. He was barely out before he started crying! Such a relief after all the seriously ill babies we have seen recently! He was exceeding beautiful too!

This time I got to clamp and cut the cord as well as things were less rushed due to the baby being healthy. Did manage to splatter AJ with cord blood though - sorry!! After I had delivered the after birth and cleaned the mother up a bit, the episiotomy was stitched up. I was asked if I wanted to suture it myself, but seeing as I haven't ever sutured a real person before (fake skin only!) and can't even really remember how, I decided doing so for first time on a fully conscious patient who had no anaesthetic probably wouldn't be the best idea. I settled for a nice long cuddle with the baby instead!

The woman said thank you to me multiple times afterwards, and grabbed my hand to say it again this evening when we were walking through to see if any more ladies were in labour. Patient satisfaction! Feels pretty great :D! (and did I mention how cute baby was ;D!)

Halfadoc x