Rounds

This week has been all about rounds and rounding.

On the trying to conceive front, Friday was my day 1.  I'm beginning my 4th and last round of IUI treatments.  I pick up my Clomid today to begin taking days 3-7.  I have my US and blood work on Monday, August 8, and then my IUI will probably be 2 days later if all goes well.

This week was my 2nd week in hospital and I did heaps of rounding on postpartum patients.  I saw 4 patients and their teeny, tiny, adorable babies.  Four patients may not seem like a lot, but postpartum rounding takes a long time.  It is the first and only time the patient sees a midwife during the day and they have loads of questions stored up to ask on top of all the questions I need to ask them and the exam I need to complete.  Then there is also time I have to allot for discussion of their birth and fielding any complaints they may have.  The pressure arises as the clock tick-tocks away knowing that I have patients one floor down in labor that I must get back to and round on as well.  It is a great juggling act of time management, to say the least.

This week I caught 3 babies (bringing my total to 4) and they all went so much easier than last week.  I was able to both protect the perineum, provide space for the baby if needed in the vagina, and coach the patient on breathing and pushing.  I really feel like it is coming together so nicely.  All of my babies had nuchal cords - one I lifted over the baby's head and the other two I helped the babies slide through them.  The transition from catching to tummy is going smoothly now too.  No more fuddling and fussing.  We had a few lacerations (or lacs as we call them), and I began to learn how to repair.  I have not yet attempted it on my own, but I experienced a lot of relaxed teaching time.  I look forward to my first hands-on experience.

All in all my clinicals are going quite well.  I am learning heaps every day and growing by leaps and bounds in my practise and knowledge.  I am also working at the same time with the new OB/GYN interns that have just started and that is a neat experience.  It is fun to be "babies" at the same time and grow up together.  My midwife preceptor teaches the interns as well on the low risk side of labor & delivery, so we are learning side by side.  Hopefully one day what these new interns learn from the midwives about normal, low risk births will make an impact in their own practise with women.  I already hear some interns calling what they do catching instead of delivering.  Wow!  So exciting!  The word of midwifery is spreading.