Well folks, I was aiming for 2 blog posts a month, but it looks like we are down to 1. I guess that is just how it's going to be. I thought I might update since I have a moment while I am sitting here drinking a Hef on a warm Spring day.

First, an update on school: We are currently in our last block of Physiology/Histology and wrapping up a brief course in Immunology. Since my last post during renal physiology, we have completed respiratory and we are currently charging through the endocrine system and reproduction. Next up: Neuroscience (in which I hope I have some sort of advantage after 3 years of neuro research, but you never know with med school)!

In other news, I am an elected official! Next year I will be the vice president of Club Med (the newly re-activated internal medicine group on campus) and the community service chair for the Student Family Medicine Association. I am excited about the people I will meet and work with through these positions.

Finally, the main reason/inspiration for this post: today I shadowed the team of residents in OB/GYN! I arrived at 7am to dawn my mint green scrubs and watch the night team sign off to the morning crew. Within an hour the intern and I were delivering baby #1, a little 7lb boy. I was able to help with the delivery of the baby and the placenta, and I have to say it was a very calm and seemingly natural process. No theatrics whatsoever, but what can you expect at 8am? I spent about an hour chatting with the residents in the workroom, a command center of sorts lined with computer monitors and large screens projecting the status and progress of all the patients on the floor. Next it was off to the nursery where 2 very young gents were awaiting their circumcisions. I will leave out the details here for all you male readers. Then I followed the Gyn/Oncology crew to watch a paracentesis (draining of abdominal fluid) of a woman with stage 4 uterine cancer. It was quite a change from the squawking infants to the ravaged body of a woman battling her 3rd bout with cancer. We drained 3 liters of fluid from her abdomen and sent her home, hopefully more comfortable than when she arrived. Finally, after hours of liquid encouragement (pitocin), baby #2 was ready to be delivered. She also came without theatrics at 7.9lbs, but I got to clamp, cut the cord, and deliver the placenta by myself! Unlike the first placenta, this one was full of blood and fluid and I thought it was going to explode like a water balloon in my unsteady hands. Somehow, I eased it gently into the tub with no explosions or oozy mess. And just like that my first day in Ob/gyn came to a close.

Now back to reality, aka studying and my Hef.