Med Student Summer Fun :)

So I thought I would type up a quick little post about one fun thing I got to do this summer. The med school has a program for students interested in Ob/Gyn or Family Practice to follow a pregant patient through their pregnancy. It gives students a chance to see the prenatal process (which we don't get so much during our rotation thru the service) and gives us the chance to see a 'normal' pregnancy (which you also don't always get a lot at a tertiary care center like UIHC). It also, from my experience, gives a really great view from the patient perspective. I was 'matched' with a couple earlier this spring, but due to complications it didn't work out for me to attend the delivery (they do have a healthy baby girl, though, so all turned out well). The 3rd year student who matches us young'ns with a pregnant patient is actually someone I know from the Honors Program at UNI (ironically I was her older honors 'buddy' when she was just a wee freshman!). So i asked (read begged) her for another couple that might be delivering this summer. Low and behold I was matched with my wonderful couple. My couple had a WONDERFUL personality - we totally hit it off. They just had a great sense of humor that perfectly matched mine. When the mom started saying obscure Friends quotes I knew it was a match made in heaven :) I joined them in their 31st week I believe and followed them through delivery (which was Sunday, June 14th). I told them they were the perfect pair to be matched with a stdt. Even tho it was her first we arrived at the hospital for her induction at 7:30am, things got rolling around 8, she never needed pitocin, and delivered about 7:45pm. I hung out during the procedures (induction, checking, epidural, etc) and during the rest let them have their privacy while I kept soon-to-be grandma company and did some work at the med school. It was a WONDERFUL experience. I couldn't have asked for a better couple, and baby boy "J" came out at a bruisin 8lbs 4oz and literally cute as could be right from the start (sorry to all you mom's out there, but you know it's true that they don't all start out adorable!). I'm giving them time to adjust at home while all the grandparents visit then will probably bring over a baby/thank you gift. I am so grateful they allowed me to share the experience with them - it was AMAZING (for anyone who doesn't know this was the first birth I have seen). So needless to say, this hasn't dissuaded me from my ob/gyn interests. Now i will just have to wait and see how i like the OR (Ob/gyn actually includes a great deal of time in the operating room), provided i dont hate that i can't say i've seen anything to make me want to change my direction at this point.

Well, speaking of that direction, i better get back to work! The med charts are a callin!!! XOXO Andrea