My first week as an Ob/Gyn

I don't have much time to write. Strangely I got today off, if not I would not even have been able to put pictures up or write this right now. But, I felt it a good idea to put into words my experiences of the last few days.

Night before my first day, it was hard to fall asleep. I felt almost as anxious as the night before my 9hr board exams. Not wanting the sun to rise upon a day that you don't want to face, but wanting the torture of not knowing how it will be to come and get itself over with.

First day, woke up at around 4:15 am. Got to hospital bright and early with my blue scrubs, pager on hip, cellphone on hip, and white coat on. The day was busy, it was nonstop. Barely a moment to pee or eat without pagers going off and places to be. This month I am on the GYN service, which mainly means cases in the OR, preparing patients for surgery and managing them postoperatively and of course, running to the Emergency department, and the medical floors as a consult.

At the end of our first day, one of my fellow interns called me on the phone and we both celebrated that we had survived, that it was not so bad and that we were really really happy.

Upon embarking on each experience, at first I would feel the anxiety rise just a little. Going on my own to examine a patient who is bleeding or has had a miscarriage seemed daunting, and scary. But there was always a certain pt during each encounter when I looked at myself and realized that I was doing it right, that I was prepared for this and that I could be confident in my abilities. That was an amazing feeling. That and reporting to my senior residents and attendings and seeing the look of approval on their faces as to my thought process and knowing that if I did not know what to do that they were always there to help and guide me, were some of the most rewarding aspects of this week for me.

Everyone has been supportive of my pregnancy, making sure that I steal time to eat etc. When your chief gives up her seat so that you can sit down, you can't help but feel that you're in the right place.

Assisting on cases in the OR were great, keeping in mind that I will have to remember the names and functions of all of the instruments, not so much. I did a case with just me and the attending and afterwards he congratulated me for having my first one done. A rite of passage had been done. That was a great feeling. Sitting in morning report and learning from happenings that occurred overnight, being called on to answer questions and knowing that everything you don't know is something that you have to go home and read up on is part of the day. Coming home exhausted with only about 3 hrs of awake time left before you really should go to bed, has been difficult. Knowing that eating dinner, reading up on cases so that I can be prepared in the OR the next day, time with Randy, all have to come out of those few hrs is a challenge. But it is one that we are both up for.

Randy has been awesome, as usual. He sees me off in the mornings, makes dinner at night and lays next to me and tucks me in even when he isn't going to bed for another couple of hours. He has been my rock and my cheerleader.

This week has been tiring but I can honestly say that I have had fun. I am living my dream and touching people's lives each and every day.

ITS A BOY!!!!


The goods :)

All ten fingers accounted for

Hanging out upside down

He has such a cute nose!!!

Just some pics of me getting ready to go to the Park

as you can see, we painted some of the walls in our living room. (We also did an accent wall of a different color in our bedroom) I was going to do a before and after post, but laziness and busyness squashed that idea.

I am 17 weeks today, and yes, the belly is getting a bit bigger. I have been feeling the baby move a lot more now and loving every moment of it. Sometimes I wonder when he/she is getting any sleep lol. Randy has gotten to feel the baby move under his fingertips and even saw my skin jump up and down this past weekend. It is always nice when I can share with him something that feels like a private exchange just between me and our little one.
Hopefully when I get my ultrasound done within the next few weeks, I will finally be able to answer my family's nagging question of "Is it a boy or a girl" and "When are you going to finally find out the sex?!" :)

Some Spoils of the day :)

Yep, that's me! :)

My White Coat

I had been meaning to do a post months ago, saying goodbye to my shorter, thinner medical student white coat, but never got around to it. Now, I get to wear the thick, sized to fit, personally embroidered long white coat that the doctors get to wear. This is an item that all medical students look forward to receiving when they start residency.

My Pager

We also got some cool goodie bag stuff, including a jump drive, a cute little backpack, etc. Tomorrow I pick up my ID badges. It was a long day, but a great day. I met a lot of residents of various specialties who were all excited and nervous like me. I even got to hang out with some of them tonight when Me and Randy were invited over to one of my co-OB resident's apartment. All in all a good day. Now for a good night's sleep and more training, etc tomorrow.

And so it begins

Tomorrow will greet me bright and early with a full day of orientations. Thursday is more training and certifications and Friday as well. Monday is our orientation specific to OB/Gyn and then July 1st is our first real day as Albert Einstein Doctors. Today was essentially my last day of freedom. I just got home from having dinner with my fellow interns and some of the new 2nd years. I can't believe its happening and I know that the ride will be bumpy and long. At any given moment I could be filled with hope, pride and excitement or utter anxiety and fear. At this moment I feel blessed that I am part of a really nice, funny and fun cohort of people that I will be in the trenches with, and hopeful that I will make it through this year without falling into pieces......... Ask me how I feel on the night of June 30th.

I have an OB/Gyn and an appointment, I finished the first part of my Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification, I started to feel the baby again today, I dropped my mom and sister off at the airport, I survived some financial woes and struggles with the help of family, and I am now about to try to get centered, get into a place of zen, while washing my hair and mentally preparing myself for my residency orientation and further training next week. I pray for a constant infusion of patience, peace of mind, and strength.

Baby Update

The last couple of weeks, my tummy has gotten more pronounced. I have not been good at taking pictures though, due to all that has been going on. I believe the picture above was at 13 weeks. I am a bit bigger than that now.

I am 14weeks and 3 days today
I am doing well, happy to be well out of the first trimester and to feel like myself again. Since my 12th week, I have felt the baby moving. It has been so exciting, but mostly it has been comforting, having a physical assurance that all is well. I was surprised at how active my baby already was and that I was getting movements strong enough to feel at such an early stage. The last day or so, my little one has gotten higher up in my abdomen and has changed positions so that I am not able to feel the kicks like before. That did make me a little sad, but I know that I will have many days of movements ahead of me so I cannot complain. Apart from that, still trying to soldify a new OB/Gyn here in PA so that I can get my next appointment on time.