Getting Ready for the Holidays and Fall Semester Wrap Up

This picture is from last year's Christmas, but I thought it was cute and wanted to post something reflecting the holiday spirit at the Harrisman family household! Next week I'll be through with finals and we will have time to do things like take photos, make cookies, and send cards out. On Friday we're leaving to drive to Missouri to visit Eric's parent's for Christmas. Peanut will be very excited about another long car ride I'm sure. We're also looking forward to seeing my parents again as they'll be driving to Missouri also. It should be a fun weekend introducing the parents to one another before the wedding.

Today was my last day of OB/GYN clinicals. Our clinicals were six weeks long, two days a week. There are three "units" we got to work in while we were there. One was Labor and Delivery, the second Mom/Baby (also known as post partum, or the place where mom, dad and baby recover and prepare to go home), and the third was in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). The NICU is for babies who are born too early or for newborns who are sick. We got to spend four days in each unit, which was a great experience. They were all very unique. I liked working in the NICU because it's so amazing to think these are babies who were suppose to be in the womb for another month or two, yet with years of research and advanced technology, these babies have a pretty good chance of survival. One of the first babies I cared for was born eight weeks early when mom's water broke. There was no stopping labor, but they were able to give a steroid to help the babies lungs develop. This baby spent about five weeks in the NICU and was sent home doing very well. They don't let students do a whole lot in the NICU but I was able to have two babies one day that I took care of. The nurse I was working with followed behind to make sure I didn't miss anything or mess something up, but it was a very cool experience to do almost everything on my own. I was also able to bottle feed her for her whole feeding, which was the first time she had milk by mouth instead of tube. She did amazing!

In Labor and Delivery I was able to attend two Cesarean sections and two vaginal deliveries (Eric thinks it is hilarious that I call them "vaginal deliveries," but that's what they are!) The second C-section I got to assist. I was the person who got to "wring" out all the bloody towels and make sure they were all accounted for and none of them were lost in the patient. I also did my first foley catheter insertion in front of the entire operating team, which was a little nerve racking. For the vaginal deliveries, I saw one woman have a natural childbirth with no pain relievers. The other woman chose to have an epidural, which made for two very different childbirth experiences. It was very interesting to see the natural ways to help progress labor and provide comfort. Boulder Community Hospital has a newly built campus with an exceptional maternity floor. Each room is equipped with an over-sized jet tub for women to relax in during labor. They also have a variety of those big yoga/pilates balls that they call "birthing" balls. Some women find sitting on these to be a comfortable position while they are waiting for labor to progress. BCH also uses massage, imagery, aromatherapy, music therapy, and has it's own team of Midwives.

Mom/Baby was the unit as nursing students we were able to act the most independently. For the last two days of my four there, I was able to have my own patients. We were able to provide complete care to mom and baby. Yesterday and today I had a post-operative woman and her baby, which required a lot of work because she had a reaction to anesthesia. I have to say I kind of though OB/GYN would involve a lot of holding babies, but this wasn't true at all. At Boulder Community Hospital, there is no nursery. Every baby stays with it's mom in her room. Mom's are encouraged to "wear the baby" for the first twenty-four hours, which means they should be skin-to-skin, breastfeeding, and bonding with the baby. It's a very different philosophy from many hospitals in the area.

After clinical today, our very cool and supportive clinical instructor Mari, brought us all out to eat at an Indian buffet across the street where we filled up with Chai tea and saag and talked about all the cool shots, catheters, iv's and assessments we got to do. It feels very good to have completed our first clinical and only have three days of school left!