Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Blood Bath in the Delivery Room

As part of our course in Obstetrics-Gynecology block, we are given the best opportunity to witness how to deliver a baby and see it in an actual delivery room scenario. Never in my life have I seen a woman who delivered a baby until this bloody DR exposure. Yes.. bloody. It was a bloody scene. In fact to me, "bloody" is an understatement.

In this exposure, the whole class was divided into groups of six people and my group was such a good company. We were assigned on a Friday night. I didn't take my dinner that night. Believe me, I forgot to take dinner. Maybe because of the excitement intermixed with frustrations from our exams plus an anticipated birthday.

It was 6 pm. We prayed the Angelus. I prayed that we experience a good evening. That I can finally see how a baby is delivered in normal spontaneous vaginal delivery. I saw a predominance of excitement in our group. Everytime there was an announcement at the OB ward, we automatically and simultaneously grab our scrub suits and prepare to run towards the delivery room with all our heart. It was quite funny and a lot of times, we had false alarms.Pfffft!

At 8 pm, we had a group discussion with our consultant. She taught us the proper way of taking the history of a pregnant patient. So we were presented with a pregnant patient complaining with a decrease in the amniotic fluid. Oligohydramnios in medical term. Being the only non-native Hiligaynon, as always, I was the one dragging the group during the history taking. It was awkward to speak in Hiligaynon while asking the sexual history--the first coitus, sexual partners, etc.-- only to find out that it was unnecessary. T___T   I learned that you only ask for a detailed sexual history in certain situations such as a suspected sexually transmitted disease. Ha! That was so careless of me. Nonetheless, it was such a productive period.

At quarter to 9 pm, we heard a call from the Emergency Room that there is a woman in active labor and she will be brought to the Delivery Room in fifteen minutes. And it was not a false alarm this time. All of us was like "Yehey! Finally!" I felt the rush of adrenaline in my blood. We put our scrub suits on and anxiously stood behind the door inside the labor room.

Finally, the door opened. A pregnant woman in the stretcher was crying and was obviously in SEVERE pain. I became a little uncomfortable. I imagined how painful it was but the feeling was unfathomable. I learned that she was just 16 years old! Sixteen years old and pregnant for the first time! Oh, my sweet God!

We gathered inside the delivery room facing the pregnant woman who was in dorsal lithotomy position (That's the usual position of a woman who is about to deliver a baby.) I stared at that big opening in between her legs. After all, what have been described in our lectures and OB textbooks were right. Only that the pictures were not as good as the actual scene. LOL!

This is it! The most awaited part of the night. The Interns prepared the delivery paraphernalia. The midwife cleansed the woman's external genitalia with povidone-iodine (Betadine).  The resident Obstetrician inserted a catheter in the urethral opening and drained the urine. It was a very busy scenario.

We can see the head of the baby coming out. And then with the doctor's signal, the woman pushed hard. And then I heard the sound of scissors and then the sound of human tissue being torn as if it was just a lazy piece of clothing being cut. The silver scissor is now a red one. I stood still but uneasy, thinking that it all happened in just a matter of seconds without anesthesia!!!

Another push and a little more push and the baby's whole head was already outside of the woman. The Intern was alert in pulling out the baby. It was a forceful pull and it didn't look easy to do. And really was not the way it is usually pictured out in the movies.

A baby boy it is! Phew! There was a sudden gush of blood. Another few seconds and the placenta was expelled. Yey! I finally saw a real placenta!

After the delivery, the doctor was busy stitching back the torn vagina, making sure every tissue is back in its perfect place. The Interns were busy assessing the baby. At last we can breathe normally. I totally salute the medical staff for being so focused despite all the restless duty in the wards.  If it was exhausting in our part, how much more to them? Clap! Clap! We were so happy!

We changed our clothes and went back outside. The woman was brought to the OB ward. A guy went after her. He was her partner. And he looked like he's in his early thirties. =D

The rest of the night was eating and reading and sleeping. We had another normal delivery in the morning. Another baby boy delivered! By this time, I think I already got used to the scenario of a blood bath in the delivery room.

And then I said, "What a very nice birthday present...:)"