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Babies-A-Plenty II — Sleep Deprivation
21 September 2007There’s something about babies and me. Firstly, I have crappy luck with them. Secondly, they really don’t like appearing in the daytime when I’m in the delivery suite (daytime when I’m not around is fine). Thirdly, it doesn’t matter what parity their mums are, they take a long time to make an appearance when I’m around.
I was determined to get at least one delivery signed off this week, and seeing as I had an all day slot in the delivery suite, it doesn’t seem all that difficult. I had to observe one more, and deliver one. Seeing as CAH has over 300 babies born each month, that shouldn’t be too difficult, right? WRONG.
I sat around in the tearoom for a couple of hours, determined to stay around until I get a delivery. Sure enough, a prim came down at 10.45am and I got to go in and speak to the parents-to-be and all was grand. She got an ARM and her syntocin… and a couple of hours later, an epidural. All was well… (well, she was in loads of pain and discomfort before she got the epidural and while she was getting it)… I disappeared for tutorial at 4pm and Dr M (who was taking the tutorial) was 101% sure that this patient is going to end up with a section. When I reappeared after tutorial at 5.30pm, sister told me to introduce myself to another pair of parents, and to go between the 2 rooms. At about 7.00pm, the first patient had to go for a section. And Dr M looked into give me an i-told-you-so smile. Arrgghhhhhhh…
The other patient I was with was para 2 and she had her younger child about an hour after going into labour, the midwives expected this third one to be just as quick. But no… she got into the delivery suite at 3.40pm and after hours of pain and agony (and pethidine), she delivered around 10.30pm. Nevermind that I was absolutely freaked out by the amount of pain she suffered (bearing in mind she is a parous woman), she also told me not to have kids and if I really want to, to go for an elective c-section. :P Well, I sat down in the tea room shortly after baby J came into the world (and spending some time with him and his proud parents, marveling at how adorable he is) and contemplated calling it a day, and was told about another lady just coming down in a while.
Off I went for an hour’s break… shower and dinner, was back just past midnight and FINALLY got my first delivery! (Had to observe 2 before I could deliver, remember? Baby J was my 2nd.) This mummy was supposed to get an epidural and she had an hour to wait before the anesthetist on-call could pop by, but Baby R was not going to wait. He wanted out and that was that. He was out just around 3am, I think.
Another 2 cups of tea later, the sane me wanted to head on to bed. I even changed out of my scrubs! And I commented to one of the midwives in the changing room that with the way my luck works, the moment I walk out, someone would appear. I was almost at the double doors when the ward sister said, “Oh, hang on… let me make a call to the ward. There’s someone 4 to 5cm dilated, you might want to stay. Go take a nap in the other room.” So I had a 20 minutes nap, (a much needed one, I must say, although how anyone can sleep properly in a hospital bed and in a busy ward is totally beyond me) and was woken up to a 9cm dilated cervix at 4.30am, and delivered my 2nd baby at 5.25am. Whee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By then, I was on an adrenaline high and super hyper… I walked out of the patient’s room to find people getting ready for an emergency c-section and I did something NO sane person would do. I walked up to the reg and asked whether I could scrub in. 5.30am! SHOULD HAVE GONE TO BED!!! Sheesh!!!
I finally left the delivery suite at 7.30am. I was trembling from the caffeine and the lack of sleep when I walked into the flat… shocked my friends by getting in at such an odd hour, got my laundry in the machine, then settled in a couch in front of the tv, watched bbc1 morning program but didn’t know what was going on. Thank goodness I didn’t have to be in clinic or theatre or anything in the morning, managed to get another half an hour of sleep around 10am, then make another trip to the delivery suite for a tutorial, which was cancelled in the end… and got myself on the way back to Belfast before 1pm. I was still hyper and chirpy, all the way till I got into my house in Belfast. Heh.
Now… 23 hours in the delivery suite and I got to observe 1 and perform 2 deliveries, assist in a section and get really high on adrenaline. Do I regret it? No. Will I do it again? Yeah, maybe… :)
on September 22nd, 2007 at 12:19 am
Glad you are enjoying your Obs posting, and finally got your deliveries. Have a nice weekend!
on September 25th, 2007 at 12:13 am
**although how anyone can sleep properly in a hospital bed and in a busy ward is totally beyond me**
You either learn, or you die on the job :P