| 6:00 am |
I wake up to the pleasant sound of my ever-so-eager alarm clock. I shower, get dressed, pack my lunch, and head towards the land of labor and delivery… |
| 7:00 |
With my extra-large Dunkin Donuts coffee in hand, I arrive at morning rounds just in time for the night float intern to start presenting the patients on the low-risk list. Three days a week we have OB teaching after sign-out, where the L&D chief reviews a practice bulletin or other relevant study with the group. |
| 8:00 |
I meet with the OB team midwife and third year medical student. We divide the list evenly, and it’s off to meet the laboring patients. Today happens to be very busy, with five patients in labor and three inductions to admit. The midwives are an integral part of our team, because they help tremendously with the workload and teach the interns everything we need to know when we are new to L&D. |
| 8:45 |
It’s a BOY! Just finished delivering the first baby of the day. Mom and baby are doing well. Mom has requested a circumcision, which will likely be done tomorrow by me since today looks like a busy day. Speaking of busy, my pager just went off… |
| 9:15 |
It’s a BOY again! Just delivered another baby. This patient desired a post-placental IUD, which I place with ultrasound guidance from my midwife. We are very lucky to receive excellent training in all methods of family planning. |
| 11:00 |
Just finished placing a foley balloon for an induction patient. Between the midwife, our medical student, and myself, we arere able to get all three inductions admitted and squared away before lunch. For house patients, we make an induction plan with the midwife. For private patients, we discuss the plan of care with whichever attending is on for their group. |
| noon |
Time for lunch! The midwife is covering my pager as I go down to the Lundy boardroom to grab a quick bite and listen to a lecture. Different topics on different days…MFM, REI, Chairman’s Rounds, Genetics. Wednesday afternoons are the best, because we have protected didactic time from 1-5pm. Our pagers are blocked, we are served lunch, and we have lectures on a variety of topics. Once a month is sim day, where we have team simulations time to play in Baystate’s state-of-the-art sim lab (which we have access to 24/7). |
| 1:00 pm |
Back on the floor and check in with midwife. Seems like there is a patient about to deliver. |
| 2:15 |
It’s a GIRL! Third baby of the day and we still have two patients actively laboring along with our induction patients to keep tabs on.
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3:00
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Just got a page that there is a house patient to be evaluated in WETU, our OB/GYN triage unit. Turns out she is not in labor, so I give her precautions and send her home. WETU is staffed by a midwife who is very helpful any time you need a little advice or second opinion!
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| 4:30 |
Yet another delivery and another BOY! This delivery was a bit challenging, since it was a shoulder dystocia and difficult repair. Having both a midwife at your side and attending in the room is a great asset in these situations. Mom and baby are doing great! |
| 5:30 |
Get paged that our overnight inductions have arrived. I meet up with midwife and medical student, and we each go do one admission. |
| 6:30 |
Just finished my admission and in between delivered my fifth baby of the day! Another GIRL! The midwife has already updated the list in preparation for sign-out as the night float intern arrives at 7. Once my classmate is all set, I sign out my pager and head home. |
| 7:30 |
I’m home now. I do some light reading of tomorrow’s practice bulletin while eating dinner, and then it’s off to bed with dreams of shoulder dystocias and fetal heart rate tracings… |