OB/GYN

(This was the best picture I could find. You'd be amazed at how many strange pregnancy pictures come up on Google images...)

[One day I promise I’ll catch up. Maybe I’ll post my previous rotations weekly with some medical tidbits for you.]

I did my second month of OB/GYN in July. I already had my required rotation and this is my primary care elective. I actually tried to get this switched to ER in Omaha or Lincoln, but all of the months until graduation are full and so I did OB/GYN.

My first required OB rotation was supposed to be in Kearney, but after some issues that came up with my preceptor there, I ended up moving back to Omaha. Frankly, it was a relief to not have to live out of a hotel and try to figure out how to eat halfway nutritious microwave meals on a budget for more than a week. I could have done it, but I’m glad that I didn’t. My OB/GYN preceptor in Omaha was cool and let me deliver all of his babies, but since he was Catholic, I felt that my overall experience was somewhat narrowed and limited since he would not discuss contraception or sterilization with his patients.

My second OB rotation was an elective. I had already decided that I did not want to do OB, but since I couldn’t get an ER rotation closeby, I stuck with the OB rotation I had planned in Lincoln and lived with my parents during the week.

I absolutely loved this rotation. I love OB and it is so gratifying to deliver babies and be part of something so special. Depending on the situation, I would sometimes get teary because you got to witness an unforeseen, unexpected immense amount of joy that comes after the misery of labor. It’s such an intimate moment, with normally just the couple in the room, and it’s satisfying to be a part of such a sacred event.

One of the parts that made this rotation so great is that I had an AMAZING preceptor. He truly would be like a second father to me, we just had that great of a relationship. He didn’t let me get away with anything: he set aside 1 hour of his schedule daily (even on his days off) to pimp me and ask me questions. He was a great mentor and let me do everything (operative vaginal deliveries—like using a vacuum for example, repair episiotomies/tears, etc.). And I loved how he would tell the resident to back off so I could deliver (because technically I’m on the bottom of the totem pole as a student). So if you’re ever in Lincoln, expecting a baby, and in the search of an OB, I’ve got a great recommendation. Yes, he’s a male, but he has such respect and love for women that I think he’s more sympathetic and loving than women OBs.

So after this rotation, this would put my totals at (approximately) 30 vaginal deliveries and 25 assisted c-section deliveries.

My preceptor in Lincoln kept telling me to go back to med school because he thinks I’m smarter than half the residents he trains (residents are graduated med students). His comments were flattering but annoying [going to PA school over med school was a choice, not a back-up plan because I’m not smart enough or something]. But I’ve decided that no matter how much I like OB and women’s health overall, I could not solely do it (unless it is the only job I found), because the cool stuff (deliveries, surgeries, etc.) is done by the physician, not the PA. PAs do annuals, paps, birth control, and colposcopies (which is a more intense pap where sometime you remove part of the cervix if the woman has cell changes that could become cancerous). Not too exciting, nor gratifying.

A few things you may not have known: [Warning, this contains what would be considered private/personal feminine-type things]

-If you think you have heavy periods, you can pre-dose some Ibuprofen the day before and the first 2-3 days of your period. This will decrease the blood flow to the lining of your uterus, thus resulting in decreased blood loss (and less cramps too). If this still doesn’t do the trick, there is a new pharmaceutical available (but it’s crazy expensive)

-The best way to induce labor or ‘ripen’ your cervix: intercourse. The semen contains prostaglandins (i.e. the chemicals in your body that make you feel pain and accompany labor) that may speed up your labor

-If you don’t get a period every month (and you don’t use oral contraceptives or have a Mirena IUD in), you should see your doctor about inducing periods. Not that anyone likes having periods, but not shedding the lining of your uterus monthly predisposes you to endometrial cancer

-The most cost-effective permanent sterilization is having your hubby get a vasectomy. It is much more expensive (and invasive) to get your tubes tied or an Essure placed (spring-like wires that cause your fallopian tubes to scar over so sperm can’t reach your eggs)

[And after much consideration, I will eventually be changing our blog URL address. It would put me at ease to speak/write my mind (especially now that I am looking for employment) if I did not have an address that is easily connected to my identity. So if you have any suggestions for an address, let me know!]