OGee that hurts

Briefly bc showering is a daily must here and I still haven't had one today... Today was my first day of OG (or OB in the US). I worked in the labor room with Erica (I was told I referred to her as Eric in a previous posting, sorry Erica) and Aruna all day. So in order to be in the labor room you have to wear scrubs...their scrubs. They are really short and huge, I mean massive. I would love to see Stephanie in a pair. Right when I got there they said there was a c-section going back so we all decided to go observe. The shoe covers they make you wear are awesome they are fabric with rubber coated soles. The senior resident and the intern (here everyone does an intern year before you even apply for residency) did the c-section. It was pretty much like sections at home only they go really quick even though it wasn't emergent and there really is no using the bovie, which is okay bc they aren't that annal about making sure the uterine incision is completely dry before closing the fascia. I was also totally considering going to see some CT (heart) surgery but oh my gosh it is so freaking hot in the OR. I would totally pass out if I had to stay in there for an entire bypass.

After our section we went back to hang out with the interns in the labor room. I forgot to mention that the labor room is one huge room with curtains that separate the beds for exams and the delivery. No male family members are allowed back there. It was amazing to watch in the women who were laboring. In the states or at least at UH (the hospital we work at in SA) it seems like every woman, unless it's child #3+ gets an epidural. Here there is no such thing for the average patient and no other pain meds for that matter and they cry way less than then women who have epidurals back home. Not only that but when they push these women push. There is no messing around, they get those babies out. On top of that they don't hesitate to cut an episiotomy and a BIG mediolateral one at that. Erica and I were watching one lady and so in awe of how well she was pushing and progressing. Everything was going well but I guess not fast enough for the nurses who were delivering her bc they didn't think twice before getting out the scissors. Erica and I sat in the back just hoping they let her get one more good push in bc it seemed like that was all she needed but for we knew it she had a nice big cut. They give them some local pain meds for that part and some thing orally after but is still amazing. I don't know what a women back home would do if you told her she had to deliver in a room with 20 other laboring women with no pain medication...wow!

A few of us had brought suitcases/boxes of clothes (given by our friends back home) to donate when we got here. This evening we went to drop them off. Though a connection at one of the hotels brought them to the "school for blind children". It is a school and home (for some) blind and physically disabled children. They were all so cute and excited about what we brought. So thank you to those for you who brought us clothes. It was really a rewarding experience and definitely made me miss the children I knew in Russia.

Well, that was much longer than I hoped and I really have to go so I am not going to read over what I wrote...sorry.

-Nicolette