Hospital Civil

I kept putting off this blog because I did not know how much I wanted to divulge...but, well, you'll see.

Hospital Civil- October 15-17, 22-24.

This was actually my 2nd clinical rotation site and this is where I first discovered that I love gynecology and obstetrics. The first day was slow because I did not bring my scrubs, so I sat with interns while they filled out paperwork. LAME...but necessary. So next day, I bring my scrubs, and I am ready to see some babies pop out, but since I am only in clinic for 4 hours, none of the women where ready to go into labor while I was there. So all I got to see was a cesaerian birth, while also beautiful in its own way, I wanted to see a vaginal birth. I learned a lot about gynecology those first two days, but I had yet to see the screaming, bloody births I have heard so much about.

But the third day....

Alexa and I come into start our rotation in the the toco, the surgical and birthing area of gyno, and there were 2 cesaerians coming up and 3 women in labor, ready to pop. So the interns are scrambling, making rooms for these women, preparing the operating room and it is pure chaos. Two women were giving birth in the sala de expulsion (birthing room in Spanish is litterally translated "room of expulsion!") and it was so exicting, so much adrenaline. These women are going into labor, no epidural, no private room, and they are alone, as no family members are allowed in the birthing room. One doctor is at the receiving end, the woman is in gynecological postion, plastic sheets are carefully placed under the woman to catch the liquids and final product. "Empuja, mi amor! " Tradition Mexican beliefs about women and labor follow an idead called aguantar, where women are supposed to have children and are supposed to suffer during the labor, so making a fuss and screaming and crying is looked poorly upon, because you are less of a woman if you show pain.

I got a front row seat of the vaginal birth and all I can say is that God must have a dark sense of humor. Among the blood and goo, ripping flesh, unintentional bowel excretions, comes this beautiful new life into the world. Watching the baby's head crest through this unlikely tunnel was intense because in a matter of seconds, there was a fetus and then there was a baby. Humans think we are far superior to any other creature on Earth, but after all the biology classes I have taken, human embryology is not so markedly different than that of other species, and seeing this little purple and blue baby, I couldnt help but think how similar it looked to newborn puppies, piglets and mice.

After the baby came out, they presented it to the tired mother, and rushed it to the table get it breathing. They suction the goo from their mouths and throats, and we wait patiently for the baby to start crying. It doesnt, so they give it oxygen, and it still doesnt. The doctor gives me a concerned look, and at this point, I have a knot in my throat, my heart is pounding, and I am scared shitless. It only been a matter of minutes, but this baby needs to cry soon or it could indicate some serious problems. Then, a cry, a hiccup, and wild cries of relief come from the baby's body. He is going to be okay, and as I hear his tiny little body produce big cries, I also start crying. The birth took 15 minutes at most, but in those 15 minutes I experienced excitement, disgust, concern, fear and joy. It was wild; you cannot write plays or songs that induce that much and as wide a range of emotion. I stand in the corner, watching the interns measure and care for the new humans, and I had never been more happy to have a face mask and glasses, so my controllable sobbing didnt feel so obvious.

The rest of my time at Hospital Civil was spent in gynecology, although most of what I saw was obstetrics. I got to see several more births, both cesaerian and vaginal, and I as a woman, I definitely want vaginal births. Cesarian, while necessary, seem so unnatural; its just another surgical procedure like an appendectomy, and that makes birth less special. Also, the recovery for cesarians is harsh and the women who give vaginal births can walk of the hospital and continue their normal lives in a matter of 36 hours. And this experience has not deterred me from wanting children- I am ever more so excited about being a mom and having the experience of pregnancy and birth. It is so unique, so much bigger than anything in our lives. I feel a deep spiritual peace in the birthing room, like all the crap in world seems so minimal compared to the first breath of life, to be the first person to make eye contact with this human, and to have the baby clench its little hands around your finger, as it learns about what his little body is capable of doing. Money, career, relationship problems seem so stupid when you hold this new life in your arms and I hope to keep this feeling of peace in me for the rest of my life.