No sweat

Moved home
First day, clinic
Commute and scrap ice off car
Hospital orientation and ID badges
Meet midwives
Sit in on two prenatal appointments
Feel (palpate) their bellies, feeling where the babies are sitting
Listen to fetal heart rate with doppler
Measure fundal height (how big the belly is)
Measure blood pressure
One of the women I am following is due last Friday, anticipating the beep of the pager
So excited
Back sore from sitting and reading lots
So excited
So overwhelmed
But who cares, so excited
Not nervous, I was relaxed

Hospitals

I am going crazy right now. I don't know what I have done with my most recent immunization record and I start clinic Monday. I just had all my records straightened out, I am going crazy because I feel I have enough to do, besides, nothing gets under my skin more than doing bureaucratic procedures no matter how logical or purposeful they are.

Please...

Please everyone send good thoughts and prayers to those you imagine to be closest to me... I need to know they are taken care of. Thanks :)

The Real World

When I came into the cafe on Friday, Rita and I had a nice hug and conversation. She was disappointed that I was sick and wished me better.

In midwifery intensive 1, we spend our conversations bickering about exam answers and trouble contacting our preceptors and then go home to do readings. We are immersed and almost swallowed by a world that is so exclusive and isolated. Rita, thanks for grounding me and helping me interact with the real world so to speak.

Ugh..... CAMP

It continues. I am sick. It was inevitable. Over 20 people crammed into a small room all day, interacting, talking, etc. I have learned new skills and I am very excited but I am so tired and so sick of the 8:30-5 thing. How do you all do it all the time? (those that work that regimen?). Hopefully by Monday I will be all better and my spirits will be lifted but as of right now, I am sick of learning, just toooooooooooo tired.

CAMP

I feel like I am at camp. My life is very structured with a routine of Monday-Friday, 8:30-5pm. I am in the Midwifery 1 Intensive and I am loving it. Tomorrow will be day 3. I spend my days with 19 other women and a handful of talented, inspiring midwives who impart their skills and wisdom to us. Yesterday we practiced initial interviews and health histories and informed choice discussion. Today we learned how to draw blood and I did it twice!!!!!! It feels like butter, the initial insertion of the needle, yes the superficial skin and the vein feel like butter (the level of resistance). We also learned how to do IM and SC injections (on oranges) (intramuscular and subcutaneous). And, we learned how to set up an IV and how to injected meds into the IV unit.
Very excited. So far so good! Love it, happy, I am happy!