Alien

Alien

I assume that most of you have seen the original ‘Alien’ movie – classic from the 80’s; Sigourney Weaver was the star. The pivotal scene in the movie comes when the alien pops out of this guy’s stomach, attacks another person standing there and proceeds to wreak havoc for the rest of the movie. What brings this up?

The Labor Ward.

More specifically, the fact I got to watch a cesarean section this past Monday. The operation is kinda simple; a few quick cuts, a gush of water, and a then this *thing* comes out of her abdomen. Now, I’m not an expert, but I’m sure it wasn’t a baby. I mean, it looked like a baby might if you had painted it purple, brushed it with oil, rolled it in flour, and baked it just long enough for it to hold together but not quite be done.

Maybe that’s why they put it into a crib with a heat lamp.

As part of the O&G term, I am required to do certain things – check-the-boxes, if you will. Regular Labor & Delivery ward attendance, in-patient ward work, and out-patient clinics. I have all kinds of clinics to do: High-risk Pregnancy, Gynecology, Newly-Pregnant – plus a few others I shouldn’t mention in polite company. I know, since when do *I* worry about polite company, but I figure some of you might be eating breakfast, so I shouldn’t discuss how huge the needles are they use for amniocentesis…

I did my first clinic on Thursday; an ‘Antenatal’ clinic. I think we’d call it a ‘Prenatal’ visit back home – it’s where pregnant women come in for regular checks to see how close they are to popping. The midwife and I would take measurements and then palpate the abdomen, feeling for the position and size of both the top and the bottom of the baby. (Which I invariably got wrong. Guess it just goes to show I don’t know my head from my rump. But I digress.) On the first patient, I guess I was pushing a little too hard - I got kicked by the baby. Now, I don’t know about you, but with this kid kicking me from his hideout, and the c-section/Alien fresh in my mind, I decided it was best to step aside.

In other words, I scuttled across the room and hid under the desk. No sense in taking any chances…

And with that, it’s the weekend. I’ll get some studying done as well as a required 24-hour shift in the Labor Ward. Not to mention crawling out from under this desk…

As always, Love to All and keep working on your 101 List!
Bryan