Vitals...Hearing Test...Weigh...Latch...Weigh...Repeat.

Today's clinical experience was rather uneventful but educational nonetheless! I was assigned to work in a clinic that Overlake has for recently discharged mother's to come to for wellness checks and lactation support.

First off, breast feeding has got to be one of the most complicated yet natural things ever. It was interesting to see that all the moms I worked with today needed the same basic lesson. I could sum it up for you in three simple points:

• Mother's breast:baby::Red Robin Hamburger:you. No joke, they compared the boob to a big hamburger. Effective tool, kinda gross.
• Don't you dare try and put your nipple in that baby's mouth until they've got a big, wide open mouth or it won't latch properly.
• Breast milk solves any and all of life's problems. Sore nipples? Squeeze out some breast milk and watch the magic happen. Sore incision site from a c/s? Squeeze, rub, enjoy. Miraculous!

Overall, I really enjoyed my time in the clinical setting. I don't think that this particular one is necessarily for me because of the repetition of it all (hence the title. It's seriously what we did for all 6, 1 hour-long appointments today) but I really do enjoy the one-on-one patient interaction that this type of setting provides so my interest in pursuing a Doctor of  Nursing in Women's Health. There is something very fascinating about the different stages and health changes a women goes through that I don't want to limit myself to just the OB experience, although I do love it. But, then I'm torn because I really like meticulous procedure things (such as maintaining sterile fields or catheter insertion) so I think that I would also enjoy becoming a Certified Nurse Anesthetist. Oh drat, life's little choices. I suppose I shall figure it out in time!

The other thing I learned today is that I definitely want to have children someday. NOT ANYTIME SOON! But someday. Sometimes I wonder if I really want kids or if I've always assumed I would have them because that is what you are "supposed to do." But after interacting with lots 'o babies and seeing the family development and bonding I realized that I really want to experience that in my life and help a tiny, adorable, human being progress through a healthy and comfortable childhood. And baby girls are too much fun to dress, so there's that whole thing.

I also learned this week that unless Portland can make me a better offer, I would consider re-locating to Seattle to have a baby if life takes me elsewhere. First off, the clinic that I worked in today is not standard procedure but really should be since the average time for hospital stays for vaginal births is 24 hours and 48 hours for c/s. You can't possibly educate your patients in that short of time! I just like the follow-up aspect of it and when I'm an exhausted, emotional wreck after birthing large footballs I would like that kind of support. Also, there is a pediatrics office that is open everyday of the year, even holidays! That's pretty amazing and convenient. Especially if my children are fated to the never ending string of strep throat incidents that I was subject to. Me and chewable banana-cherry flavored Amoxicillin are pretty much best friends now.

That's pretty much it for this week! Because I was in a different building I couldn't follow up on the family I worked with last week so I'll never know what time their baby was born, which is kind of disappointing because I think my time prediction was really close. Drat.

Next Week: A Day in the Mother Baby Unit (The next step after labor and delivery)