"Slip, I hate you"

Monday morning found us back in labour and delivery in Masaka.  Alix finally figured out the trick to the ungainly IV cannulas. In the morning both Alix and Carolyn "received" (Benon coined this lovely term) first babies, each requiring a minute of bagging to help them expand their lungs. The mother Alix attended had hypertension (seizure risk), meconium (the baby pooed in utero- the poo can then be inhaled) and the umbilical cord was inserted into the edge of the placenta and ran through the membranes (very risky when the water breaks)- I feel like we dodged several bullets given that the baby only needed a few puffs of air.

The back of Alix's uniform became soiled after an IV mishap and Prossy scolded her, "Alix, why did you soil yourself?" After several midwives had a laugh, Alix was loaned a teal nurses dress in the local style (Carolyn got one to match). On our lunch break Alix let Carolyn know she was thrilled to have the opaque teal dress because it meant she could go without the polyester slip that sticks to loins her for the entire sweaty shift. "Slip, I hate you," she declared.

After lunch there was a retained placenta that could not be manually removed because the cervix had closed too much to allow Carolyn's (or anyone else's) hand to fit in the uterus. She had to go to the OR. Alix then delivered a 22 week breech stillbirth. These are tricky because the tiny body is delivered before the cervix is fully dilated and there is a risk the larger head will get trapped. Thankfully that didn't happen this time but the woman did have some small bits of placenta that were retained. Luckily they could be removed from the cervix by hand.

As we arrived home some young North Americans were checking out the cable channels in the room next door, hoping to stay up all night to watch the Stanley Cup Finals. We listened through the door as they decided that the hotel didn't have the right ESPN channel and left. Many a Canadian would be thrilled to find some countrywomen/men next door to watch the Canuks with at 3am, but we are no such Canadians. We were grateful to hear them move on so we  could get some much needed sleep. This got me thinking about the things we do and do not miss.

Things we miss:

-People: partners, family, pets & friends

-Food: pickles, cheddar cheese, leafy greens (especially salads), whole grains, toast with almond butter & honey

-Medical Supplies: self capping IV cannulas, blue pads, charts

-Misc: guitar, cooking

Things we don't miss:

-hockey &TV in general

-the rain

-the waste (disposable birth supplies)

Our friend at the hospital canteen

Posted by Alix & Carolyn