MOU

Today, I spent the day in the Maternity Obstetrics Unit. I was able to see an amazing c-section. The woman was wide awake, only numbed from the waist down. The doctor made a vertical incision right to the uterus and then cut the uterus. In a matter of seconds this baby came out. It was the most incredible experience. It started to cry and scream as it was breathing for the first time. I have never seen such a beautiful experience in my life.
Later, I got to see a live birth. The women in the clinic sit alone, without their husbands(if they had any) in a huge waiting room. They sit there until their contractions get close enough to deliver, and then they are moved to an actual bed. The rooms are so heavily used that this is the only way to do it. I went in to a woman's room just as she was about to deliver. It was her first child so the head was too big and could not fit through. So the nurse had to cut the skin to make the opening bigger. Keep in mind the woman was not on any type of pain medication and felt everything full force. I cringed at how much this poor woman felt. Finally she pushed and pushed and this beautiful baby came out. Well, maybe not beautiful at first, but after he was cleaned up he was definitely cute. A live birth is the most shocking experience. The other interns and I were glued to the wall, trying to brace ourselves for what we were seeing. This almost makes me want to never have kids and also thank my mother for going through such a thing. We are so lucky in the states to have pain killers and thank goodness for epidurals..
Meanwhile, I am having a blast with all of the friends I am making. Steph and Anu are like my friends from home and we have the best time together. This weekend we went to the beach, casino and flea market. We have such a good time together, Justin is jealous. Internet is hard to get to this week, and we are attending a HIV lecture in a few minutes, so maybe this weekend I can update again.. there is so much.!! Love you mom and dad!