30 Something Baby Doc

I walked onto the labor and delivery ward this morning at 8 am to find all the labor rooms full. Including 6 different sets of twins all in pre-term labor. Patients were being diverted to other hospitals because we just didn't have the room. 5 nurses called in sick. What a way to start your weekend.

I work at a very busy county/university hospital is a major city. Most of the patients are indigent. Many patients have pregnancies complicated by poor pre-natal care, pre-term labor, diabetes, hypertensive and sustains abuse. We also have a very large non-English speaking Hispanic population. Within a 24 hour period there can easily be 10-15 deliveries, 2-5 cesarean sections, and other various surgical procedures, some are emergent. This is also a teaching hospital, therefore I am also responsible for the education of the resident physicians and medical students.

It can be a very stressful environment. I've entertained the idea often of going into a plush and lucrative private practice. Where patients are compliant with their health care. But I feel that the county hospital is where I am most needed. I'm grateful to God for blessing me with the ability to help others at such a personal level. Childbirth being the most important event in many people's lives. I feel this is the population that God wants me to serve. It's very special to see a healthy infant born from a high risk pregnancy. It's also a privilege to see the joy in the eyes of the parents. The latter reaffirms my belief that staying here is important. Our lives are finite, the recent tsunami disaster proves this point. Caring for others less fortunate than ourselves seems to me to be the only way to make sense of the short life that we lead.

12 hours into 24 hour shift an still counting.......Almost there:-) We kept a patient from nearly bleeding to death during the first 12 hours. I wonder what the second 12 hours has in store for us?