No TB for me!

As part of my return to work process, I had my annual tuberculosis skin test and I was sweating this one.

I was 7 months pregnant with my son when I decided it would be 'cool' to switch out someone's trach myself (instead of calling someone over from ENT). The patient was a recovering alcoholic and past IV drug user so I thought to myself, "hmmm, better gown up and put a mask on for this one." My senior resident actually rolled his eyes when I took these precautions. No sooner had I placed the new trach and started inflating the cuff, the patient panicked and started coughing through her stoma. Blood squirted everywhere, which includes drops landing on my face!!!

I forgot to mention that this patient had tuberculosis that was presumed to be dormant. As I tried to carefully wash the specks of blood away from my eyes I felt like the worst mother in the world for putting my unborn child in harm's way. . . again.*

Now that my boy is here looking healthy and I have this nice flat skin where the TB test was placed, I feel just a tiny bit better about calling myself a parent.

*I have a list!

A Quote From MedScape

"Obstetrics is a surgical specialty. So far, the significant numbers of women now practicing in the field have done little to change the surgical view of birthing women."

I didn't go into OB/Gyne so I definitely didn't help the situation, but I would like to have a discussion about this. The above line is from this article, which mentions an alarming statistic about the rate of maternal death rising.

I'll see if I can get more readers to review this information together. Should be interesting.

Curbside

When doctors 'curbside' each other, they ask for free advice based on the other's specialty.

One of the benefits of going to medical school is that I have several doctors on speed dial. In fact my son's pediatrician has been my friend for over a decade (I knew her in high school) and we chat about his progress about once a week, free of charge. I happen to have a good supply of urologist buddies, but I hope not to need them.

The other night I contacted my friend Liz, who is in opthamology residency. I was concerned because my son had a tiny hair just sitting on his eyeball for the past few days and I asked her what I should do about it. I was told to either leave it there or try some drops. I had to laugh when she said, "but if you do try wiping it out, don't freak if you scratch his cornea." - Oh, cornea schmornea. . .

Best of all, by talking to Liz I got to feel a LOT better about my situation. Like me, she has a son and had to resume residency with all of its hurdles. We empathised with each other in so many ways. I told her about my wardrobe fiasco, hating my abdomen with its persistent linea nigra, trials with breast-feeding, and difficulty seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We didn't come up with any solutions, but I'm beginning to find that having an understanding ear makes a huge difference in my ability to push forward.

Maybe next time I go shopping I'll curbside consult a buddy of mine in psychiatry so that I don't get depressed when I see those Victoria's Secret models mocking me?

Mommy Makeover

I think I need to call Stacy and Clinton.

Almost every time I breastfeed I watch TV with the excuse of "what else can I do?" My thoughtful son has timed it so that his feeds coincide with What Not to Wear and I thank him for it.

Now I'm going to admit to something super cheesey, but true. I've learned so much from watching this show! There are a couple of episodes that really affected me. The first was of a young woman who couldn't get over how "different" her body had become and stopped caring about appearances because she thought she was a lost cause. The other was a young mother who had all sorts of excuses for why her outfits weren't that bad, like "I was just out for a quick errand." Both of these women were given makeovers and they looked gorgeous afterwards. You almost couldn't believe the before and after photos were of the same person.

As I sat there in my paint-stained shorts and over-sized shirt I had to examine myself. I started to say, "well, I'm going to be indoors most of the day. . ." but I knew I was falling into a trap. I also looked in the mirror and was appalled by how out of control my wavy hair had become (think Medusa).

I vowed to remedy things and styled my hair first, telling myself that I would wear it down most days and NOT in the classic resident pony-tail. I then went to put on a blouse and found that it didn't fit me anymore. NONE of my button-up shirts were working for me. I was relying on them and these nursing shirts from Old Navy. I suddenly realized I hardly have anything to wear when I start working again!

Now I'm scrambling to put together a Resident Mommy wardrobe. The requirements are daunting, I need clothes that:

• Look professional under a white coat
• Allow for easy nursing/pumping
• Disguise milk leakage
• Are affordable
  (bonus if they can be worn outside of work)
• Machine Washable
• Won't constrict me if I have to straddle a morbidly obese person to perform chest compressions (true story, while pregnant no less)
• Oh, and look flattering!

Will keep you updated on this one.

Aden & Anais Swaddling Blankets

Best summertime blankets EVER.

My son decided to come home from the hospital during the hottest time of the year. We received all sorts of cute receiving blankets, but they were way too heavy for swaddling in the summer. Then we discovered the Aden and Anais muslin blankets from Australia. They are super cute, soft, durable, and provide enough protection from the elements while remaining breathable. They also do the job of mosquito net or nursing cover.

I'm told they're popular among celebs, and were previously pricey but A&A now have a line with Target. YES!

I'll Shut Up Now

Throughout my pregnancy I kept telling myself that at least I didn't have it bad as my friend, Kate. The poor girl went through months of hyperemesis gravidarum then started her intern year of general adult medicine. She was put to work like you wouldn't believe, sleep deprived, and under an enormous amount of stress and pressure. After all that her maternity leave was short despite having to undergo a c-section.

The quote that will live in infamy was uttered by Kate's senior resident when her water broke during morning rounds and she was wheeled away: "Are you coming back?!"

Reflecting on my own pregnancy, labor, delivery, and recovery I've been thinking lately that I might not have it in me to do this again. It would seem even more daunting the second time around, knowing what I know now. So what news do I receive today? Kate is pregnant again and is due during her last year of residency. What?!

Birth Announcement

For the time and money challenged.*

I've heard of baby announcements taking over a month to produce and costing over a hundred bucks when all is said and done. I just ordered 50 of these prints and it cost me a whopping $5. The trick? Design your own image in whatever program you have available and upload it as a 'photograph.' My design was no fuss minimalism so it took me less than half an hour to construct it. Costco normally has the cheapest price, but Walgreens is currently having a sale online if you use the promo code: Summer50. Each print is only 10 cents.

I just received an e-mail notification that my prints are ready. Ain't technology grand?

*I blocked out his full name and date of birth to protect the young and innocent.