Week Three

It was a solemn week in the office due to the numerous cases of miscarriage, reports of babies with Downs Syndrome and elective terminations.

On the other hand, Dr. Brotsky saved a life while she was on call Monday night. Although I wasn't present, the story doesn't cease to amaze.

The patient, who's personal information I will not disclose, came into the hospital for a normal vaginal birth. While in labor, the baby's heart rate was quickly falling and Dr. Brotsky called for am emergency C-Section. The surgery was successful. Minutes later, the nurse calls Dr. Brotsky and reports abnormal and heavy bleeding from her vagina that wasn't stopping, called a postpartum hemorrhage. The patient's blood pressure was dropping and she was going into DIC, disseminate intravascular coagulation, a condition affecting the blood's ability to clot and stop bleeding. The patient's blood kept flowing and became almost "watery". The patient's deadly condition lead her to the operating room where Dr. Brotsky removed her uterus completely which stopped the bleeding and saved the patient's life.

Although Dr. Brotsky was exhausted from being up all night with this patient, she was fueled the next day by her patient's appreciation.

In the third trimester of pregnancy, patients come in weekly and then twice a week as they get closer to their due date. As a result, patients are recognizing me and we're building small relationships which is more comforting in the delivery room for the patients instead of having a random student show up while they are giving birth.

Next week I will start giving out the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to Dr. Brotsky's patients. I will be adding my own questions regarding breastfeeding as a factor of Postpartum Depression. The surveys will be given to patients while they are in the waiting room to be filled out before their appointment. Dr. Brotsky will continue to hand out the surveys when I am not present and I will analyze the data when I come back to the office.