with you i'm born again

Last week was the end of my attachment in the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynaecology..

..and yesterday was the start of my 10 week attachment in Peadiatrics (Child Health) which I'm definitely excited about because I love children! Just look at this video on Moro Reflex which was shown during one of the lectures yesterday. I can't wait to do one:

How I wish I'd known about it when Irfan Wafi was small ^_^

Well, that's Peadiatrics for you but for now, I want to talk about my previous attachment..

It was a very long duration, 10 weeks filled with tears, pain and blood (from the patients' side that is). Through my perspective, it is a very delicate and sensitive area of specialty that is not designed for certain individuals..surely, these individuals include me.

You see, I'm not really into handling ladies who suffer from severe pain, cry a lot and I'm certainly not fond of examining you-know-what on a daily basis. I have to say that this specialty requires a great deal of empathy and sensitivity from the doctor to deliver care to these patients. It's not that I'm not empathetic or sensitive enough, all doctors are required to have these traits; it's just that the topics revolving around this area are simply not my cup of tea.

What I got from my 10 week attachment was that, I've gained a better appreciation of my mum who had underwent the process of labour to deliver me and my siblings. When I was in the Labour Suite (a ward filled with women in labour) for 1 week, it was quite difficult for me to look at the distress portrayed through the women's faces. When they screamed, or when they cried, I felt really sorry for them. It made me wanna call my mum promptly and talked to her. But when the baby popped out, it's like one of the best feelings you ever experienced. I just can't help smiling so brightly.

Well that's for Obstetrics (relating to pregnancy and birth); as for Gynaecology (relating to female reproductive system in general), these patients cry a lot too. When I was at the hospital last week, a high proportion of the patients that I saw on that day cried when I met them. And I'm not good at handling ladies who are in distress. It's a skill that takes time for me to develop. The best I can do was to give my please-be-strong look and I'm-just-trying-to-make-you-feel-better smile which I don't think it did. 

You see, I have a great deal of empathy towards my patients but I'm trying my best not to get too attached to them (not that I've attached myself to a patient previously). Yeah, I'm this kind of doctor. Obs and Gynae is a specialty that taught me life is filled with events which are not in our control. Like when my first patient in Labour Suite had a baby with meconium aspiration (baby poo inside his lung), I felt so bad for the parents, they were really nice; some things are just out of our hands. The father went to pray for his newborn's health. And I thought, "Yeah, I can do that too". 

Obs and Gynae also made me think of my mum even more. I kept having flashbacks of her every now and then during my attachment. I'm simply grateful to have a great mum. This is one of the wonderful experiences in the world of medicine. It made you appreciate life even more...