January 10th: Week 11
We have had terrible weather all week. Many fewer mothers bring their children in when it is raining outside. With the low numbers of patients, we have actually had high numbers of 10-day check ups. These mothers are braving the rains to bring their 10-day-old babies in for check ups. I think that Dr. Bob must be stressing the importance of returning during new born exams because only in the past few weeks have I seen so many diligent moms bringing in their babies right on the 10 day mark. Even if kids with colds are saving up their problems for better weather, these hopeful moms are taking good preventive care of their newborns by bringing them in for check ups. It is good to see some follow through.
This week was our first week with Dr. Sarah, the 2010 Global Healing Fellow. She is very smart and kind, I have enjoyed working with her so far. Dr. Mario is now finished at the hospital sadly. He is hoping to get into a program in Mexico to specialize in surgery.
Because we were slower this week, I got to shadow the doctors on rounds in the pediatric inpatient ward and in maternity for newborn exams. We saw newborn that had aspirated the fetal meconium. A baby may have it’s first bowel movement of meconium in utero. Then because of the stress of birth, the baby may aspirate some meconium mixed with the amniotic fluid causing pneumonia. This particular baby had not aspirated very much and was doing well. She was hooked up to an antibiotic IV and an oxygen tube. The necessity of the antibiotics was questionable, and apparently an overuse of antibiotics is characteristic of Dr. Jacquie. Sarah talked about how the L&D nurses are very unprepared to resuscitate a newborn. She had an experience where a newborn stopped breathing after meconium aspiration and the nurses just shook him to reanimate and wouldn’t use the proper equipment. This is pretty terrifying.
