First week of elective

Oh babies...

Ah.. so many babies...

I spent most of my time in labour ward this week. Each room has two beds, about 14 rooms altogether. I can pop in and out of each curtained room as I fancy. I can simultaneously watch two births in process being carried out if I can walk fast in enough up and down the corridors. Most cases are non-assisted vaginal deliveries - which are rare in Chch Women's Hospital. I have not yet seen the assisting instruments being used here. If they can't get the baby out, they cut. Episiotomy is done in over half the patients I see.

The Malay I have learnt this week are "push", "more", and "pain" - as I hear them so often. It's quite funny. Whenever the woman is ready to push the baby out, all the doctors gather at her bed end. 10 of us at once will all start chanting "push, more more more" - it's like a fish market.

I can't believe Im working so hard in my elective.. I thought it would be a real holiday here.. but no.. Im in at the hospital from 8am-5:30pm each day. Either in clinics or labour ward. But Im learning heaps. And in the evening, Im usually exhausted and have real sore feet.

My host family is sooo nice, I go out with the daughters and their friends to the night market, to eat out (they call noodles "mee"), and to see fireworks (we got stuck in the traffic jam for 2 hours!). Last night, the night market was so fun. I bought quite few little things, and ate random food I just wanted to try e.g pigs ears. hehehe..