My unofficial stint as Obstetrician
So, between 1st August 1995 to 15th August 1995 (our maid arrived on the 12th and 15th being Independence day and a holiday I joined on 16th August officially), I was the unofficial Obstetrician on the campus! My husband was the only doctor and would do rounds and OPD during the day and attend all the calls during the nights.
In those 15 days/nights he'll come back from attending call and say ' there is a woman with transverse lie and hand prolapse with intrauterine death. We are waiting for the relatives to decide if they will donate blood then we'll do the CS.'
This was way back in 1995 when the AIDS scare had not stopped us from transfusing every woman who underwent LSCS. Many was the times, in fact more often than not, the family would refuse to donate blood and leave! And I remember counting 8 transverse lies in those 15 days! I also remember thinking " transverse lie again? I am sure my husband has made a mistake!" After all the woman wouldn't allow him to do the internal examination. The diagnosis was made by the nurse on duty. But a hand prolapse can't be missed!
During my entire 2 years as a PG registrar I had seen one transverse lie patient in labour! It had become such a rarity in South India that when I was an intern our consultant ran home to get his camera to take a picture of a 'hand prolapse'. And so in August 1995 I had in my carrier seen only 2 patients with transverse lie and actually never managed any of them. ( the senior most consultant managed/operated on these patients.) Talk about being a novice!
On the occasions when the relatives decided to donate blood and allow us to do the LSCS.........this is what happened.
Ruby and Rasheeda were female ward attenders. Either of them would be on duty in the nights. And they would open the Operation room, prepare the patient( in those days shave the site and scrub with spirit), keep all the autoclaved instruments and drapes ready and call the scrub nurse and nurse anesthetist from their quarters and then come to our quarters and inform us that the patient has been shifted to the OR.
In the meanwhile when we knew that a patient had agreed to have the CS in the hospital, I used to feed the baby ( sometimes wake him and force him to feed) so that he won't wake up for feeds in the next hour.Then when Ruby or Rasheeda came and informed us that the patient was ready, both my husband and me would go to perform the C. section leaving the baby in their care. My husband, who was a pediatrician would give the spinal anesthesia and then I would perform the CS and he will receive and look after the baby. And when both the mother( and baby) are fine we would return back to the quarters. Well over 1 1/2 - 2 hours later. And Ruby/Rasheeda would return to the hospital to wash the instruments and pack it again for autoclave while the sweeper cleaned the OR.
Leaving the house open with your precious child in the care of strangers was a bit scary in the beginning, but things worked out well.
(In later life I learnt to perform the spinals my self and NEVER or very rarely performed LSCS for a dead baby) but that is what this blog is all about.
So, between 1st August 1995 to 15th August 1995 (our maid arrived on the 12th and 15th being Independence day and a holiday I joined on 16th August officially), I was the unofficial Obstetrician on the campus! My husband was the only doctor and would do rounds and OPD during the day and attend all the calls during the nights.
In those 15 days/nights he'll come back from attending call and say ' there is a woman with transverse lie and hand prolapse with intrauterine death. We are waiting for the relatives to decide if they will donate blood then we'll do the CS.'
This was way back in 1995 when the AIDS scare had not stopped us from transfusing every woman who underwent LSCS. Many was the times, in fact more often than not, the family would refuse to donate blood and leave! And I remember counting 8 transverse lies in those 15 days! I also remember thinking " transverse lie again? I am sure my husband has made a mistake!" After all the woman wouldn't allow him to do the internal examination. The diagnosis was made by the nurse on duty. But a hand prolapse can't be missed!
During my entire 2 years as a PG registrar I had seen one transverse lie patient in labour! It had become such a rarity in South India that when I was an intern our consultant ran home to get his camera to take a picture of a 'hand prolapse'. And so in August 1995 I had in my carrier seen only 2 patients with transverse lie and actually never managed any of them. ( the senior most consultant managed/operated on these patients.) Talk about being a novice!
On the occasions when the relatives decided to donate blood and allow us to do the LSCS.........this is what happened.
Ruby and Rasheeda were female ward attenders. Either of them would be on duty in the nights. And they would open the Operation room, prepare the patient( in those days shave the site and scrub with spirit), keep all the autoclaved instruments and drapes ready and call the scrub nurse and nurse anesthetist from their quarters and then come to our quarters and inform us that the patient has been shifted to the OR.
In the meanwhile when we knew that a patient had agreed to have the CS in the hospital, I used to feed the baby ( sometimes wake him and force him to feed) so that he won't wake up for feeds in the next hour.Then when Ruby or Rasheeda came and informed us that the patient was ready, both my husband and me would go to perform the C. section leaving the baby in their care. My husband, who was a pediatrician would give the spinal anesthesia and then I would perform the CS and he will receive and look after the baby. And when both the mother( and baby) are fine we would return back to the quarters. Well over 1 1/2 - 2 hours later. And Ruby/Rasheeda would return to the hospital to wash the instruments and pack it again for autoclave while the sweeper cleaned the OR.
Leaving the house open with your precious child in the care of strangers was a bit scary in the beginning, but things worked out well.
(In later life I learnt to perform the spinals my self and NEVER or very rarely performed LSCS for a dead baby) but that is what this blog is all about.
