I can't stop smiling from ear to ear. I swear: I am probably equally as happy right at this moment as I was on the day I had my first kiss, or when I found out I got into UW, or when I left for Europe the first time. I'm literally walking on air. I can feel my stomach in my mouth and I'm just so so so excited for tomorrow. Remember that time that I wrote last summer that I knew that what I wanted to do for the rest of my life was play house? Yes, but I know what I want as a part time job while I do that! I am in love.
My day started out after a terrible night's sleep on a horrible mattress. (I think I might need to fix that). I was nervous because I was literally falling asleep in the train that I had to catch at 6:41am so I didn't think I could even remember how to understand German much less speak it. Plus I was just exhausted anyway I was afraid the dark circles might swallow up my already swollen eyes. Without my iPhone, I would've been lost, because after I got to the train station in Köln I honestly didn't have any inkling as to which direction I should be heading, and even with the iPhone walked 4 minutes out of my way in the wrong direction. Alas, I made it. I was so confused when I got there, it really looked like no hospital I'd ever seen (with the exception of the one I was confined to the last time I was in Germany, which was ALSO super confusing and half outside). I had no idea where I was going, there were no signs, but there was some sort of food worker woman taking a smoke break outside, so I asked her, unsure as ever on the gender of the article on the word "Kreißsaal" (birthing center...kind of), where I was to be going. I found it without much further difficulty, and proceded to ring the bell. I was buzzed in, told to sit down and wait. I did. I looked around and saw all these infant beds and birth tubs and the ceiling in the rooms had sparkly star lights. I swear in that moment I also smiled so wide they must have thought I was a nutjob.
The lady who told me to sit down came back promptly and I introduced myself, to which she replied promptly with giving me scrubs and telling me to change. Just like that. I honestly had no introduction, no orientation, no tour, just hello, here are scrubs, go change. I came back donning my pretty pink scrubs (it's cute, only the people who work in the Kreißsaal get to wear such a pretty color, the others all wear maroon [janitors/food service], white [nurses/lab workers], blue [doctors] or green [surgeons]. I came out and stood around like a dodo...not my finest hour. They were super busy though and apparently were presented with too many births at once...so I just tried to stay out of the way and offer to help as much as I could without someone having to literally take me around and give me a tour. After doing super menial tasks and following around the cleaning lady from Portugal for a while (who I happened to get along with really well, she also owns a restaurant that has Paella that she invited me to), the Hebamme (midwife...they are the ones wearing pink/purply scrubs) came and told me to come to a room. The woman, who I had watched the Hebamme intake earlier, was clearly in labor, and the Hebamme gave me a variety of tasks to do around the room. Like tape her IV down. Or put the heart monitor on better (I still don't know how to place those correctly, they showed me like three times but I can barely remember the name in German [CTG!!!!!=kardiotokogram] much less where to place it. Something to do with where the spine is?) Or hold her leg. Or get her this or that. Or clean stuff up. Or give the mom something to drink. After like two hours of contractions, some oxytocin and an episiotomy, the beautiful, beautiful baby girl was born. I felt like I could've cried I was so happy for them! The dad was so happy and proud, so was the mom. I took pictures of them and I was so happy to be able to share that moment. It was so odd because in the USA, I feel like someone with no experience whatsoever would never be left in a room with a laboring mother. And it was totally cool with the mom! It was unbelievable. I felt so privileged and so happy to be there in that moment. That baby was so so so so so so so so cute too. I don't think I've ever been prouder of someone in my life than I was for that family right then.
After some more menial tasks and a lot of smiling, I got to go help stitch up the episiotomy. Just me and the doctor. Nbd. First day. like a boss.
The end of the day was basically me making "cocktails" which were made of some kind of oil mixed with juice and almond paste. I tried one, not too tasty, but apparently is good for cervical ripening (yep, I can say that in German= entwicklung des muttermunds). I finally got to go home after a long day (I made the train back to Bonn!) bought groceries and a pair of crocs (in my defense, i don't want my runnin shoes getting all that birth stuff on them...)
It was awesome. Now I'm home, I made a meatloaf, I'm going to have Rosinenbrotchen for dessert and relax after a long and amazing day.
My day started out after a terrible night's sleep on a horrible mattress. (I think I might need to fix that). I was nervous because I was literally falling asleep in the train that I had to catch at 6:41am so I didn't think I could even remember how to understand German much less speak it. Plus I was just exhausted anyway I was afraid the dark circles might swallow up my already swollen eyes. Without my iPhone, I would've been lost, because after I got to the train station in Köln I honestly didn't have any inkling as to which direction I should be heading, and even with the iPhone walked 4 minutes out of my way in the wrong direction. Alas, I made it. I was so confused when I got there, it really looked like no hospital I'd ever seen (with the exception of the one I was confined to the last time I was in Germany, which was ALSO super confusing and half outside). I had no idea where I was going, there were no signs, but there was some sort of food worker woman taking a smoke break outside, so I asked her, unsure as ever on the gender of the article on the word "Kreißsaal" (birthing center...kind of), where I was to be going. I found it without much further difficulty, and proceded to ring the bell. I was buzzed in, told to sit down and wait. I did. I looked around and saw all these infant beds and birth tubs and the ceiling in the rooms had sparkly star lights. I swear in that moment I also smiled so wide they must have thought I was a nutjob.
The lady who told me to sit down came back promptly and I introduced myself, to which she replied promptly with giving me scrubs and telling me to change. Just like that. I honestly had no introduction, no orientation, no tour, just hello, here are scrubs, go change. I came back donning my pretty pink scrubs (it's cute, only the people who work in the Kreißsaal get to wear such a pretty color, the others all wear maroon [janitors/food service], white [nurses/lab workers], blue [doctors] or green [surgeons]. I came out and stood around like a dodo...not my finest hour. They were super busy though and apparently were presented with too many births at once...so I just tried to stay out of the way and offer to help as much as I could without someone having to literally take me around and give me a tour. After doing super menial tasks and following around the cleaning lady from Portugal for a while (who I happened to get along with really well, she also owns a restaurant that has Paella that she invited me to), the Hebamme (midwife...they are the ones wearing pink/purply scrubs) came and told me to come to a room. The woman, who I had watched the Hebamme intake earlier, was clearly in labor, and the Hebamme gave me a variety of tasks to do around the room. Like tape her IV down. Or put the heart monitor on better (I still don't know how to place those correctly, they showed me like three times but I can barely remember the name in German [CTG!!!!!=kardiotokogram] much less where to place it. Something to do with where the spine is?) Or hold her leg. Or get her this or that. Or clean stuff up. Or give the mom something to drink. After like two hours of contractions, some oxytocin and an episiotomy, the beautiful, beautiful baby girl was born. I felt like I could've cried I was so happy for them! The dad was so happy and proud, so was the mom. I took pictures of them and I was so happy to be able to share that moment. It was so odd because in the USA, I feel like someone with no experience whatsoever would never be left in a room with a laboring mother. And it was totally cool with the mom! It was unbelievable. I felt so privileged and so happy to be there in that moment. That baby was so so so so so so so so cute too. I don't think I've ever been prouder of someone in my life than I was for that family right then.
After some more menial tasks and a lot of smiling, I got to go help stitch up the episiotomy. Just me and the doctor. Nbd. First day. like a boss.
The end of the day was basically me making "cocktails" which were made of some kind of oil mixed with juice and almond paste. I tried one, not too tasty, but apparently is good for cervical ripening (yep, I can say that in German= entwicklung des muttermunds). I finally got to go home after a long day (I made the train back to Bonn!) bought groceries and a pair of crocs (in my defense, i don't want my runnin shoes getting all that birth stuff on them...)
It was awesome. Now I'm home, I made a meatloaf, I'm going to have Rosinenbrotchen for dessert and relax after a long and amazing day.
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