Baby!!

After failing to do so the past couple of times, I was finally able to rouse myself at 6 in the morning in order to attend the handover at the Delivery Suite. I arrived with a mouthful of sandwich, and stood sheepishly at a corner for the next 30mins as the midwives made fun of the fact that I was the only guy in a ward filled with women.

One of the nice things about M'brough is the fact that the midwives are really nice and friendly, and they're very helpful and willing to teach. This is a far cry from my 3rd year Obs & Gynae attachment (can't remember where it was at), where the midwives were content to ignore my existence and seemed to have spit venom 'cause of the fact that I've got a dick.

Today was memorable though, 'cause I delivered my first baby after having only observed on previous occasions. It was a healthy little girl who had loads of hair. Standing there brought about a range of responses - from 'how the hell is mum doing that?' to 'don't worry, it's gonna be ok!' to 'aww'. Besides the fact that a life was just beginning in front of my eyes, it was also touching to see the bond and support that existed between mum and dad. I have the utmost sympathies for the women who have to go through labour without a loved-one by their side.

Luckily for me, I didn't have to wait for hours 'cause mum had started contractions earlier during the night. So we were done with the delivery by about 9am, at which point I dashed off to a clinic with the intention of making the most of my time.

Seeing the baby made me feel rather old, especially since I woke up this morning with a bad back. I've been unable to bend it all day, and it's probably due to a strain to the back that must've occured during the badminton game I had last night. My mistake for not warming up appropriately. Either that, or it's just my body protesting for the sudden work it had to do after months of no proper sports.