My first day of clinical was mostly uneventful.  I was assigned to OB triage and had one patient.

I helped out with giving a baby an IM injection of the Hep B vaccine right in it’s little Vastus lateralis which is one of the meatier parts on a newborn.   I watched also an assessment of another baby who was perfectly fine and adorable. 🙂  I was supposed to participate in a new born bath but I ended up doing something else instead.

Things experienced today:

• Ballard assessment to determine gestational age of a newborn
• newborn assessment
• IM injection on a newborn.
• Fetal ultrasound non stress test and biophysical profile of a fetus.
• Presented on Oligo Hydraminos

Oligo Hydraminios is a disorder which is characterized by less than 500 ml amniotic fluid in a 32 to 36 week pregnancy.  This condition occurs in 5-8% of all pregnancies.  This condition may result from a condition that prevents the fetus from making urine or blocks it from going into the amniotic sac  (didn’t know amniotic fluid contained urine.  It does, although much different than normal urine)

This condition increased risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality.  The reduction of amniotic fluid reduces the ability of the fetus to move freely with risk of cord compression which  increases the risk for fetal death and intrapartial hypoxia. (not enough oxygen)

Biophysical Profile (BPP)  a fetus is scored in the following categories:

• Movement (want fetal movement minimum 10 times per hour
• Breathing movement -yes babies “breathe” in the womb.
• tone – muscle
• amniotic fluid.  – how much is there and is it enough for the baby to move around.

Stork Bite —    (nevus simplex) A stork bite is due to a stretching (dilation) of certain blood vessels. It may become darker when the child cries or room temperature changes. It may fade when you push on it.  Most often stork bites appear on the forehead, eyelids, tip of the nose, upper lip or back of the neck. They are usually gone within 18 months of birth..