Womens Hospital

What an amazing day we had today. We all woke up, packed our scrubs, and headed off to the womens hospital. Once we got there we were greeted by a few of the hospitals nurses and they were happy to answer the numerous amounts of questions that we had. At this hospital each floor has 68 beds with only 3 to 4 nurses per shift. Crazy right? We were then able to tour the hospital and meet all the wonderful staff. Then the time came...we changed into our scrubs and headed off to the labor and delivery ward. We all couldn't wait. All of us hoping that someone would give birth while we were there. We entered into the prepartum room where there were approxiamtely 15 to 20 beds many of them filled with women in labor. The hospital on average gives birth to 12,000 babies a year and approximately 30-35 babies a day! We then headed off to the delivery room, where we all waited anxiously for something to happen. We ended up waiting a while and we started to get discouraged. During this time some of us were taken to the nursery where we were able to hold newborns. They were so adorable, I didn't want to give them back! Then finally the moment happened, it was time to deliver a baby and not just one but two women were ready to deliver. We all stood around in awe of how amazing the miracle of life truly is. Some of us even got a little teary eyed, especailly when we got to see the mother hold the baby for the first time. It was an experience that words can not even come close to describe. We all were very lucky to be able to see a baby being born. This was my first time ever seeing a delivery and it is something I will remember the rest of my life. We learned that the husbands are not allowed in the delivery room, in the public hospital, and they can only visit their baby and wife during visiting hours, which is between 6pm and 7pm! The day finished with a tour of the Nursing Association where we all bought nursing hats to bring back to the states. It was a long day, but definetly one of my favorites since we have been here in Panama.