So here I sit in the NICU at the University of Washington again… I remember sitting here about a year ago as an intern – taking care of babies, getting ready for my intern retreat, hoping to be able to try out my procedure skills…
 And now I’m back. I’m a senior resident now, helping my interns to take care of their babies, getting ready for their intern retreat… and still hoping to be able to try out my procedure skills – which I got to do the other day!
I intubated a 27-week gestational age baby on my second try. I knew I wasn’t in on the first, but everyone said “Oh, I think you’re there. Let’s try it.” I told them, no, I wasn’t in the trachea, but we tried anyway and, sure enough, I wasn’t. So I tried again, and saw the tube go perfectly through the cords… and guess what happens? “Are you sure you’re in? I don’t think you’re there.” But I made them try it anyway, and – lo and behold – I was in (just like I knew I was). :) That was a completely rewarding moment.
And tonight has been quite an eventful night as well… I’ve had to transfer 2 kiddos over to Children’s because of deteriorating status. That sentence makes it sound so easy – but there’s so much work that goes into it, not to mention all of the work trying to stabilize the kids before making the decision to transfer. It has been quite a busy afternoon, but it seems that the night might be a bit quieter.
Here’s to hoping for some sleep!
