I started my very first rotation yesterday in family medicine.  It was hard to leave my baby, but I feel comforted knowing that she is home with my husband and family.  It will make for an easier transition to leaving her at daycare.

So my first real day back was two days ago.  I had to attend “Ed Day,” which is a day of didactics at the ATSU campus in Mesa.  Basically we had a lecture from a local physician as well as a number of student presentations.  I spent the whole day worrying about Anika and whether or not I had left enough milk at home for her to eat.  She has also been sick (along with my husband and I) so she was kind of fussy.

I don’t know if I have “mommy brain,” or whatever they call it, but I definitely felt the effects of not having studied medicine for two months.  All of my classmates were on their game, and I just wasn’t.  I understood the words everyone was saying, but I really had to search in my brain to remember what they meant.  I really hope my brain kicks back in quick, especially since I start Internal Medicine in a few weeks – since that is the field I am most likely going into, it is a rotation I really need to shine.

My first day in the clinic was actually really fun.  I was super nervous going into it, but the doctor I am rotating with is really nice.  One of my biggest fears was finding a time and place to pump.  It worked out really well as one patient didn’t want a student to come in and the doctor’s receptionist is breastfeeding now, too, so she has one of the patient rooms that she pumps in with a ready made “Do Not Disturb” sign.

We saw a number of patients with fairly typical complaints – hypertension, diabetes, ADHD, depression, etc.  I had a hard time doing a physical exam, as I am still kind of weak in my physical exam skills, and I haven’t done one in months.  I did get “pimped” a number of times, which just basically means the doctor asked me questions.  I am proud to say I managed to get them all right so far.  It’s good to know that my brain hasn’t completely forgotten everything.

I am glad to be back at it, but it is still going to be a tough transition.  I am finding it hard to get everything done when I get home.  It is really hard to study, make dinner, take care of a baby, and do everything else I need to do when I only have a few hours in the evening.  However, I’ve found I can study a little bit during the night when I am feeding my baby.  I am only half awake at the time, but hopefully some of it will stick.  In fact, in order to finally get to right a blog post, I had to multitask.  So as I am writing this, I am also pumping!  Life as a new mom and third year medical student is challenging, but I am making it work!