Dr. Storks Episode 8

Birth defects

This episode is very bittersweet. Have Kleenex ready. It focuses on two mothers and the young staff Dr in NICU. One mother is very excited about her first pregnancy. She is 20 weeks along and learns her baby had anencephaly. This is a condition where the baby’s body continues to grow normally, but the brain and skull do not and the baby cannot live long outside the womb if reaches full term. This was a very sad experience for the couple as her first child, a son, was stillborn. She named him and mourned him. She is now expecting her second child and is not experiencing the same joy. In fact, she considered aborting and not having any more children at all. She makes it through and has a second child. She is determined to remember her first and to do all she can for her new one. The second mother is expecting a child with a cleft palate. It was discovered late in pregnancy and the mother is very upset. First, Dr Shinomiya was a shit in how callously he told her. She was so upset that she spent time on internet looking at pics and completely forgot the information she was told. Her husband talks her into returning to hospital and again, Shinomiya is curt about news. Dr Konotori takes over and has a calmer conversation and shows them reading material and provides a list of doctors that deals with cleft palates so they can find out what they will need to do after birth. She swapped to Dr Konotori and calms herself down to have that hard conversation with the grandparents. Her GMA was much more receptive, but her parents eventually resigned themselves and tried to be more positive. Dr Konotori talks to a plastic surgeon and the. Tells the couple Dr Shinomiya referred him. What is truly special this episode. The mother comes back and gives Dr Shino,Kay a 3 part review. It ends with he should be nicer to his patients. What is shocking is he laughs out loud at this. He seems to be softening up a bit. Giving birth is hard with no surprises added. To learn that your baby will be less than perfect to the world at large is a hard thing. To first get over your own biases and self pity to take on what the child needs and be a positive support, is a very special role. The young doc in NICU was ready to give up. He was all thumbs with some of the equipment and he just didn’t feel up to the task. His colleague gave him a letter from a former patient that had a child with cleft palate. The mother spoke of her fears and the difficulties that came with the condition. But she showed before and after pics to say that the scar was her favorite trait of her baby now. This offered hope and encourage both the family expecting, and the young doctor wavering on his career choice. He was reminded that in NICU, it was the staff there most attuned to the silent cries of the babies. He could hear them and needed to be more confident to treat them. The end of the episode shows Dr Shinomiya’s unconscious patient taking a turn for the worse while he is in surgery.

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