Sunday, September 25, 2016

top three [09.25.2016]

trying out a few new looks this week - which one is your favorite? 

medicine
  • This week was the first time I got to watch an external cephalic version. This is a procedure used to try to flip a baby from breech into the cephalic position to improve the chances of having a vaginal delivery. Here's how it's done!
  • During pregnancy, the hormone relaxin relaxes the ligaments in your body, mostly to prepare your pelvic to give birth. It also relaxes the ligaments in your feet, which causes some women to develop flatter feet during pregnancy. Flatter feet mean that shoe size may increase in pregnancy (fingers crossed this does not happen to me some day - I don't want to get rid of my shoes!). 
  • Geophagia: the practice of eating dirt or clay. It may be related to a type of eating disorder called pica, where non-edible foods are digested. 

on the internet

spotted

ask me anything
  • Can you talk a little about online shopping and how you make it work with your budget? I'm curious because I live in a remote area and prefer petite sizing, so I do the bulk of my shopping online. Do you use credit or debit? How do you decide when an item is worth ordering in two sizes to find the best fit? How much do you tend to order in one go? When you have returns, how do you keep track of them?
    • Great question! When I first started my budget, I lived in a larger city where I didn't really do a lot of online shopping, so what I spent in the stores is what I had - there was no returning and dealing with all of that. Now things are a bit different, and I do almost all of my shopping online. I do use store credit cards for a few places because I order a lot from those places, and the rewards are pretty great. This way, I don't take large chunks out of my checking account when I know that I'm going to return a lot of the shipment, and I eventually get basically free money to spend at the stores I already shop at! This is also how I order multiple sizes at the same time without my checking account bottoming out - it just gives me a lot more flexibility. I always pay off my credit cards every month, which is vital when you use this method. For example, I just ordered this blazer from J.Crew in both a 10 tall and 12 regular - I want to try both to see which fits better, and then I'll return the other one without any loss.  When I do have returns, I make it a habit that when I open a box, I will immediately try it on, and decide then if I'm keeping it or not. My rule is that if you have to think about it for a while, it's not meant to be. So if I order something, try it on and don't like it, I'll box it right back up. I generally go to the post office every 2-3 weeks to take back my returns. 
  • I've seen you mention the spreadsheet you use for choosing researching residencies on your snapchat. I was wondering a.) what things you research b.) if you'd ever do a blog post on it?
    • The biggest reason there was even a spreadsheet made initially was because CR and I were trying to figure out which hospitals/cities had both Ob-Gyn and Family Medicine residencies for us to couples match to. From there, we looked at to see who makes up the majority of the classes - we are very realistic about our own stats and numbers, so that made a difference for us to make sure the places we are applying to are not a waste of our money (it's very expensive to apply to a lot of residency spots!). After that, we included information about the city if we didn't know a lot about the area, how big the hospitals are and how many people they take each year. Once we started applying for sub-internships, we had a box that we used to keep track of how and when we contacted the program, and their final decisions. Once we got to the application part of the process, we deleted those boxes and now use them to keep track of interview invites and rejections. CR and I have a shared google calendar which we use to keep track of our own interview invites. It was all definitely a work in progress - we started last December! 
  • I know you've probably answered this question before, but I'm 1/3 of the way through 3rd year and I'm still trying to figure out what shoes are stylish/cute but COMFORTABLE. Booties and boots in the winder are a God-send but I struggle in the summer. I see you wear Revas, which I have mixed feelings about with comfort for myself. Any other suggestions? I heard Tieks are great but I can't justify the pricetag.
    • Stylish comfortable shoes are vital during clinical years, for sure! Let me know just preface this by saying that by the end of a ten hour day of standing, your feet and legs are going to ache no matter what. The Revas are definitely not wonderful shoes for rotations where you stand a ton - they just don't have a ton of support and unless all the way broken in, can rub your feet the wrong way. What I did was wear shoes like these flats that have an elastic top (so no uncomfortable rubbing) with some insoles in the bottom for support. I also really love my new Sam Edelman flats - they are so so comfortable, and supportive too!

on franish
  • on the blog: mixing up the beauty routine
  • on the instagram: wishing the most important lady a happy "birth" day :)
  • what you missed on the snap (@fhasselhof): lots of doggy snaps when I got home yesterday!

notable sales

at home
  • What a week, you guys! This has been the most exhausting, but possibly also the best, week of medical school so far. I worked a 75 hour week, which is the most I've ever done (I know what you real doctors are thinking...might as well get used to it now!). I learned a lot though, got to do quite a bit, and am just overall still so excited about this field. 
  • CR surprised me with an Apple watch for my birthday! He swears he got a good deal, but I still feel absolutely spoiled. I have loved playing with it - I definitely made sure to take the stairs even more just to get a few more points in the exercise app! I already ordered a new strap for it for my scrubs months, but if any of you have any tips, tricks, bands, or apps you love, please share!
  • This week I'll be on nights, which I'm very excited about as there are a lot more students and residents off service on during the day. Fingers crossed I get to be a part of some more great deliveries this week! 
  • P.S. This month's Popsugar Must Have box unveiling is on snapchat currently (even CR said this month was a pretty great month!). They sent me a box to try, and if you'd like to try one for yourself, used SHOP5 to save $5 off your first box!