Healing Practice: Dr. Leah Palifka enters motherhood
The Enterprise of Brockton, Mass.www.enterprisenews.comwww.makingadoctor.comZachary Michael Palifka could have been someone else.As Dr. Leah Palifka, his mother, neared the end of her pregnancy last week, she had hesitated to share the name she and her husband, Bob, had picked out for their son.They were almost certain on their choice, but there was one thing they wouldnt know until he arrived.We wanted to see if he looked like a Zachary, she said, cuddling and rocking the day-old newborn in her arms in the maternity ward of Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital.After nearly 36 hours of labor, at 11:22 a.m. on Sept. 24, he apparently came out looking like a Zachary all 6 pounds, 7 ounces and 19 inches of him.Palifka, 34, a Brockton native, gave birth at Signature, where she is completing her first year as a medical resident.She is the hospitals first resident to deliver a baby while in the three decade-old program. Yet the distinction of a pregnant resident is far from uncommon, according to area hospitals and medical groups.Although no official data is kept on the rate, Boston Medical Center routinely sees a pregnant resident among its 54 that train at the Boston University teaching hospital, said a spokeswoman.It happens once or twice a year, said spokeswoman Gina DiGravio.
Author: BrocktonEnterprise
Keywords: GHSNEVID GHSVID brockton enterprise doctor hospital healthcare resident intern
Added: October 4, 2008