Let's see........
I found out Miss AMA (against medical advice) came in the next day and delivered her baby. I'm so glad to not have to worry about being her nurse should she come in, because now that point is moot.
Nurses' Week - we're not officially celebrating it at work until next week. Go figure. I think we get cookies from management for being such hard working, fantastic, Magnet nurses. Can I have more vacation time instead please? Or a nice raise? Or ... how about we actually hire more nurses so we're not chronically short staffed?
Like I've said before, labor and delivery is either feast or famine. It's rarely anything in between, or so it seems. My last shift, we started out ok, but we were pretty much all doubled up with patients and I knew that if the crap hit the fan, we'd be done for.
Incoming! Incoming! Incoming!
It's like all of the pregnant women go into labor at one time. Like I said, we're all doubled up already, and no less than (at least!) 6 pregnant women come in, one right after the other.
One looked like she was about ready to deliver in the wheelchair. (Actually: only 1 cm dilated. Dodged a bullet with her.)
Another one looked like she was actively laboring. Her nurse checks her: 7cm and ruptured membranes. She precipitously delivers her baby a few minutes later. Absolutely NO doctors or midwives available - all are in deliveries. The patient's doctor was on her way in.
Rule out preterm labor - ruled out, sent home.
Rule out preeclampsia - not preeclamptic on initial assessment. Needs more evaluation to finish up her assessment.
Rule out labor - ruled out, sent home. She had probably the shorted outpatient visit of everyone, only because her doc was immediately available to assess, check, and send her home with discharge instructions.
Rule out labor - dunno what happened with her. I put her on the monitor and then my relief night nurse came and took over.
Status post seizure at home. Don't know what was going on with her, because she came in around change of shift.
I'm working on giving report on 1 of the 4 (or more?) I ended up taking care of when.......help needed in the PACU immediately. No one available but me, so I'm off and running. The poor lady back there was sick, sick, sick. She ended up going back to the OR. I stayed to help out, assisting the doc and the other nurses caring for her, trying to get her stabilized. I hope she does ok. It was looking pretty bad when I left.
Happy Nurses' Week indeed.
9 comments:
Here's yet another birth story to add to the millions you've heard and seen.
#2 reminded me a bit of me with my second baby. I got to the hospital less than an hour after my first contraction hit me like a ton of bricks (after a full night's sleep). I was probably transitioning in the car (during rush hour). I was so relieved to get to the hospital.
So the worst of the contractions were over by the time I got to the hospital, and in my case I probably didn't seem like I was in advanced or extreme labor. Just mainly panting and concentrating during some contractions. The nurses were rather relaxed getting me up to L&D, getting me undressed and checking me. Then the eyes got big very quickly, and a rushed call for the doctor. I was fully dilated with bulging membranes.
I did end up having to push for an hour before the birth: Baby was 10.1 pounds, large head and came out sunny side up. I'm pretty impressed with my pelvis, because it wasn't particularly painful, just a lot of work. And because of the full nights sleep I was well rested and felt great after the delivery.
Ohhh that sounds like sooo much fun! Yes I am green for now:)
From the sounds of that shift, you blinked your eyes and it was over (overloaded on the work will do that to you!). Like to read of your shift business...
May you have an amazing weekend!
Jim
I'm off this weekend, so it will definitely be amazing - and productive for school work!
Funny thing. I don't know what it is, but when I compare the deliveries I have been on in canada and compare to the usa....it seems that there are more precipitous type deliveries here in canada...I wish i would have kept track. I read later that in Britain the women there deliver faster than the USA. I am thinking the difference might be that in Canada we allow the mom's to mobilize more during labor? Who knows. I know for sure that in Canada I have actually delivered quite a few babies on my own sans MD because they didn't get there on time :) - including one dystocia....
i sometimes wonder if it would be feasible for women to be able to labor in a birth center with a large common area filled with couches and equipped with a kitchen and fridge in order to store and prepare their own food. It would be interesting to see if there would be an effect on the timing of births. Also, it might make coping with labor easier for some mothers. I don't know what to do about the husbands and support people though, but if there was a need for more privacy mom could retreat to a private room. It would make an interesting study. How many women would deliver in a private room vs. those who find their comfort zone in the lounge near other laboring women? Probably not possible because of insurance, but ...
Early in our shift on Saturday we sent an early labor patient home 2cm after walking for 2 hours. She came back that evening about an hour before change of shift and quickly went from 2cm to 4cm w/ ruptured membranes. What did she do all day...went to the mall to shop. I love it! Now if only we could have kept her walking after 4cms!
To the first anonymous:
That sounds like an excellent idea for a birth center! I will definitely keep that in mind when I write my birth center proposal paper, later on in my midwifery courses.
Happy nurses week to you, looking forward to following you from ff. Stop by if you want at novicemommie.blogspot.com
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