What an interesting beginning to my week. One that I wasn't too happy about...until after the shift was over and I took time to think about it.
We're one of the only hospitals in the city that has a psych unit (and it stays pretty busy!) For the last several weeks they've had a pregnant woman upstairs who came in with suicidal intentions (she wanted to cut her baby out). So they've been doing NST's etc on her and had just done an amnio and schedule her for an induction. Well, lo and behold, the same day she was scheduled for a cervidil, her water broke. So down to our unit she came. Her and her 1:1 status.
When I got there she had just gotten admitted and started. She was on pit and planning to go unblocked. So I settled down in my hard wooden chair for a very long night. When the FOB decided to come up to see her (one of many social problems) she decided to get an epidural to make him happy, and proceeded to progress nicely. She was a super pusher and let's just say there was some serious "counter pressure" waiting for the doc to come. Note to docs sleeping in the lounge: if you're going to sleep, please make sure the phone is on so we can get you when we need you!
When I left in the morning, I had left that room a grand total of 3 times. Once to pee, once to shove some food in my mouth and once to page the doctor. I felt rather helpless not even being able to go get zofran on my own. I felt even worse b/c I knew the rest of the girls were dying with people walking in and staying, but I couldn't do anything to help!
Afterwards, when I really got to thinking about it, it was a pretty cool experience. Being able to be there, at the bedside, and not knowing I was next up for triage, or knowing that I had other patients to take care of, but being able to focus on one woman, her labor and her experience. I would do it again. If only our staffing would allow for that...
Babies today: 1f
Babies total: 68M/86F = 154
Vag:52M/66F = 118
C/S: 16M20F = 36
Babies 'caught' = 2f0.5m
I get to watch miracles happen and help families make memories every time I go to work.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Fired
I know, 3 weeks is a long time to go without blogging...but 3 weeks is a long time to go without a baby too!! We've all been running our tails off at work the last several weeks, but I've seen no fruits of my labor. I keep getting antes, cervidils or getting a labor patient started and then leaving them blocked, comfy and well on their way in the morning...just to let someone else get the fun of delivering :( Even worse are the nights I've come in and had 3 recoveries to move...that's just the dirty work!! Oh well...I guess it's all a part of the process, so I'll do it anyway.
I did get "fired" for the first time by a patient this week. I was more than a little upset and hurt by it...until I found out that there hadn't been a nurse yet that she'd gotten along with...including the "reverend mother" of the unit (the sweetest, most caring, gentle, knowledgeable nurse on the unit). The first words out this woman's mouth were "how old are you, how long have you been a nurse and do you have any kids?" I guess my answers of "23, 2 years and no" weren't good enough for her. I didn't mention the fact that I've helped/observed with birthing a baby many more times than she has. I know, it's no replacement for actually doing it myself, but it has to count for something, right? She wasn't happy with the fact that since she was already being induced early for PIH and really high pressures that I said that an epidural might be something to think about, simply because as labor progressed and her pain got worse her BP's were going to naturally keep getting higher...and wasn't really what we wanted (hence the fact we were delivering her early). She did go on to deliver unblocked, so I guess that showed me. From here on out I will no longer be asking someone if they would "like" me to check their cervix to see how far they're dilated...since I'm the nurse and supposed to be managing them. Good grief. I felt bad for the nurse I handed her off to...
Since Thanksgiving I have yet to work another 3 in-a-row. I've been using up some of my required PDO time, so I've only been working 2 scheduled days, plus whatever extra I pick up. This next week I go back to my 3 nights...and I hope I survive!!
I did get "fired" for the first time by a patient this week. I was more than a little upset and hurt by it...until I found out that there hadn't been a nurse yet that she'd gotten along with...including the "reverend mother" of the unit (the sweetest, most caring, gentle, knowledgeable nurse on the unit). The first words out this woman's mouth were "how old are you, how long have you been a nurse and do you have any kids?" I guess my answers of "23, 2 years and no" weren't good enough for her. I didn't mention the fact that I've helped/observed with birthing a baby many more times than she has. I know, it's no replacement for actually doing it myself, but it has to count for something, right? She wasn't happy with the fact that since she was already being induced early for PIH and really high pressures that I said that an epidural might be something to think about, simply because as labor progressed and her pain got worse her BP's were going to naturally keep getting higher...and wasn't really what we wanted (hence the fact we were delivering her early). She did go on to deliver unblocked, so I guess that showed me. From here on out I will no longer be asking someone if they would "like" me to check their cervix to see how far they're dilated...since I'm the nurse and supposed to be managing them. Good grief. I felt bad for the nurse I handed her off to...
Since Thanksgiving I have yet to work another 3 in-a-row. I've been using up some of my required PDO time, so I've only been working 2 scheduled days, plus whatever extra I pick up. This next week I go back to my 3 nights...and I hope I survive!!
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