Next Question for Everyone...
Thank you for all the feedback on the natural labor posts. As a new nurse, these are the things that I'm still trying to learn, so all the feedback, ideas, thoughts are great and very, very informative.
So my next question is: What are the things that help the most if you're trying to go natural, or even if you have pain meds? What are the things that you as a laboring mom want to hear, what can I as a nurse tell you that is going to make this process what you want it to be? What things can I do to let you know that you're supported? I know labor is different for everyone, but as a general rule, what works? I told a couple of the nurses the other day when I had someone "unblocked" I feel so dumb standing by her bed saying "in through your nose, out through your mouth" "keep breathing" "good job" "you're doing great" I would think that would get old after about the 2nd contraction, and if that's all my nurse kept telling me, I think I'd rather her leave! I feel funny just standing and hovering at the bedside too, but I feel like a horrible nurse if I leave and let her lay in the bed crying on her own.
So what works, what do you want to hear, do you want me to stand beside you, do you want me to go away and come back every 15 minutes to see how you're doing? What DON'T you want me to say? Do you want me to keep offering pain meds or anything after I've offered them once or twice and you refuse them? Obviously there are things that I can't do (especially with inductions, but that's just my hospital rules, not mine), but really, what things can I offer that really help?!
So my next question is: What are the things that help the most if you're trying to go natural, or even if you have pain meds? What are the things that you as a laboring mom want to hear, what can I as a nurse tell you that is going to make this process what you want it to be? What things can I do to let you know that you're supported? I know labor is different for everyone, but as a general rule, what works? I told a couple of the nurses the other day when I had someone "unblocked" I feel so dumb standing by her bed saying "in through your nose, out through your mouth" "keep breathing" "good job" "you're doing great" I would think that would get old after about the 2nd contraction, and if that's all my nurse kept telling me, I think I'd rather her leave! I feel funny just standing and hovering at the bedside too, but I feel like a horrible nurse if I leave and let her lay in the bed crying on her own.
So what works, what do you want to hear, do you want me to stand beside you, do you want me to go away and come back every 15 minutes to see how you're doing? What DON'T you want me to say? Do you want me to keep offering pain meds or anything after I've offered them once or twice and you refuse them? Obviously there are things that I can't do (especially with inductions, but that's just my hospital rules, not mine), but really, what things can I offer that really help?!