Birthday Nurse

I know I shouldn't post this when I have two more nights left this week...but I can't remember a night being as good as last night. It started out way hectic and I wasn't sure how it was all gonna turn out, but it was busy enough that it kept me going and the night was actually really good! The worst I had of it was chasing babies, but even that was ok, at least the babies were behaving! My cervidil I expected to labor just because that doc has the reputation of delivering people off cervidil's, but she was pretty quiet all night and baby was a perfect angel, best looking strip I've claimed in a long time! She slept most of the night too, so I'm glad she didnt' hurt too bad. I walked in at the same time as a R/O PROM, and was trying to do that and get the cervidil started all at the same time. By the time I got the cervidil situated I caught the on-call doc for the R/O and he proceeded to do the 1-million dollar workup on the PROM and then decided that she w...

So I was thinking last night after I worked an extra 6hr shift that right after times I think I'm really getting this L&D nursing thing, something else happens that shows me I still have SO much to learn that it scares me all over again! What am I still freaked out about as an L&D nurse? The list seems endless... ~ Decels , no matter what kind, still scare the snot out of me, because it only takes one decel to never come back up again... ~Crash C/S- I seem to get flustered at the littlest things, and at the wrong times anyway. If I can't open a scalp electrode at the right end, how am I gonna rush a patient back for a stat section all in one piece without forgetting something important!? I'm sure it's something that after I do it I won't be so terrified of it, but until that happens... ~A REAL shoulder dystocia - I know how to do suprapubic pressure, but what if that doesn't work? ~ That one time there's no heartbeat...heaven help me if that ever...

It seems like I've worked a ton this week, even though I really don't think I have...I worked Christmas night, it was f retty quiet, but got kinda "clinic-y" since the offices were closed. Lot's of "I'm cramping after I've been up and going crazy the last few days" so lots of hydration, vistaril and home. I had one long term ante who's gonna be around for awhile r/t a complete previa . Gave her a colace , took some vitals and visited with her. Other than that...she slept all night. I did one or two triages too but they all ended up going home. Read through some good trivial prusit cards though! Last night was a little busier, but still really, really "clinic-y" I started out with the same ante from the night before, sent another one home about 2000, then got a ROL about 2100 that was in labor (I suspect 8 hours of shopping gave her a pretty good start). She and her very supportive parents and FOB were really fun and nice. Sinc...

Ok ...this not being able to sleep at night is really starting to get to me. It's after 0300...and why am I not tired? It's weird to think that at this time yesterday morning I was still shaking after catching a baby. But I'd do it again (and hopefully will again someday!) in a heartbeat! P.S. Everything but one little tiny spot of meconium came out of my scrubs and my brand new long sleeved shirt I was wearing underneath. That made me VERY happy, even though my mom wanted to know why I was doing laundry at 5am...!

New favorite quote from a patient/family member... New Grandpa : "Did you play baseball in school?" Birthday Nurse : "No...but I watch my brother play and I play softball in the summer. Why?" New Grandpa : "Because you're the best catcher I've seen!" This after I delivered his new granddaughter all by myself :) I've wanted to "catch" a baby forever...seriously! But I really, truly believed that it would come after working as nurse for much longer and with a doctor right behind me guiding me through the process, not with one glove on as the patient is puking after pushing for 7 minutes. But, there is NOTHING like that surge of adrenaline, ask the scrub tech (who came in as I'm suctioning the baby after the friend went down the hallway looking for someone to help me) who was standing behind me watching my knees shake as she's handing me stuff to clamp/cut the cord and draw cord gases! Oh my goodness, I thought I was gonna fal...

~~ Sorry the time/date is wrong on here! It should have been about 2045 on the 22nd...but I got called into work so this got posted after I got home :) ~~ So after I left work this morning I really am not sure that I'm ever going to feel confident in this job! I know there are shifts when nothing seems to go right, and everyone has them...I think I just had one. What a way to top off an already long weekend (even if I was on call Saturday night!). Started off the night with one ante who was in for a PIH eval and a 24-hour urine, 38 weeks, no big deal. Well then at 1855 another gal walks in, and guess who got elected for triage duty? So I took her back and got her started, it took me an hour before I got into my original patient's room. Finally get both of them somewhat settled and my PIH baby starts randomly "dumping." Baby was all around a little 'sleepy' but nothing too overly horrible, mom's uterus had some irregular irritability that she was sleepin...

I've never had a "call date" (being on-call for at least 6hrs on a night your scheduled to work...) and trust me, tonight was the perfect night for it. I kept thinking in my head on the way home from work this morning how I would 100% take the call option if they called and gave it to me tonight! After last night, I needed some time to think and just take some deep breaths. I really didn't think that the whole shift last night effected me that much until I was writing about it this morning and bawling my eyes out...and then when I woke up from my nap this afternoon crying again after dreaming about it. I was feeling so guilty because I didn't shed a tear last night when everyone around me had lost it. I was really wondering why it wasn't getting to me when I knew it was a horrible situation and now I haven't been able to stop myself from tearing up every time I think about it since. So after I decided in my head that I would take call tonight I got to thi...

So I was on call tonight just long enough for me to change out of scrubs and head to a Christmas concert with my parents...then got called and told there had been a scheduling mis -hap and if I could please come to work. Ok , no big deal, that means time and a half for the first 6 hours. I figured (that's the last time I "figure" anything about this job!) that they would want me out of there ASAP since I was a call-back and making extra money. So...what do I walk into? J met me in the lounge as I was putting my stuff under the counter and going to change and said "girl, get ready to cry your eyes out. You're walking into a sad situation." Great...what happened now. So over the next 2 hours as I piece the story together...G1 came in for a cervidil the night before, good pregnancy, no real problems, labored all day on Pit, good strip, got to complete, pushed and wouldn't descend, went to the back for a C/S...baby came out dead. Parents declined an autop...

So when I was at work Monday night I figured I would do my good "nursing duty" and sign up to be on-call from 1900-0100 last night (Wednesday night). There were already 6 nurses scheduled, and I don't remember the last time I heard them calling someone in from "off the door" where we sign up for extra shifts, so I really didn't think they'd use me. I finished teaching piano lessons about 1700 and thought I would just call to see if they had an idea if they would need me or not...and the day charge nurse said "Come in!!" and sounded pretty desperate. So I dashed to the gym, only got in a 40 minute run and then jumped through the shower and went to work, and they really used me the whole 6 hours! I only had a cervidil , but everyone else was either doubled up or in the back doing sections, so I guess they really did need me! I guess the "ante" world hit today and there were 7 or 8 antes who were gonna be longterm or at least until they...

Cervidils...cervidils...cervidils! But I survived my 2 nd night of "unsupervised" nursing...and both my patients were breathing when I left! I was 1/2 expecting to get put on call, but I didn't...until 0315. I was the only person who hadn't had a "call" date yet, and the one person who wanted to go home had left about 2100, so I was the next one up when we only had a recovery and my 2 cervidils . I was on call for 11 1/2 hours Sunday night, but they ended up sending people home that night too so I didn't have to go in. I'm signed up for call tomorrow from 1900-0100 and am crossing my fingers they really don't need 7 nurses! Then I work this weekend and I'm sure I'll be there for the duration of it, but that's ok ...I need Christmas money! Got some pretty snow today that started right after I got home, so I'm glad I got to drive home and miss it instead of driving home in the thick of it at 0700! Babies today : 0 Babies total : 28...

So I went into work last night kinda sad that it was my last night on orientation, I even took brownies! Imagine my surprise when they told me I wasn't on orientation last night...I was just on my own and here's your patient that's 8cm. So, deep breath in, grab a pager and go. And guess what...I survived (and so did my patients!) :) The night went pretty good! Really nice delivery about 2000, first baby, mom and dad were both super excited and fun to talk to and get to know. Everyone showed up on time (nursery included) and it was a fun birthday party! Got the recovery all done and Mom moved over to her postpartum room before my triage showed up, so I was pretty excited! Triaged a R/O pre -term labor who was contracting, but not changing so vistaril'd her and sent her home before 0100. Then sat on my behind until about 0625 when the C/S that was scheduled for 1400 showed up in labor. Now here's what I can't figure out...when I took the traige at midnight, and...

Thank heaven for auto-save! I went to publish my post about my weekend and lost i nternet connection and thought I deleted it. I was about to just update my "baby stats" and leave it at that...but I found the saved completed draft :) Go Blogger!!!

Maybe it's because I hadn't worked for 8 days...but this weekend was an adventure! I loved having 8 days off, but I'm afraid it may have been a little too long, cuz all of a sudden 3 in a row seemed like a LOT! Thursday night we did a cervidil that did nothing and ended up being cut Friday afternoon, and I also had a ROL that was a G7 who came in banging out contractions every 2 minutes that were off the chart. We watched her for the last 4 hours of the shift and she never changed, but was still contracting pretty regularly after fluids, vistaril , terb , and a morphine/ phergan combo IM . But nobody wanted to send a term G7 home still contracting that often. I think they sent her home mid-morning on Friday. Friday night was when it got interesting. I think every L&D unit has "codename patients" who are frequent fliers for a very LONG 9 months and everyone celebrates after they deliver :) It seems like some docs specialize in these kinds of patients too. A...