Birthday Nurse

I should be happy that I got a delivery last night, and I should be more excited that I survived the night and went the whole night only have 1 patient at a time (for a total of 2) while everyone else was getting slammed! Walked in and pushed for 45minutes with a patient who was complete and had already been pushing for a while, then took her to the OR and had a baby about 2100. That head was in there all kinds of crooked and all her conehead was off to the side. No wonder she wasn't going anywhere... Came back out to the madhouse after my recovery and then it snowballed. One by one, everyone under the sun came in, and stayed! One walked in at midnight and was 8cm that another nurse took, we all rushed in and got her started, then 10 minutes later another walked in that I took, she was 6cm and ruptured (leaking anyways), we figured we'd have babies flying out every which way! We got them both blocked and comfy in a good time frame, doctors called, orders written, computer cha...

Ah, my last set of 3 nights before my 8 day stretch off! Hooray ! People think I'm crazy for doing 3 in a row, and I do too a lot of times, but I enjoy my 8 days off, and at least I get in a rhythm for those 3 days on! Anyway... Last night was actually really, really, really good. I had a very fun couple who were totally into having a baby. Her water had broken yesterday afternoon and she was...0.5cm dialated . Not a good place to start when the first thing she had written down was a birth plan with NATURAL all over it. So she'd walked, then we did the tub, then she walked some more, then she was almost 2 after 6 hours, then we started a little pit of pitocin and then she was still only about 2-3. I felt so bad for her. She was trying so hard, her husband was so supportive, she wanted to go natural for all the right reasons and I wanted her to do it so bad. She finally begged for the epidural, rested and was 5cm in an hour, then complete an hour after that. That's what an...

I was flipping through my phone's "added" words that I've used in text messages and you know you're a L&D nurse when these are the words you've added: ~bleeder ~cerclage ~cervidil ~clonus ~cyst ~dink (as in a "dink" check...time to push!) ~epidural ~forceps ~ICU ~intubate ~keflex ~lidocaine ~NICU ~PIH ~pooped ~scrubs ~SROM ~a number of doctor's/nurses/staff people's names Talk about a language of our own...Now here's the test...how many of these words do YOU know and/or use on a daily basis?

I only worked 2-nights this week since I got call on Tuesday, but seriously, I think I'm just as worn out! I feel like I've worked 3-nights...and I guess I technically did work an extra 9hrs on Sunday night, but it still wasn't 3-in-a-row. Convinces me all the more that half the effort is the mental part, and I had to psych myself to get ready to go to work Tuesday anyway before they put me on call. Anyway, I had a nice delivery last night, well, I guess it was good. The poor girl had been in the hospital all day since about 0800 contracting randomly, but never changing her cervix all day. The day nurse tried 3 or 4 times to send her home but she said "it still hurts" so more stadol , etc, still no cervical change. So the on-call doc when in about 1930 to try to convince her it was just false labor and do go home...surprise surprised, she was 4cm instead of the 2cm! So she got to stay... I got her blocked, labored, started some pit, put on my very own scalp lead.....

Someone write this down...I was acutally "on-call" for 12 whole hours Tuesday night! That has happened ONE other time (back in December) since I've been off orientation. Everyone else is always complaining of how they always get put on call, I guess my days have just lined up right! Good think I picked up those extra 9 hours Sunday night, that made up for the 12-hours that I got all of $2 an hour to sleep! It's ok though, I slept horrible Tuesday afternoon, and yesterday afternoon too. Random phone calls from people with the wrong numbers, realitors trying to show the house, etc. Fun times. So yesterday afternoon I had just rolled over and turned off my alarm about 1630 after a fitfull nap and my phone rings, it's work. "Can you come in early? Like 1700..." Well, I haven't taken a shower, put my contacts in, let the dog out or even really woke up yet, and it takes me a GOOD 30 minutes to drive, but sure, I'll be there ASAP. I clocked in at 1710. ...

So I worked Thursday , Friday, Saturday nights and was planning on enjoying 2 whole nights off before my next set of three. I slept really well yesterday afternoon, got up about 1730, took the dog for a 6mile run then was doing laundry and just relaxing in front of the TV. I love to watch PBR bull riding, so I was just finishing up round two from the weekend about midnight. I took out my contacts and climbed into bed...ah, sweet sleep! And then my phone rang...seriously?! So into work I went, and left about 9am this morning. It really did get crazy last night, it was a good thing I went in. I thought right at the beginning that they might send me home after my obligated 2 hours, but then the flood gates opened. I took a SROM about 0200 and then I was set for the night, got her blocked, comfy, etc. Meanwhile the madness kept happening . We had a mom walk in with 3 beats of clonus , horrible super reflexive, etc. I swear, we're continuing our PIH special! This was the kind of gir...

One of the big plus sides of working 3 nights in a row is that it makes the days go quick! It seems like I just woke up Thursday afternoon and now it's Sunday morning and I'm going to bed! It's gone quick (and I haven't worked out at all during those days...that makes me a little grouchy!)! I have decided a few things after the last 2 nights: I'm ready to have a baby, I've gone lots of days without a baby!!! I'm tired of Mag! I think our hospital is running a special on Mag. Friday night I sat on my butt the big majority of the night. I had one long-term ante and was triage. I did one trainwreck triage who decided she liked me, and wanted to ask for me by name when she came back for her "real" labor. Hey, a compliment is a compliment! After I sent her home I sat, and sat, and sat, and sat. We got a phone call that a hospital 2hrs away was going to transfer a 33wk PIH patient to us, so we all jumped and got ready for that. That was just before midni...

So my 8-days-off turned into 5-days-off, but that was OK. I was super busy, seems like I had something going on every day while I was off! I was actually a little excited to go back to work last night, we'll see if that excitement can take me through the next 9 shifts! While I was off a group of us "night-girls" got together and went out to eat. One of the laborist docs came with us too. It was so much fun to get together OUTSIDE of work and not be just gathered around monitor strips, someone having to jump up in the middle of a conversation, etc, etc. Of course work was all we talked about, but it was different. It was great fun, and I'm looking forward to the next time we can all get together. I had antes last night, I didn't mind, they all behaved themselves. I started out with 3, sent one home after a little hassle and spent some good time chit-chatting with the other ones. The one gal has been there for the last month "growing" her babies. I'd...

Ok , 6 days a week at the hospital is a lot. I just got home from another 5+ hrs extra this week. It's been insane! I think they had 13 babies on dayshift today, then another 5 after 7. When I left we had the board cleaned up nicely, one ante and one patient who was deciding what she was going to do. I did a delivery about 2100, moved her over and was out of there. Ah...I told them "no" for the next few nights. I just can't make myself go back for 7 in a row. I think things will calm down over the weekend, at least I sure hope so! So the last couple days there has been a 19wk PROM staying on our unit. Her history is complicated, and it's made me do a lot of thinking. She came in ruptured, and they did some antibiotics, etc, and after thinking about it and considering her history, she decided that really at 19 wks , she didn't want to sit in the hospital for the next 5 or 6 weeks waiting until viable age, and so wanted to go ahead and induce delivery which wou...

Seriously, we have been a little busy at work. Last night was my second extra partial shift this week. When my phone rang yesterday afternoon and I saw it was work I knew what they wanted and let it go to voicemail. After what the board looked like last night I'm not surprised at all that they needed help. I called back as few hours later and the Charge said that a few people had called back, but one nurse had called in sick, so she wasn't sure if they still could use help or not. I already had plans for the earlier part of the evening so I said I could come from 2300-0700 if they still needed someone...I went in at 2200 and left after 0730. It was crazy. All I ended up with was a post- partum mag post C/S which was fine. We actually "slowed down" a little for a few hours, then the bus rolled up and we got 3 or 4 walk-ins, then one of the docs called us and told us that one of the other "bigger" hospitals in the city was on diversion, so guess where all the...

I worked Sunday, worked Monday, worked Tuesday and had signed up to be "on call" if they needed me last night from 1a-7a, before realizing that I was working Sun/Mon/Tues. Go figure they needed me last night, so I slept from 2200-0000, then went to work, did a C/S and got the 0730 C/S ready for day shift. NOW I can enjoy some time off without feeling too guilty that I haven't been going in extra. It's not my fault that they've been calling only on the nights that I already have plan! Oh well. I'm house sitting for some friends from church, and I came home yesterday and let the dog out, and went upstairs to bed. Was dead asleep after 3 nights in a row, and all of a sudden I hear this knocking on the front door. I figured it was UPS or someone and they would just go away. No, the door opens and I hear " realtor ." Seriously? The people are trying to sell their house but they gave strict instructions to the realtor company that they were supposed to ...

For as busy as my night was last night, it was actually pretty good, and I was pretty happy with it. Usually I would have been totally stressed out and grouchy, but even though I was running the entire night I never felt totally behind and hopeless, just constantly busy. I had two cervidils , and when I left they were both blocked and had no cervidils . One was a gal I had actually sent home a couple times several weeks prior who we kind of knew from the beginning was going to be a little "high maintenance ." Every time I walked into her room for something I knew I could count on spending at least half an hour or so doing this and that and fixing that and fixing this, but hey, it's all about patient satisfaction. She wanted a block so bad and I was so glad when she was finally 3cm and could finally get her blocked so she could be happy! She rated her contractions an 11/10 for pain, but if she wasn't watching the monitor and was talking to me instead she would talk ri...

So today starts my month-long house/dog sitting assignment for a couple from our church. Flying to Hawaii for a month to see their daughter...must be rough :) So I get to watch their very lovable/excitable doggy for a month. I'm most excited at the moment to realize that I can get wireless Internet from a sharing neighbor! Hooray! Last night at work was pretty good, I got the ante assignment which was OK, I haven't done ante's in a while and they were all well behaved tonight, I didn't break any of them. Sent one home by 2000, made friends with the high- maintenance gal who is "growing babies" until she's 32 wks with her twins. She's been there a few weeks and has a few left, so she's settling into a routine. Another gal came in post MVA , wks with a positive KlehourBetke (I know that's not spelled right...), so she got to spend the night and was getting a sono today sometime. Another gal who has been working on N/V/D/temp didn't have ...

My all celebratory post and I'm too tired to really think much about what to say in it... I survived my 2-day OB- ACLS class last week, it was a fun group of nurses to take it with and the instructors (two of our L&D nurses) made it lots of fun, practical and logical . So it was a fun 2 days. Working only 2 nights last week wasn't bad either, even if it did make it 5 nights in a row. I just keep adding letters after my name: RN, BSN , BCLS , NRP , OB- ACLS , CPR. Sheesh ! I sound super smart! Worked my 1st out of three last night, back for 2 more now. I was acutally "on-call" both Friday night and Saturday night and totally expected phone calls, but didn't get one either night. Speaking of, I should write that down for my hours at work tonight! Note to self... I was kinda expecting to get called last night, but I was there in all my glory, with 2 cervidils who actually behaved themselves. One of them had a "little dip" for about 2 minutes right a...

I made it 5 nights in a row! Last night was so much better than last night, I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I KNEW that I didn't have to go back tonight! I about floated out the door this morning, I just need a break from being "responsible" for a few nights! I'll be ready to be back Sunday night I think. I did a fresh recovery, I did a little triage, I did a little C/S for a gal that walked in ruptured and transverse presentation. I felt bad for her, it was her 5 th baby, she's never had an epidural, never had a C/S, what a time to have to have to have a section for an upside baby! Everyone at work was making fun of me because the Bachelor finale was last night. If I work on Monday nights I always go home and watch the Bachelor Tuesday morning, so I really try not to watch it or see snatches of it at work. EVERYONE had it on last night, a bunch of nurses had a chance to go into an empty room and watch the end of it and I refused to go in because...

On a more entertaining note...I gave blood on Friday. I've always been told I'm not the best vein candidate around, but it takes talent to give someone a bruse like this from an attempted blood donation! I thought I was going to come off the table when they stripped the tubing right next to the needle to see if the vein was really blown. That hurts like I never would have imagined! I ended up donating out of the other arm...and have no bruise!

So I put things into perspective at work tonight when I half jokingly and half not jokingly got told I couldn't work more than 3 nights in a row again because I got grouchy after 3! I think I'm usually seen at work as a pretty happy, optimistic, enjoyable person who likes her job and is a good team player and always ready to help out with things. I didn't feel like that person last night, for the first time I really felt frustrated at some of the other people I was working with and really just couldn't take it anymore. I went in early at 1700 for a nurse so she could go home early and all I heard when I got there was about how busy day shift had been and how day shift is always swamped and they had to call in extra nurses etc, etc. So I took a brand new triage that had just walked in the door, got her all started and came out and my name was next to another patient on the board. Then I noticed it was just a cervidil coming that night. Ok , I can do that. I came back ou...

Ok, so 3 nights down, 2 to go. Seriously, I don't think I'll do this again without really thinking it through! I'm so sleepy!!! Last night was much better than the last couple ones have been. I actually only had ONE patient all night, that is a first in a long time. I wasn't convinced that my sweet little gal was going to make it, but she did it! She was 3cm, 3cm, 3cm, 3cm after SROMing and being closed then being on pit (up to 30mu/min) for hours, and then all of a sudden went from 4cm to complete in like an hour! Yippee for her! Great pusher, great delivery, everything was fantastic! I'm running a streak of amazing patients, and I love it! Very personable, sweet, excited-about-being-parents couples. My favorite! I told one of the nurses I'd go in for her at 1700 tonight...I'm pooped, it's sleepy time. But that sleepy time isn't gonna last long eough! Babies today : 1f Babies total : 38M/35F = 73 Vag :28M/29F = 57 C/S: 10M6F = 16 Babies 'caught...