Birthday Nurse

Wow, I'm been doing this blog in spurts lately...I end up doing it AFTER I've worked for the week ' cuz there's not much energy in between shifts! This month has been crazy busy, we were already pretty close to 300 babies when I left on Thursday morning!! I've had several nice deliveries, 2 of them last night!! Yay for double deliveries! The two last night were 2 within an hour, that's always good for getting the heartrate up! I did one delivery of "my girl" that I'd had since the beginning of the shift, then walked out and there was another girl that was 7-8 and for some reason the nurse that had her wanted me to take her and finish her delivery. I'm not sure why but the girl was unblocked and there wasn't much time to argue!!! By the time I walked down to the room (for the first time) the midwife said that she was 9+ and wanted to get back in the tub. I wouldn't have gotten her up to the tub at that close to delivery, but the midw...

I promise, promise, promise that I still blog once in a while! Somehow, when I'm so exhausted in the morning, blogging's the first thing that gets put off. So I have to wait 'till I have a day off to do it! Those seem to be pretty few and far between anymore... I was scheduled to work Thurs/Fri/Sat last week, and I did. But Wednesday I went in and worked extra at the last minute. I was mowing all day long, and they called looking for help during the day shift that afternoon, and I couldn't do that. But then the 2 nd time they called me @ 1700 looking for help that night I felt too guilty to say no. So I jumped through the shower and went in. I don't think I've caught up on sleep after that... It has been raining antepartums and pre -term patients for the last week! I swear, we'll have 5-9 antes on the board every night...and when there's only 17 rooms total...that doesn't leave room for too much else! I can't wait for our new unit that is supp...

Seems like I haven't worked/blogged in a VERY long time! But don't fear...the craziness has still be going on, I guess I've just been avoiding it...until last night. I turned down 2 extra shifts in my "8 days off (which was really 7 this time around...)" for 2 different but very valid reasons. I realized when I went car shopping yesterday that maybe a few extra shifts in the near future would be a GOOD thing and I need to stop coming up with excuses like "I'm tired" or "I'm busy", etc...reality bites! Anyway, as I'm halfway to work yesterday (after an hour and a half nap after the car deal...) I get a call from the day charge nurse..."Sorry it's 1815, but we're putting you on call!" Seriously? Here I am thinking that I need extra shifts and I can't even work my regular ones anymore? I was JUST on-call, and I'm half-way to work already! But what can you do...so I drove to the gym (just a different building ...

Things I realized this week: 1) I hadn't had antes in a long time 2) I had antes twice this week and that was enough for a long time 3) Antes are all just little time bombs ready to explode...and I'm always afraid that they're going to explode on my shift! 4) If they don't explode...antes are boring after the first couple hours 5) I went all week with no babies...that made me sad and only slightly grouchy on my last night 6) I actually am going a WHOLE WEEK without working extra (because I was out of town the nights I wasn't working...) 7) I have GREAT job security...

So I've been impressed that I haven't been into work since I got off after that staff meeting Wednesday night! I had a great weekend in Branson with my brother's baseball team and my favorite Branson show, so that just topped things off! I'm sitting freezing my butt off at my brother's baseball game yesterday afternoon at 1630 and my phone rings...go figure! I felt guilty, ' cuz they had called me Saturday night and I wasn't in town, so sure, I'll come in for time and a half. They called me back an hour later and said "well, we're OK now, but will you be on call?" Sure why not, I've just been up since 0830 this morning. I know nurses do that all the time, but I'm not most nurses and I need my sleep! Now a smart nurse would have left the baseball game and gone home and slept in case she got called in. No, I sat there for another hour or so, saw my brother blast a 2-run homer over the fence to win the game, and then went and ate,...

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...

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 ...

I am always happy when my 3rd of 3 is done! It makes me feel like a new person! Gotta enjoy 2 nights off, suck it up for 3 more then have 8 off. Yippee! I love the 8 off, but the 3 sets of 3 are kinda long if I'm honest about it. It started out CRAZY tonight. I think, from the way day shift talked, that it was crazy all day long. I was "happy" with my 4 antepartums, and slowly just worked on getting my 30wk PTL who was happily contracting away to settle down, discharged my N/V girl and discharged my epigastric pain girl and helped my kidney stone girl settle in. After I got my two discharged and my 30wkr stopped contracting and fell asleep the night was good. I was actually pretty proud of myself for not freaking out, making decisions and being pretty self-sufficient. The rest of the unit was a mess too, just busy, busy, busy and lots of people walking in at shift change. I swear, it's those dangerous hours of between 5:30 and 7 on either end of the clock. They should...

I really never thought I would never complain about an ante assignment...but tonight I didn't mind! I had 3 patients all night, but they all slept and I didn't break any of them, so that was ok by me. It made the night go a little slow, but after we had a 38week unknown IUFD walk in and deliver in 30 minutes it was a good thing there was a nurse to help take care of paperwork, etc. So I did a big part of my 2 nd DIU in a short period of time. I hate those! This one was really sad, she had been to the office early in the week, had good heart tones and then tonight there just weren't any. When the baby came out it was pretty obvious that he had been dead for several days just from how he looked. I really wonder if it's sunk in yet. Mom and Dad were making phone calls and seemed so unaffected by it. I don't think I saw either of them cry. I would have lost control. I worry about them when they get home. I know some people just don't show grief, or don't sho...

6hrs Sunday night, 12 hours Monday night, 12 hours Tuesday night, NO hours Wednesday night, 12 hours Thursday night, 3 hours Friday night after a desperate phone call for help. I am so ready for ONE night off before I go back to work! Really, I love my job, I just feel like I have lived at this hospital this week! I'm kinda getting in a mood for a delivery too. I haven't done a delivery since I caught my baby, and that was the only delivery that I've done off of orientation. I've had ante's ALL week, and just cervidil's before that. I'm starting to worry that I'll forget how to do a vag or a C/S delivery pretty soon! I broke the complete previa girl last night who hadn't bled since several days before Christmas and she bled a little last night. Poor girl, she called me and you could tell she was scared out of her mind. It's wasn't a big gush, but there was definitely blood on the pad. I don't know what they'll do or how long they...

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...

~~ 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 really do like work, I was just telling someone last night about how much I love work. But after working 6 out of 8 nights...I'm ready for a few nights of sleeping when it's dark outside! I know it could be a lot worse, it was never more than 3 in a row, but still, that's a definite switch to the night shift! Last night had the potential to be crazy, but turned out not too bad. We started with 3 antes, but one was a set of 35wk twins that everyone thought was going to deliver. We went 2 out of 3 home before 2100, and I had the twins pretty settled down but then another "early labor" patient walked in about 2145 that kept me running. I think ER sent up 4 patients in an hour and a half last night! That is too many... The twin mom had come in early in the afternoon and had been 2, then later on 3, then even after terbX 2, vistaril and fluid she was about 3-4. She was rating her pain and had gotten some nubain right before I got there. The doc said that she real...

So after my experience on Friday, I walked into work this morning really excited to have at least 2 more inductions to round out my days orientation (I go to nights next week!). Boy should I have never have pre -planned what my day was gonna be like. Walk in, what color is my patent's name? Green. Next to purple names ( DIU's ), green names (ante's) are my least favorite! And this wasn't just an ante, it was stable 27+5 twins who had been on mag since yesterday afternoon. 2 mag patients in a row, give me a break!!!! That means no new patients for 12 hours. Just me and the twin mom. So after that put me in a very sad mood, my day wasn't too bad. I know I should just be happy with what I get and be ready for anything, but two days of sitting on my behind watching mag babies (or answering 24 un -needed call lights) I really am ready for a delivery! This twin mom was really nice though, these are her 3rd and 4 th babies, and we became friends after I let her eat food ...

So this is the blog that relates to Friday at work, and since it's Sunday morning, that should say something! J wanted me to do at least one more day of antes before I'm done with orientation, so we figured there should be some on a Friday after they've had all week to pile up on the board. Sure enough, we got a Mag patient on for PTL ( pre -term labor) and then another one... The mag patient was too fun, she'd come in the end of our shift on Wednesday , so had been there for a while, she was 1cm/100%/-1 and 30-something weeks. She was so sweet, and so scared, and ready for the mag to come off! Poor girl! She was so tiny that the toco was picking up anything little thing so she looked like she was really crampy and irritable, but I think she may had one or two decent contractions every hour or so. Personally I think the vistaril that we gave every 6hrs was doing her more good than the mag was...She hadn't really changed her cervix so I think the plan was to turn...

I think today was the first day since I've been a "Real Nurse" that I haven't had any babies :( That makes me sad! I got really close though, we left a girl almost complete and he delivered at 2006 (yes I called back to check on her about 2130...I'm a sucker!). It was the weekend, so pretty quiet. there were all of 3 nurses on today plus two orientees ...ha! J and I had 3 ante's and we sent them out the door and then got another triage with "vaginal pain" and sent her home in exactly an hour. We could have sent her home earlier, but it's protocol that they have to be o n the monitor for at least an hour, so we took that and no more. The doctor listened to what I told him about what her s/s and he said "well, nothing I can do about it. Send her home." Seriously, you're pregnant...you're gonna have a lot more "vaginal pain" pushing that baby out than you are right now... We had an 18yo prime walk in with SROM , thick mec...

So I really am still here...just been so exhausted this is the first time I've taken time to sit down and think about everything that's happened. Last week we did more ante's...but after Wednesday...we're done with them! It all went crazy on Tuesday, when we walked in and ended up taking a 35.4 weeker over to the main OR to take out her appendix. She had this " excruciating " pain in her abdomen that wouldn't go away, and her WBC count was 21, so after a bunch of surgery consults we roller her, a big 'ole baby monitor cabinet and a c-section kit (just in case ) over to the main hospital for an open appy . Usually they can just do it laproscopicaly , but since she was more than 20 wks pregnant, they actually had to cut her open. So J and I had to sit over there for the entire hour case and watch the baby's heart rate. It was cool though, they didn't give her general anes because that wouldn't have been good for baby, so they just did ...

So I knew even before I started orientation that there are 3 basic parts to being a labor nurse: antepartum patients, labor patients, and C/S. Of those three, I'll take anything that gets me at least 1 delivery on my shift, but I'd much rather have a labor patient all day and end with a vag delivery than do a scheduled C/S, and I'd rather do ANY of those than do antepartum patients. Not that it's the patients that I mind, but come on, if I wanted to do antepartums I'd work on MedSurg or something. It just doesn't seem any different to me than sitting around and doing NST's all day. Some nurses love it, and I give them 3903 props for that, because I don't have that kind of patience. I love labor because something's always going on, there's just enough adrenaline to keep the whole 12-hours interesting, most of the time. Anyways, so today was my first day with J and for some reason nobody remembered that, so she got 3 ante patients. Bummer.....