Third week in school? help deliver babies!

[kuju]

So yeah... jsut completed my third week at UofT's 2-year nursing program. It's CRAZY with the amount of reading we have to do. They have to cram in as much as possible this first semester, though it gets better in winter and apparently much more relaxed next year.

But I just had to gush about my last two days.

Thursday was my first day in a clinical setting, and I got Maternity first off. It was my day in Labour and Delivery. One nurse/patient. I'm paired with Kate (changed name) adnw e go check on out patient, Mrs. J. she's got an epidural and all so rather than being in pain, she's bored out of her mind. It's an observational day for me so I don't do much except follow Kate around. and what she does consists of checking Mrs. J every half hour, and spending the rest of her time chatting with other nurses about online dating and last night's episode of LOST while monitoring fetal heat rates and contractions on a screen. In other words, I'm SO BORED! did I mention that the day started at 7:15am? which meant I was up at 6? so at 12:30 the 8 student were supposed to meet up to talk about our experiences. I hadn't HAD any... but Mrs. J was finally about to deliver. as in... the baby has crowned but we're waiting for daddy and doctor. My preceptor says I can go watch. It was truly amazing... I mean, you see births on TV and they're often so fake... no, baby does NOT come out in three pushes generally... It was also itneresting to see delivery in a woman with an epidural... she felt nothing so there wasn't the usual screaming that you associate with birth. But when the baby girl popped out it was just amazing to watch. and I actually started crying. I wasn't able to stay for much after but at least I had a story to tell the group. (then I went to work for four hours before coming home and crashing.)

Friday morning. another early start. I'm on the postpartum floor and I got paired with the nurse taking care of Mrs. J. and two others. It was so great to see Mrs. J again who had been so nice to me the day before. She actually let me take care of her (NOT EVEN A DAY OLD!) baby for half an hour. and I got to do an assessment of a mother and baby. one mother I noticed seemed very lethargic and anxious. I mean, every new mother is anxious about her baby but there was something in this woman's tone of voice that made me think her a candidate for postpartum depression. I checked her chart afterward and sure enough, she had a history of depression. yay intuition!


But yeah... babies are totally awesome. I'm there again next thurs/fri. I know it's just my first placement but I really think it's the area I want to work in.

[ChloëAuChocolatChat]

Wow... What an amazing experience! Oh wow... I can only imagine how moving it must have been.

I'd love to watch something like that, but I suddenly got squeamish when I became a teenager. Ever since, I haven't been able to stand the sight of blood. It's ridiculous and makes me feel like such a wimp!

Lol, I suppose I'll get to see it someday, when it happens to me.

[dtbmnec]

That's awesome!! I'm not so sure I'd like to have a student watching as I give birth but then again I guess I'm a little more preoccupied with the whole GIVING birth part of it at the moment....and well I would assume that you had to get permission for you to watch in the first place....

"we're waiting for doctor and daddy" -- lol when I was ready to be born there was no way in hell I was waiting for anyone....I was almost born in the elevator between floors (I guess the "labour" area and the "birth" area were on different floors....O.o)

Vaguely related to this....

I just thought it'd be kinda funny to list off how many women who, during the labour and birth and whatnot, curse the person who got them pregnant in the first place and how many don't.....just more out of personal curiosity....nothing official cuz that would be a total waste of money.....I guess funny isn't the right word.....not sure what is.....damn my brain works in mysterious ways.....

Megan

[kuju]

well what I found interesting was that of the 8 mothers on the floor at the time, only one WASN'T having an epidural. So tehre was no cursing at all. You curse in pain, but these women aren't feeling a thing. And you CAN wait for daddy and doctor because the mother doesn't feel the urge to push at all. I mean, we were taking a look and the baby's head was right there. as in, she spread her legs and we could see baby hair. one of the benefits of an epidural I suppose... but harder for her to push when she doesn't feel the urgency to.

as for students watching, It's a teaching hospital. Most of the big Toronto hospitals are, and if you're going to go to them you have to expect that students are going to be around. How else are we supposed to learn and gain experience? We don't get permission either... I walk in with the nurse. she introduces herself, and introduces me as her student. That's it. The patient can say she doesn't want me there I suppose, but she's not asked for permission beforehand, she can simply refuse after the fact. And of course it's expected that we have a degree of professionalism. I don't go in there with a look of disgust on my face, jsut interest. You have to keep your face blank to negative emotions. I mean, in two months when I'm working with old people I'll REALLY have to work to keep that mask on. I'm not fond of the old people/

[Deidre]

I have a friend who worked assisting a surgeon in Iran for the summer. She saw three C-sections in one day, and decided it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

...I think you really have to want to be in medicine to appreciate this sort of thing. :P

[Rammstein39]

I mean, in two months when I'm working with old people I'll REALLY have to work to keep that mask on. I'm not fond of the old people/

I worked at a nursing home for two years. All the advice I can give you is BE PATIENT AND RESPECTFUL. I have seen a lot of aides who got jobs at the home becasue their friends got them in. They didnt care how they treated who and sometimes were not considerate of the people (like when they would go into someone's room to get them up and would change their radio to rap music full blast just for their own pleasure).

Its very tough.... but you wont forget them. Some people touch your life forever. I was a volunteer at the same nursing home when i was younger (like in middle school) and I still remember many of the people I used to see who are now long long gone.

If you need any other advice, lemme know... I have tons of stories!!

[rcwant2be]

i apparently missed hearing you were starting a nursing program kuju. congrats.

so, when ur finished, does that mean you'll be NurseWOMAN? lol. ;)

[Asphodelle13]

Wow. Good for you, Julia. When I had an epidural I think it was already given to me too late, and I was at the excruciating height of pain(nearly fully dialated). It made me feel totally numb afterwards though(which was grooovy).

[dtbmnec]

well what I found interesting was that of the 8 mothers on the floor at the time, only one WASN'T having an epidural. So tehre was no cursing at all. You curse in pain, but these women aren't feeling a thing. And you CAN wait for daddy and doctor because the mother doesn't feel the urge to push at all. I mean, we were taking a look and the baby's head was right there. as in, she spread her legs and we could see baby hair. one of the benefits of an epidural I suppose... but harder for her to push when she doesn't feel the urgency to.

as for students watching, It's a teaching hospital. Most of the big Toronto hospitals are, and if you're going to go to them you have to expect that students are going to be around. How else are we supposed to learn and gain experience? We don't get permission either... I walk in with the nurse. she introduces herself, and introduces me as her student. That's it. The patient can say she doesn't want me there I suppose, but she's not asked for permission beforehand, she can simply refuse after the fact. And of course it's expected that we have a degree of professionalism. I don't go in there with a look of disgust on my face, jsut interest. You have to keep your face blank to negative emotions. I mean, in two months when I'm working with old people I'll REALLY have to work to keep that mask on. I'm not fond of the old people/

Heh you learn something new everyday...

I don't know if I would be able to have an epidural...I know what it did to mother (she still gets pain in her spine from it because they gave it to her waayyyyy too late and I guess did it wrong)....Of course after like an hour of labour I'm probably going to be the first one screaming for one! heh....

Well I guess in the case of you not feeling the need to push and whatnot I could see you "waiting" for daddy.....though as I believe I mentioned not so much with me....Of course at the same time they really screwed up with me though nothing particularly harmful came out of it (other than mom's back pain)....They thought I was supposed to be due at the beginning of November and then they kept moving the date back....mom figured I was actually due for another two weeks (early January instead of mid December when she was induced)....and well I kept giving mom a scare....it seems every other week or two I went "well I think its time for my wonderful entrance to the world" and then decided not to...

*wistful sigh* all those wonderful stories you hear about your birth and the following days when you drive the nurses nuts.......lol

The best part is my brother has his own little stories as well.....most of which worse than mine! :p

Megan

[Nurseman]

I have a friend who worked assisting a surgeon in Iran for the summer. She saw three C-sections in one day, and decided it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Ya know, I was a "C-Section" baby....

To this day I can't leave the house without going through the window!!!

Hahahahahahahaha! *Rim-shot*




I didn't do any clinicals (Thats when you actually spend time in the Hospital) until nearly into 2nd year. Even then, we spent WEEKS changing beds and doing bed-baths.

Interesting Factoid: I humped stretchers for 25 years as a Paramedic, NEVER delivered a baby. Never even came really close. Didn't get to see it done UNTIL Nursing School, and I LOVED IT!! Figures. The ONE part of school I really liked is the one place I'll NEVER get a job. (Humph!)


Watch out for surgical rotations. They really ARE boring!