Childbirth Education

I mentioned that I've been pretty burned out lately, and I was thinking that I need something different to change things up. Either that or a long vacation. Not from patient care. That is what gets me through my shifts. It's the other B.S. that goes on. Anyway, one of the doctors is looking for a new office nurse and I thought "Hey, talk about timing. I'm getting frustrated to the point where I understand why nurses leave the bedside and go to offices and here's an opportunity". It's one I didn't make, though. I couldn't actually leave l&d, I'd miss it too much. I realized that I just need to do something different, maybe 1 day a week doing NST's and whatnot in an office, just to have one day of work where I'm not waking someone up, or arguing with someone to come in. Then one night this past weekend, the nurse who is in charge of all the childbirth education classes the hospital has asked if I would be willing to teach next year. My initial reactions was no, but the more I thought about it, the more I decided that I would do it. She was getting ready to work on next year's class schedule and a couple people who are currently teaching aren't going to next year. The timing is perfect. The commitment isn't too time consuming, just one night a week for 4 week classes. Plus it wouldn't be until next year that I would start teaching. Already, my attitude is a bit better. She said here in the next couple weeks, she'd chat with me about what I want to do. She needs someone to teach the typical childbirth education class and someone to teach the smaller c-section awareness class. I'm excited about this. This is just what I needed at just the right time.

Burn Out

I'm getting burned out. I'm in desperate need of a vacation, or something. I used to wonder why nurses would leave L&D for offices or Monday-Friday dayshift jobs, but I think I've figured it out. Here's a quick list of things I'm tired of:

1. Working so short-staffed that we are all just running from the moment we clock in to the moment we leave. The worst part is feeling like you can't give good care because you have too many patients and not enough nurses.

2. Arguing with physicians to get them to come in. Don't get me wrong, most of the docs I work with are great. But some aren't. Yes, I want you on the way to the hospital when you have a multip present at 8-9 cm and wants to deliver in the tub. And yes, I would like you to come see my preterm patient who has quite a bit blood running down both of her legs.

3. Scolding by physicians. Really? Do you have to yell at me if a patient comes in ready to rock and she vomits and her baby delivers before you got there? I didn't do it on purpose. And on the flip side, please don't yell at me if you have to wait 15-20 minutes until the patient delivers. Or getting my arse chewed because I've called too many times...not for ignorant reasons, but because patients come in. I HAVE to call and tell you that you have a patient that is here and in labor. It's not an option to have one of your children tell me that you are occupied and without a phone (you are on-call for several other physicians) and unless it's an emergency, that you will call back in an hour (because you are taking a nap).

4. Lack of sleep. I'm so tired of being tired. Night shift is wearing me down right now. My body wants to go to sleep every night and not have to switch from sleeping during the day on some days and at night.

5. Unpleasant coworkers. Yes, I know they are everywhere, but the morale is so bad right now. I had someone flip out because another nurse got pulled from post-partum to labor and a stool softener got missed in the process. Really? It's a stool softener, not a big deal if it's an hour late.

I know that all comes with the territory, but sometimes, it just gets you down. I will say that it helped immensely to have an awesome delivery last night. She had a pretty horrible birth experience with her first, but after she was holding her new baby, she kept saying how thankful she was that her labor with this baby was so much better of an experience. So that's why I keep going back...for those patients who need someone to advocate for them, someone to help them have the birth and healthy baby that they want, someone to argue with their doc to come in to see them, someone to work in the middle of the night, someone to do what's right for the patient so they can have a healthy baby. I'll get out of this funk here soon.

Summer

We are in to the full swing of summer, and let me tell you, it is crazy up in here! Not only are we busy here at home with baseball games, bible school and just the daily stuff, but it has been crazy at work, too! Last weekend was one of the busiest nights I've ever worked. Maybe not the busiest, but pretty dog-gone close. It was one of those nights where it started off quiet...then all chaos broke loose when multiple patients came up at a time...and all of them were active labor. It was just nuts! And of course, we work short-staffed on weekends and nights because, well, don't you know that everyone sleeps at night? And just try calling people in on a weekend night too, see how many people will answer their phones, let alone come in. I actually ended up working a double shift Sunday night into Monday. It was the first time I've worked that many hours and when I got into the van to drive home from work, I didn't feel too bad. I called my SIL to talk to someone to help keep me awake, just in case, but about a mile or two from home, she had to let me go. Then out of no where I was in my driveway. I have absolutely no memory of how I got home. I've spaced out driving before, when I'm going somewhere I go to on a regular basis, like work, but this was different. This wasn't just a spaced out. This is memory gone, like I was almost asleep, under anesthesia or just teleported from one spot to the other. It really freaked me out and still does. Thank goodness I got home ok.

Around here, it's just been the usual summer stuff, except this year we have 2 kids playing baseball, so twice as many games, twice as many assigned concession stand dates. This past Saturday, Clara had a game at noon and I had to work concession. Fine, except Husband was working. Thankfully, Clara's game was at a park just outside of town and I was able to watch Jacob and Isaiah play on the equipment while I worked. Caleb had a good time in one of my wraps up on my back. It was funny watching people's reactions when they realized he was there. For awhile, he was banging his toy keyring on my back making noise. He did fall asleep eventually. At 4:00, Jacob had a game so I carted all 4 kids out again. Clara and Isaiah ran around, played with some other kids and at one point, Caleb was being squirmy, trying to climb all over me. This one mom was there watching her nephew and she had one kid who looked to be about 3 years old. He was being a typical defiant 3 year old, and she was trying to get him to behave. I really wasn't paying much attention, because 3 year olds act up from time to time, but when she finally sent him to sit with his uncle, she looked at me with Caleb and said "See what you have to look forward to?". I just smiled. At 6:00pm, I usually head to work, but Husband had just gotten to the field to relieve me so I could run home, grab my lunch and breastpump and head out the door, barely making it on time. I know, I know, when all 4 are older and in stuff it will be even busier. I will say we are getting better at time management and figuring out how to get this kid here when the other one has to be somewhere else. We're learning, slowly, but we're learning!

Out of the mouths of babes

I was talking with the kids about school, etc. and they asked me if I went to the grade school they go to. I said "No, I went to Hometown Elementary, in the town Grandma and Grandpa live". They then asked me if I had music class like they do, and I said "yes, I had music class and even sang in the chorus in H.S.". To which they replied "Wow, Mommy, how can you remember something that happened soooo long ago?!?!?

Husband overheard it and started cackling in the background, until I reminded him that he is the same age.

Baby Wearing

When I was pregnant with Caleb, I knew I was going to have to do something to help keep my hands free so I could chase after the other kids. I had been interested in baby slings/carriers/wraps when I was pregnant with Isaiah, but they scared me. Plus they aren't exactly cheap and I was afraid to spend the money and either hate it or not be able to figure it out. So it wasn't until a coworker gave me her Moby wrap that I tried them out. I loved the Moby! It was a little overwhelming at first when I unfolded the thing and the fabric just kept coming. I'm not exactly sure what I thought it was going to be, but it surprised me. I used it on a pretty regular basis and a month or so ago, I decided I needed something that wasn't so stretchy and had a bit more support. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I hadn't ever tried out any other carriers. I found that a lady in town sells baby carriers that I decided to try them out. She holds these babywearing demos and has people try out all the different types of carriers to see what you are the most comfortable with, and which works with your baby. I ended up with a long fabric wrap, a bali breeze. That's the pattern I got, too. It's very pretty I think. It's a big long piece of fabric, like the Moby, but there's no stretch. You can do all sorts of carries with it - it even comes with a cd to show you the different types and how to do it. I even got Isaiah up in it comfortably! I'm still learning but I love it! I actually figured out how to carry him on my back and he just loves it. I have to have Husband "spot" me to make sure I have the fabric stretched out nicely and that it's up high enough, but I'm getting better at it on my own. Tonight I got him in it on my back and he fell asleep. I know these things have been out there for a very long time, but I wish I would have discovered them when Jacob was little. I get all sorts of looks from people in town when I "wear" Caleb, because you really don't see too many people out with their baby in a wrap, especially on their back. Most people have their baby in a stroller, like what I always did, but it's really hard to push a stroller in the grass. Well, it's just easier to carry him then to push the stroller, I guess. I told Husband that with the way people look at me, like I'm some big hippie or very, very pale tribal woman, I think I might get me some birkenstocks, a long tied dyed dress and grow my hair out long and then go wearing Caleb around. Hey, I have to entertain myself somehow!

On the road towards that half marathon

I signed up for a half-marathon about a month or so ago, to be run in August. Now, when I signed up, I was (and I'm still not) any where near half-marathon ready. Not even 5K race ready. But it's been a goal of mine for a long time and I figured I better get on with actually doing it instead of just talking about it like I have been doing for years. I have been getting out to run when I can, but with just life in general, it's pretty tough some times to make the time...and to not make excuses as to why I can't get out and run. This past weekend, the town I live in had a 5K for the town festival. A couple friends of mine were planning on running and I agreed that if it wasn't raining, I would run. Even though I didn't think I was ready. I'll admit, I really, really hoped it would rain. And yes, I realized that not wanting to get out and run doesn't seem like the attitude a woman wanting to run 13 miles in August should have. But I just don't want to make an idiot of myself. Anyway, I wake up and the sun is shining. Rats. Have to run. Plus my mom was coming up to watch the kids so I could run, and since she has to drive an hour, I figured I better make it worth her trip. So I got dressed, my mom came and I took myself down to sign up. And I ran it. And most importantly, I finished it!! Not a great time, 31:55, but considering I wasn't quite ready to run 5K, I'm very happy with my time. Plus I finished and have gotten that addiction to road races back....which means I'm now actually excited (and a bit nervous still) about the half-marathon. The adrenaline that kicks in and the feel of competition really works wonders for my persistence to keep running when I want to stop. And as for my time, a cousin of mine who runs marathons and helps people train said that my 5K times would slow down when I started training for a half because the pace is different. So I feel good. I ran that first race post-baby #4. My plan is to run a 5K in June, this 5 mile race on July 4th, even though I work a 12 hour shift the night before, and a 10K the weekend before the half. My official training starts Monday. On the schedule, the weekend before the half I'm supposed to run 6 miles so a 10K is perfect. I'll maybe fit in a 5K race sometime in June, but I'm even more motivated now. It's time to hit the road!

Just Made Me Smile

On a fairly regular basis in L&D, we get patients that hit the door in the transition phase of labor, ready to birth their baby. No time to do much, other than get her pants off, make sure the baby isn't hanging out and get the doctor/midwife there for delivery if possible. Sometimes, labor just moves so quickly at that point, and there's no way for the doctor to get to the hospital in time and it ends up being an RN attended delivery. This was the case with this one momma, 3rd baby, who hit the door sitting in that tell-all position in the wheelchair: sitting off to the side, gripping the siderail as her body pushed her baby toward the outside world. We managed to help her get her pants off, got her onto the bed and I was able to get a pair of gloves on right before as she pushed her baby into the world. It was that fast! Mom was glowing and very proud that she had given birth the way she had always wanted to: no IV access, no monitors, no pain meds, just good old fashioned, medication free labor and delivery. The best part for her? Her first two children were born by c-section. The first was for failure to progress after an elective induction, the other was a scheduled repeat c-section. Made us all smile.