Hello I am a 3rd shifter. We have the crazy nights and the nights that make me love 3rd shift. In my unit we either work L&D and postpartum, or Peds/Nursery and Postpartum. I am a L&D nurse.
10:45-11:45 or possible 12 or later. Depending on how busy we are. We get report on all the postpartum patients and babies. Everyone gets report incase it gets busy and Labor nurses have to go to labor. We can just give updates to who is taking over.
The next 1 to 1 1/2 hours (depends) we spend doing mom assessments. I check the need for meds, answer any questions. offer advise. I really thought that nights would be slow, but so many patients don't sleep (with new babies) that nights are quiet (no company). That many people feel they can ask questions that they didn't feel comfortable asking with everyone around.
I try to chart moms assessments once I am done. I also gather up the babes and get them to the nursery for their assessments.
Hopefully we have a tech on that has started vitals, but lately that hasn't been the case. We also do weights at nights. We do assessments, weigh, vitals. We also do bilichecks at night. We then do the needed bloodwork if necessary. Serum bilis, PkU, Dextrose. Then I try to chart on the babes.
We really encourage our moms to enjoy the chance to sleep and most babies are kept in the nursery. We then spend the rest of the night taking babies out to feed (or feeding babies that are to be fed in) answering call lights, checking on post-op patients. Lot of time I have a baby in my arms while I chart. A feed in or a cranky one that wants to feed constantly just trying to hold it so mom can get some extra sleep. This is also the time that we can laugh and joke with other nurses. I want days but I will miss these times alot if I go to days.
All of our 1st day moms usually have blood work so usually sometime after 3 we do blood draws. Any day one sections I also try to get them up and have them walk to the bthrm. We use duramorphs so all the moms on that have to have resp. checks Q hour that needs to be charted.
WE also need to check all the charts with the computer to see if our meds are correct.
Need to have all I&O's in by 5 so it will print off for baby's Dr. At times Docs come in early and we assist with circs.
Since I am in L&D many times I get called to help if I didn't start back in labor. I could go and admit a patient or help while a delivery is going on an then I go back to floor.
We then give report to the charge nurse and watch the floor so she can give the hour of more report.
That about sums up a night in postpartum for me.
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