Delivery by RN

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While pushing with a patient, with the doctor on her way to do the delivery, the baby came quicker than I thought it would. It happens. The anethesiologest got the table for me, called for help and ran. The head delivered quickly, the sholders were troublesom. I looked up to see if help had arrived. This charge nurse, who is by nature nasty, was standing at the foot of the bed with her arms folded and a nasty look on her face. I had to ask the patients sister to put the head of the bed down for me. Once the baby was delivered I had to direct the charge nurse to get a warm towel. I felt so unsupported. I did not feel that this other nurse was stunned by the situation. I felt she was just being nasty at the wrong time. I also question her professionalism, and patient safety.

What do you all think about this?

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I think it is time for a SERIOUS talk w/your charge nurse with possibly your NM in attendance? What you described to me sounds like a lucky break--- if there was a true dystocia, would that charge RN have helped? That is quite scary to comtemplate. Please don't let this go; she was no help/use to you. what happens when a true emergency arises? I am glad I can count on MY charge nurses to jump in and help, if not take over. In OB as everywhere in nursing, teamwork is essential, not optional! Good luck!

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Specializes in MS Home Health.

If I was pushing a baby out I would appreciate help not someone standing at the end of the bed in a defensive body posture looking all evil like................if your not here to help leave. If your here to help come on in.........

renerian

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Aaaah..I totally have this picture of the charge in my mind...so scary....just standing there glaring at everyone. :devil: :nurse:

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what a negative experience that charge nurse could possibly have made it for the patient, at a highly emotional time for her.....

unfortunately there are a few egos out there.......this charge nurse was obviously more concerned with 'how things should look/be' than the patient! :nono:

bew :)

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Thanks for your in-put. I've worked L&D for 7 years, and anytime a nurse had to do a delivery there was help. All this nurse had to say was - I here-how can I help, or she could have put the head of the bed down. I would have done it for a fellow nurse. We have part-time nurses that refuse to schedule themselves to work the day's she works. I only work 9 days per month, but if she is there I know my day is not going to be a good one.

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sorry you have to work with a charge like that. mine is very supportive its a good thing being i have delivered more babies there than the rest of the nurses put together. if we get a precip or one that delivers before doc gets there I get it:)

but she was completely unprofessional should never act that way especially in front of the patient

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Whenever I or one of my coworkers has an unattended delivery, we jump in hands first and help. She sounds like a power-tripping b*tch. Have the talk with your nurse manager. She needs the smackdown.

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Specializes in OB, Post Partum, Home Health.

She was probably just jealous that you got to deliver the baby and not her!!! (lol) Sounds like you did a great job, pat yourself on the back for a job well done, then go to your NM and discuss the situation with her. A charge nurse should always be there to help, not to stand around looking at you like you have done something wrong! Babies just come out and sometimes there is nothing you can do about it!!!

Even if she did think that you had waited too long to call the MD, or whatever, she should never have conveyed this to the pt. She should have been supportive of you and helpful to you. If she truly had a problem with what you did, she should have confronted you about it later, alone!

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Well, I spoke with the nurse manager and I feel like I'm not going to get any support. This is a patient safety issue, and she either supports me, or I move up the chain of command. I'm not going to tell her my plan. My concern is staying on in this job, if I quit I may not get a good reference, the reference I deserve.

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You go girl! Don't back down on your good standards. She was wrong, and she should have put her feelings aside to help, no matter what she really felt about the situation. How many times have we all had to put our personal feelings aside in order to deal with a patient need? It's part of the deal. Good luck. It's tough to pursue something where you don't have any support from your superiors, but it can be done. Keep us posted on the results!:)

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What a jerk! I cannot imagine any of the nrses I work with doing that, never mind my charge nurse! I am very lucky to have a phenomenal crew to work with! one of my coordinators had to deiver a baby night before last and there were three more of us in there in case she needed help. Luckily, most babies that we "catch" would easily deliver themselves. You got stuck with a tough delivery. We have house staff...we're a teaching hospital but even with that we ocaissionaly have to catch one. Go up your chain of command and let someone know. It's very dangerous to have such an unsupportive charge nurse. WATCH YOUR BACK!:cool:

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