ER nurse entering uncharted waters tomorrow....I'm being induced!

mindlor · Sep 7, 2009

He hehehe

Congrats on the baby first of all!!!

Secondly, no delivery ever goes per the text book or according to plan...

Just try to relax and things will go down exactly as they will

OB nurses and Docs have seen and heard it all and are impervious!!! Impervious I say!! hehehehe

ND76 · Sep 7, 2009

Thanks!

I figured as much... I mean, good lord, I work in an ER and GOD knows that things NEVER, EVER go according to a plan there! I understand that, but I'm worried about my nervous Nellie mother-in-law and my needle/blood phobic husband more than anything.

I will probably rely on you OB nurses to run interference for me when my family gets on my nerves!!! :)

rn/writer, RN · Sep 7, 2009

As a postpartum nurse who has taken care of many nurses, docs, and other healthcare folks, I talk with them when we first meet and say, "I want to treat you as a patient first, then as a medical person. I will gladly supply any information you would like--labs, bilimeter readings, vital signs--but I would like to give you the opportunity to relax and be the recipient of our care." Most of them are quite happy to "be a patient" and let the medical personna take a back seat. This is especially true as 95% of them work in another specialty area.

Medical people get the terminology and pick up on concepts quickly, so I use a little more technical jargon than I would with a non-medical person, BUT I do offer the layman's version to family members who are not medical.

This is what I ask for when I am a patient--

Please answer my questions and give me the information I need to let go and have confidence that my needs are being met.

Go ahead and use the technical terms, but understand that I might still need an explanation of procedures or test results or anything else that I don't deal with on a regular basis.

Don't assume that because I'm a nurse that I'll do some of my own care or that you don't need to go over the plan. The same rule applies if one of my family members is a patient. I'm not there as a nurse, but rather as a wife or a mother or a daughter. I may jump into nurse mode if circumstances warrant, but I'll try to keep that brief and non-confrontational.

I'll try to be sensitive to your workload, but don't lay a guilt trip on me if I'm crabby or apprehensive or in pain. I may be a nurse, but I'm still human.

Please, don't take my questions as a challenge. I promise I'll try not to present them that way. I need a certain amount of information to reassure myself that, yes, things are okay, and I can turn my attention back to getting better or being with my loved one.

Let me thank you, profusely, for doing what you do, day in and day out. It's a tough job at times, and most nurses want to do their best. I know it means the world to me when someone actually recognizes that.

I hope your induction goes well and you have a happy, healthy baby. And a quick recovery afterward. :up:

Tina1968 · Sep 7, 2009

My only advice is to try to relax, let the nurses take care of you, they're wonderful, and try to enjoy the experience as much as possible because it is the most surreal, most incredible, most wonderful experience you will ever have!! God bless and good luck!!

rickelli · Sep 7, 2009

After having four babies and never being induced I was finally able to experience it with my last delivery and really it wasn't bad. I don't know how it would be for a first timer, could be more intense. You should let your nurses know when the mother in law is on your nerves maybe have some sign LOL. Having some time to rest before the big event is a big deal. You don't want to just be hanging out the whole time especially if the labor is taking some time. Make sure everyone knows that you need your sleep so your not to tired to push. It will be exciting. Good Luck!---Kelli

Lylesmom · Sep 7, 2009

the pictocin can make the contractions more intense, so if offered take the stadol, it will help relax you...and dont forget to breathe!

BrokePHIBroke · Sep 7, 2009

Remember that getting an epidural does not make you weak or afraid, we don't ever judge if someone gets an epidural. I'm sure your OB nurses will keep you well informed in what is going on, just try not to read TOO MUCH into what is going on and just try to relax and enjoy your baby's birthday. OB has so many variables and different outcomes, each birthing journey is unique! Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Congratulations :)

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Sep 8, 2009

EPIDURAL = :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up:

Jo Mom to 2 (now tween and a teen)...

CRNA2007 · Sep 8, 2009

Just remember you are a patient that happens to be a nurse not both a nurse and patient. Let the OB nurses do their job as you would expect of them if they came to your ER.

Hello, all! I've been an ER nurse for 10 years, and while I've never delivered a baby, I've 'caught' a few over the years.
But other than a brief rotation during nursing school, I have never set foot in an OB unit, and tomorrow I am being induced, first baby.
Any advice, helpful hints, how to get my family NOT to tick off the nice nurses? Things I should expect? I hate being a nurse AND a patient at times, because often medical staff thinks that just because I work there, I should know what's going on...and trust me, I'm as lost as a goose!
Thanks in advance!

chickapea · Sep 8, 2009

Congratulations on your first baby!:redpinkhe I was induced with my first which I was nervous about since I had heard so many stories, but it really was not that bad. I was "favorable" and did not ask for my epidural until 7 hours into it. I thought the whole process was calm and controlled unlike my second labor that hit me naturally :chuckle. Just relax and enjoy the whole experience... it's truly one of the most amazing days of your life!!

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Sep 8, 2009

Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility.

And ask for explanation if there are terms/phrases in OB lingo that you don't understand ('cause trust me, this OB nurse would be LOST in an ER with all the slang y'all use :)).

You will do fine. Most important is that you and baby are healthy. Blessings!