First week as Senior Extern

Hello, I've been reading this forum for quite some time now and I've gotten some wonderful advice! I just wanted to talk about my first week as an extern on the LDRP unit.

First off...........WOW! It was sooooooo busy:bugeyes:, LOL, but I loved it! On my first day I supported a G1P0 through a lady partsl birth, my preceptor and the CNM were wonderful. They let me count during contractions and support her legs. Mom was just wonderful too, pushed that baby right out. I learned how to place the FHM and TOCO (sp), and about decels/excels etc.

Secondly........I've seen "The business of being born" and some of the things in the movie rang so true. I had no Idea that a CNM would birth a mom on an epidural, I've seen it first-hand now.

I also went to 3 c-sections and got to see how the role of the labor nurse changes in that situation. Also, did one shift on the PP side of the unit where the care is different, but just as heavy:bowingpur.

If there's one thing that I took away from my first week its that the floor changes, but the issues are the same (low staff, high census, never enough equiptment). Thank you for letting me babble!