More adventures from a new L&D nurse.....(aka doctor free deliveries!)

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Specializes in LDRP.

Our first delivery of the day was quite the bloody forceps delivery. AFter baby was out, a huge gush of blood came shooting out onto the doctor. (3rd degree tear) Then, we sat her up in bed a bit later and she passed out.

next was a lady who had previously had a 4 hour labor and 5 mins of pushing to have a over 9 pound baby. This time was full term, had been in labor for 10, 11 hours or so. ruptured membranes, epidural, ctx slowed down. last check was 8cm. my preceptor was at lunch, i was doing my q15 min charting in her room and decide to in and out cath her, as its been quite a while and she'd had 2 bags of LR go in. Due to mucus and bloody show, and her being an obese woman, i couldn't even visualize her urethra, and didn't get the cath in. felt like i was hitting baby head. So i got the other cath kit in the room and used that-same thing. No urine.

My preceptor comes back in, and we chart some, etc etc and i suggest that maybe she cath her, b/c i know she's gotta be full of urine. My preceptor got it, was getting out urine when the pt goes "i think i feel something coming out" and there was an entire baby head. we pushed the call button to yell for the doctors to come in, but too late, b/c the entire 8 pound, 8 ounce baby just slid out onto the bed. She never even pushed. Baby was fine. Makes me very, very glad that I wasn't succesful in getting the cath the hour before, b/c if i'd delivered that baby (not that there was much delivering to it) i might have ran for the hills and never came back.

busy busy!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

such is the life of an OB nurse. Sounds pretty routine to me! Welcome to our world and best wishes!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LDRP.

Nothing is routine to me yet.

I feel like a lost puppy a great deal of the time. I really like it, but some times i want to cry because i feel so lost and so out of it. Like I will never get the swing of things and be comfortable with this.

Though, I must say (sweeping generalization on the way)

OB docs are 100 times nicer than the cardiologists and cardiac surgeons i used to work with. That really helps.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I appreciate hearing about your days as a new L&D nurse. I'm hoping to follow soon and I'm learning vicariously through your experience.

That would have freaked me out, too! Going for urine, coming up with baby! Neat...but a tad overwhelming.

Hang in there! I'm sure you feel overwhelmed, but the days will pass quickly and you're learning a lot every day!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

It will become routine soon enough, given time. And some OBs can big HUGE jerks, IMO. Others are amazingly nice.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OB.

Yes that is pretty common - you get rid of that big balloon of a bladder that's holding baby back and it just comes sliding down! Don't worry about feeling overwhelmed now - that's normal too! Give yourself a year and you'll suddenly realize it has all "clicked". (Then something totally weird will come along that even throws us oldtimers!)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in postpartum, nursery, high risk L&D.
Nothing is routine to me yet.

I feel like a lost puppy a great deal of the time. I really like it, but some times i want to cry because i feel so lost and so out of it. Like I will never get the swing of things and be comfortable with this.

Though, I must say (sweeping generalization on the way)

OB docs are 100 times nicer than the cardiologists and cardiac surgeons i used to work with. That really helps.

I've been doing L&D for a little over a year and I'm just within the past few months feeling pretty comfortable with it. A couple weeks ago, though, I had a multip without an epidural who went from 4 to complete in 20 minutes. the nurses who were there swear up and down I was the perfect vision of calmness and serenity, but inside my head, as I was sitting at the foot of the bed with my hands at this lady's perineum encouraging her to pant thru contractions, I was all :eek: "HOLY CRAP THIS BABY IS GOING TO COME OUT ANY SECOND!!" Later, when I shared my internal monologue with my co-workers, they were laughing so hard I thought they were going to pee their pants. that was my first precip.

it all just takes time I guess! good luck!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Forceps? Wow, I've never seen a forceps delivery (fortunately) . . .

I know we have forceps in a cupboard somewhere, gathering dust.

steph

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Forceps used rarely where I work and only by ONE very practiced OB. He is good, and I have seen little to zero trauma to mom or baby when he has used them. But they belong in the hands of only very well-versed practioners only!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment