Please help me with my new Customer-er...I mean Pt

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Just got a G1P0 at 37wks, transfer from L&D. Advanced maternal age (she's pushing 50), but no other health or pregnancy issues. She was cervidil'ed yesterday, no progress (shocker at 37wks, huh?), so she's hanging out here for "therapeutic rest", re-evaluate tomorrow.

I knew she was gonna be fun the second she came here...complained that at 0100, the "best" we could get her to eat is turkey with lettuce and tomato on a roll, a banana, juice, milk, crackers and yogurt (I think that's pretty good, no?) requested a private room--sorry, no, we're almost full. Put her in a double room but no roomate right now, so she's by herself.

"This toilet bowl is filthy!"

"No, Ms. G, that's a chip in the plastic, but I'll wipe it down for you if you'd like" and so I wipe it down....

"It's still there! This is really disgusting! Maybe we can page a maid?? Or can't I just have another room. Can't you move someone from the private room into this one?"

:uhoh3:

I ask her if they taught her how to measure her urine. "No, I'm just going to leave it in the white thing [hat]. You measure it. That's what they did down there [L&D]"

I explained to her very nicely that they only have one patient at a time on L&D while I have 5 right now, and showed her how to do it. 10 min later she buzzed me to empty her hat.

:angryfire

Then her mother who was with her asks "So, sweety, tell the nurse when you want your cervidil so she can make sure you get it" I kinda interrupted and explained that there were limits (recent PO intake) and schedules, etc.

Mom chimes in "Well, she wants it at 6am. Don't you dear? Nurse, can you write that down-SIX AM"

Pt-"Yes, 6am. And please...be a good nurse and make sure the doctors are here at 6am, not 6:15 or 6:30...I want to get this over with. And I need sleep-don't wake me up until the doctor is here with the medicine in his hand."

Lady--if you think you're tired now, wait till you have a baby screaming every 2 hours and no permanent support (single mother by choice).

'Twill be a long night, it will.

Grrrr

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I guess we all get deal w/a few "gems", aka, high maintenance pts/parents! I've told this story before about a 15 y/o mom who, when I suggested she change her babies diaper, informed me that that was MY job! Her mother's jaw nearly hit the floor! I [calmly] replied that I knew how to do it, I wanted to see if she did!

What I'm surprised about is that she's wanting to be induced--why not just demand a c-section? Clearly, she's "too posh to push"!! Of course, then you'd get to deal w/her p/op. Which you might have to do anyhow.

My deepest sympathies!!!

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Specializes in ER.
Ok, let me get this straight: a woman with supposedly normal taste buds is requesting liver on every meal tray? AND is angry when it's not automatically there for some bizarre reason? And this "instructor of nursing" believes that she "needs" to eat LIVER?? ROFL....

Did anyone suggest she would get more benefit from eating the placenta? It would be more "natural."

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Did anyone suggest she would get more benefit from eating the placenta? It would be more "natural."

Oh no! You did not go there!! :roll

And yeah! I can't wait to hear from her PP nurses!

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has social services been alerted?

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thank you, thank you ruby for this post.

i really try to let things roll off my back, but i must say that some of these posts have disturbed me a little bit. i know that you all are venting, and that's just fine. but blanket statements are being made about a whole segment of people who are choosing to give birth later in life.

this concerns me because i will be giving birth this november to my first child. i will be 40 at the time of delivery. i won't go into all the details why we waited to have a family. one of which is because i wanted a wonderful man to spend my life with, so i got married a little later. we wanted to be financially secure so we waited a year or so to get our finances in order. then we really examined our lives to see if we really wanted a baby. this decision was not made overnight, and i don't believe that we are anywhere near the realm of being "irresponsible" and/or "selfish."

although not required at the hospital where we will give birth, i'm planning on rooming in with our little baby so that i can relieve a busy staff member from having to bring my baby to me. my husband will be with me so he, too, can learn infant care. although i've been a birth doula for 9 years, i know that there's something that i can learn from the postpartum nurses. my ears are going to be primed and ready to receive any information they can give me about my new baby.

i really hate to say this, but i'm concerned that the staff might be putting me in a category in which i don't belong. just because i wanted for the right person for marriage, and we waited until we have finances up to date and examined our readiness for a child, i hope that does not put me into a category which doesn't fit our situation, just because i'm 40 and having my first baby.

sorry, this is longer than what i meant it to be. please understand, i don't want to be stepping on anyone's toes here. i just want to say that there are so many valid reasons why people wait until later, and it doesn't make them any less of a mom just because she doesn't fit the normal age range of a primip.

congratulations! :balloons:

you aren't selfish. or old.

steph

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Specializes in Case Management.
thank you, thank you ruby for this post.

i really try to let things roll off my back, but i must say that some of these posts have disturbed me a little bit. i know that you all are venting, and that's just fine. but blanket statements are being made about a whole segment of people who are choosing to give birth later in life.

this concerns me because i will be giving birth this november to my first child. i will be 40 at the time of delivery. i won't go into all the details why we waited to have a family. one of which is because i wanted a wonderful man to spend my life with, so i got married a little later. we wanted to be financially secure so we waited a year or so to get our finances in order. then we really examined our lives to see if we really wanted a baby. this decision was not made overnight, and i don't believe that we are anywhere near the realm of being "irresponsible" and/or "selfish."

although not required at the hospital where we will give birth, i'm planning on rooming in with our little baby so that i can relieve a busy staff member from having to bring my baby to me. my husband will be with me so he, too, can learn infant care. although i've been a birth doula for 9 years, i know that there's something that i can learn from the postpartum nurses. my ears are going to be primed and ready to receive any information they can give me about my new baby.

i really hate to say this, but i'm concerned that the staff might be putting me in a category in which i don't belong. just because i wanted for the right person for marriage, and we waited until we have finances up to date and examined our readiness for a child, i hope that does not put me into a category which doesn't fit our situation, just because i'm 40 and having my first baby.

sorry, this is longer than what i meant it to be. please understand, i don't want to be stepping on anyone's toes here. i just want to say that there are so many valid reasons why people wait until later, and it doesn't make them any less of a mom just because she doesn't fit the normal age range of a primip.

babyrn2b-

i had 4. my first i had at 24, my 4th i had at 45. my thoughts are that this entire thread should be about prima donna mommas at any age, and not pointing fingers at older or younger mom's. best wishes for a wonderful delivery experience and a healthy baby!

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BabyRN2B-

I had 4. my first I had at 24, my 4th I had at 45. My thoughts are that this entire thread should be about prima donna mommas at any age, and not pointing fingers at older or younger mom's. Best wishes for a wonderful delivery experience and a healthy baby!

We need to start a club . . . I had my first at 26 and my last at 44. Two in-between.;)

steph

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Specializes in Case Management.
We need to start a club . . . I had my first at 26 and my last at 44. Two in-between.;)

steph

For sure!!!!

How about the Extended Motherhood Club!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
For sure!!!!

How about the Extended Motherhood Club!

Extended motherhood. I like that SO much better than geriatric maternal age.

BTW, I'm being induced with #4 on Monday and I'm 40. If that makes me selfish for having another one now that I am financially stable, then selfish I am.

tvccrn

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Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes. :) I guess I misunderstood this thread a little bit. I feel a little bad that I had to wait this long to have kids, but I'm very grateful to be given the chance.

TVCCRN, hope everything goes well on Monday!

At least I haven't seen the term "Elderly Primipara" for this pregnancy. That was a rather antiquated term and I'm glad I haven't seen it yet.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
TVCCRN, hope everything goes well on Monday!

Thank you, I am both nervous and excited. It's been a little while. :lol2:

Good luck to you as well.

tvccrn

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Specializes in High Risk In Patient OB/GYN.

Wow-I didn't mean to spark such a debate. I mentioned her age really only to show that she had no "other" medical problems other than AMA--some consider that a complication, some don't. Otherwise, she was healthy.

And, no, "pushing 50" didn't mean anyone over 40. I wanted to vent without violating HIPAA, and so that's the wording I used.

Having said all that, I personally cannot imagine having a child at that age (1st, 2nd or 3rd...). I can't imagine being close to 70 when my child graduates high school--if I even live that long. Shoot, I'm in my 20s and run out of energy.

And she's a single mom! (I am too, and again, it's freaking hard work even in my 20s) My son's father is very involved and contributes financially, and still it's hard. She'll be on her own in that regard-it was a donor embryo and there's no man or woman in her life. Her mom, as I said, is quite old, and rather frail looking, and her one living sibling lives out of state.

She ended up getting her cervidil at 0655 and was NOT happy--demanding to see the ADN by 0610. :uhoh3: Then got annoyed that it wasn't the doctor she liked inserting it. I left at 0730 and haven't been back since. My money is on a section, though. (I'll let you know-I'm back tonight)

morte, no, no one contacted CPS because there was absolutely no reason to. It's a bit annoying to have this suggested (joking or not) when I see mothers who have been arrested for selling their 12 year old daughters body for one hit of crack, mothers who are homeless because they'd rather spend their money on heroine, mothers who come in at 36weeks so drunk they can hardly walk...mother's who's 1st kid lives with an aunt because she and her husband beat the mess out of him when he was 6mos old. CPS has a LOT more to worry about than an annoying mother. :madface:

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