AlaskaKat

First of all - congratulations! One thing that pops into my head is that if you went to 41 weks last time the odds of going into spontaneous labor at 36 weeks this time is fairly low. So I wouldn't think your OB doc would be faced with that decision, though knowing what might happen if you did would be a good thing. I'm assuming your OB must feel like this is a fairly large baby as well or he wouldn't be suggesting a C-Section. I guess if I were you I would ask him if he felt like an induction at about 38 weeks would be a good idea. Odds of baby problems due to prematurity are largely gone by then, and your baby would (hopefully) be somewhat smaller than 9 lbs by then as well. I'm sure you'll make the right decision for you and your baby! Considering your history, I don't think an elective section in your case would be a bad thing!

AWHONN says it doesn't matter which side - just not on the back.

When I went back to work with my last one she also refused a bottle. It took many long days for my husband to finally convice her. He would bring her to me to nurse when she would refuse (and also just so I could see her). What finally worked was after she was exhausted from crying so much and just about asleep her would lay her down and lay down with her and give her the bottle with his head turned away. Poor guy, he felt so bad, but it worked. Good luck...It is SO HARD! Katrina

I've been looking at this school for a long time and it does seem solid. They DO require at least a year nursing experience for admission, which I think is a good thing. CNMs are nurses, they should not forget that background. They are not doctors and generally don't follow a medical model. I'm not saying that there are not midwives that induce like mad and monitor everyone, but I have to agree that there are a lot of us labor nurses out here that still remember how to birth without drugs and how to support people in their decisions. I think people going into birth without any trepidition are foolish. Things happen. You know it and I know it. A good midwife knows it and can still provide very good very low intervention care to her mamas.

Does anyone know how hard it is to get in? Someone told me there was a waiting list and that I should apply now if I want to go in the next few years even if I don't quite have all my ducks in a row yet. Any ideas?

Those first few moments after the baby is born, laying there on mom's belly, looking up at her mommy... Mom looking at her baby, it is love at first sight...Mom is crying, dad is in shock, they look at each other and kiss... It's not always like this, of course, but it often is and I just love it...makes me remember why I do this.

I live in a small town, we do about 20-30 births per month and are set up as LDRP. We went to computer charting last June for everything except ICU babies and bilibabies. We were all very apprehensive about it but truly it has gone very smoothly. I Really like it, especially for labor as it is faster for me to type than write. It isn't the best system in my opinion since you do have to click through a lot of screens, but once we got it figured out it's OK. We use Lastword. When we went to central monitoring about 5 years ago we thought it would take us away from the bedside but I don't think it's true, and now I can't imagine working without it truly.

Hi there! small hospital LDRP here, no we don't have seperate nursery nurses. We are staffed with 2-3 RNs and we all do it all from labor through discharge. As far as roomning in goes, we do most cares in the room but do take the baby to the nursery for bath, PKU, and hearing screen.

We give it to most babies along with the vitamin K shot after delivery. Mom has to consent to it, but most of them do. I was told the rationale is because that's what the CDC recommends because some kids may not come back for their immunizations at well child checks. However lately I've been wondering about the whole pediarix thing. It does contain hep B, and it is a 3 shot series. Therefore the babies that get hep B at birth are actually getting 4 shots of hep B. It's OK, doesn't hurt them and the CDC still recommends the birth dose. (It is not correct that only babies that didn't get the birth dose can receive pediarix, at least not per the manufacturer or the CDC). But it is an extra shot! Now, for a high risk population that is one thing, but to blanket give an extra shot of vaccine to all babies has me wondering a bit.

How can you not have straight pit on the floor? Don't you ever give it IM?

Sounds to me like your problem has more to do with inadequate staffing than with the lack of central monitors. I also work in a small hospitals, about 20 births a month and we just got central monitoring about 4 years ago. I do love it and can't really remember how we got by without it, but we did... BUT, pit inductions without central monitoring should be 1:1. You just have to be able to watch that strip. However, low risk stuff that can be done with intermittent monitoring does not require that. Also, there is no reason that all pts with ruptured membranes need to be monitored contiuously. That's just crazy... Do I understand you correctly that you don't have another RN there with you when you have somebody in labor? You are staffed with just 1 RN and an LPN for backup? This is the part that worries me most! Even if you had central monitoring, who is going to see the strip and come help??? We staff with just 1 on if there's nobody in labor, say just 1 mom/baby but if there is anything at all going on we always have 2 RNs that can do labor! Sounds like you need to work on your staffing... and that your NM doesn't really get it...

It took me over 2 years to get pregnant with my first and I can't recommend this book highly enough...it taught me a lot about getting pregnant that I didn't know, and I'm an OB nurse! Read this book, talk to your doctor, good luck!

Totally ridiculous! You are on your own time, they can't tell you what to wear on your way to work!

Depends on the State...

What is the reason that your doctor wants to induce you? Is there a medical reason or is it just because you're contracting. Many women have lots of contractions before labor starts and, while it can be annoying, it is very common. Do they hurt? Can you sleep through them? As far as things to try to get things going, I often advise the "three hots": Hot pizza, hot shower, hot sex, repeat as necessary. Unless there is a medical reason you shouldn't be doing this, you could give it a try! As far as the induction, ask you doctor why he thinks this is advisable. If it is not medically indicated and you don't want to do it then don't! However, having said that, if there is a medical reason then you should follow your doctor's advice and take the pitocin. I've had it, it's not so bad...