Snugglibumkins

I work 7am-7pm, and it seems as though the popular thing to do is to take a "breakfast" break as soon as report is finished in the morning. We had an extremely busy morning today and the nurse I was working beside complained all morning that she hadn't gotten a breakfast break and so she had not had anything to eat since dinner last night. This is the only place I've worked where the floor is a ghost town as soon as report finishes. I'm just curious to know if this is common practice elsewhere? FWIW, I do think the 12 hour shifts make it hard to figure out when to eat and I tend to take a break after my morning assessments and meds are complete (around 10am ish) for a snack and then eat lunch around 1:30, then grab a quick yogurt around 5pm as I'm winding down my day.

How do you respond to people when they find out that you are not a traditional bed-side nurse? Recently I mentioned that I was looking at an MSN/MBA program and many people had the response of "why, you aren't even working as a nurse anymore?". *sigh* I'm in nursing management in an outpatient setting.

Thanks for the pharm book suggestion. I would be interested in jounals as well.

I'm applying to FNP programs, for hopeful acceptance in January 2010. In the meantime, I work in more of a Nurse Manager type role with a lot of administration stuff, not a lot of hands-on stuff. I've only been in my role a short time and really miss hands-on patient care. I advanced into this role, and administration isn't my calling. I've wanted to be an FNP since becoming a nurse over 12 years ago. :heartbeat My husband is in classes in the evening, and our kids are in bed so early. I'd love to do some reading/studying in advance. Mostly to keep my excitement level up, but also because I love to read and study. What can you recommend to a future FNP as some good pre-grad school reading material?

I agree, you have nothing to lose by going. Even if they are only asking for "experienced nurses", you might run into someone there that can help you figure out how to gain experience. I'd go with the intent to check out the facility and also to see if any educational opportunities there might help you to gain experience. Perhaps they have an ICU program or something that they would be willing to train you for. Good luck!!

I've been searching high and low for some actual numbers, myself. I live in Florida. Thanks for asking. okay, editing because I don't live in Florida, yet, but will be soon. I just didn't want to misrepresent myself.

I've been reading on this site for a while and have never started a topic before. However, I'm curious as to how everyone "turns it off" after work. My husband is always joking with me if we go out to dinner and he notices that the waiter has great veins, Hubby will laugh and say he knows I'm more likely to be assessing guys for IVs than looking at their butts. I'm a peds/post partum nurse. I went to a baby shower yesterday and the mom brought her 2 month old (born a month early and didn't make it to the first planned shower). I noticed that the mom fed the baby and then proceeded to pull a pillow off the guest bed and layed the baby on the pillow belly-down to go to sleep, and then walked back into the kitchen to enjoy the rest of the party. She saw me see her and she remarked that the baby will sleep the whole night through on her belly only. It wasn't so much the belly part, but the soft pillow part that I wasn't in agreement with. Then later, mom couldn't get the baby to stop crying, so mom was laughing it up and decided to toss the baby up in the air a few times - pretty high, very small baby, really made me nervous. All I could think about was all the shaken babies I've taken care off. There were a half a dozen other little things that really bothered me, like wanting to feed the baby a piece of cheesecake. I realize that each of us have different parenting skills. While I realize that I come across as the super-crunchy breastfeeding, homeschooling mom. This other family is also in their 30s and very, very well-educated. They asked to borrow a few books on parenting when they found out they were pregnant and I gave them everything from Dr. Sears to Dr. Ferber and everything in between. All I could do last night was laugh it off, as to not be the "know-it-all" (let me say that I was the only other person at the shower that actually has children). By laughing it off, I mean I just giggled and said, "oh, yeah, when our oldest had colic and screamed for 5 hours a night for his first two months, my wonderful hubby rented us the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD and it worked wonders, hand that little girl over here, let me see if I can remember any of it". So how can I positively influence her without becoming a pain. I really don't care if she isn't into breastfeeding, or whatever else. But I do think she needs a positive parenting role model, not friends that laugh it off as she puts her daughter on the ground and rolls her around with her feet. All that will come later, this is a 2 month old baby, just a little peanut. Just want to make it clear that I am not trying to judge this mom, just want to know how do I shut my brain off, or how do I gently try to encourage mom to treat her 2 month old like the fragile baby that she is. Of course, this is coming from a mom that dropped her 5 week old daughter on the floor in our master bathroom a couple of years ago, so I know kids are pretty resilient. Thanks.

I'm at a small hospital. Our babies are wiped on mom's belly, latched on to mom's breast immeadiately and then later (about 90 min or so later) the vit K, Hep B, and eye gtts are given and the vernix is rubbed into their skin (it's so good for them!!) Later that night, when things slow down after dinner time, Mom and Dad are shown how to give baby a bath and keep baby warm while doing it. Then the baby goes right back to mom's chest. We have a rate of 99% of our moms are breastfeeding at discharge. Last year (2007), we only had 2 moms decide to formula feed straight from birth, so our hospital policies reflect as much mom/baby time as possible, and as little nurse interference as possible.

In my oppinion, if this is a job you have the leadership skills for, go for it. I do agree that there is at times some communication issues between supervisors and floor nurses. However, as you already have floor nurse experience behind you, I think you will be fine. I think it's a great step into a leadership position. Let us know if you decide to take the job.

I would reassure the mother that breastfeeding is pretty difficult sometimes to get started. It maybe mom had a medicated delivery, or a prolonged pushing period that contributed to the baby not being quite interested right now. Checking your hospital policy is the first step. If there is a LC on staff, I'd recommend a consult. Since the doc ordered formula supplementation, I would continue to assist mom with latching the baby on, then using the formula supplementation, instruct on finger-feeding to feed the baby while strengthening the suck reflex. If the baby does not latch on before the finger feeding session, mom needs to use a hospital grade pump to stimulate her breasts to bring her milk supply in. Assure her that by pumping, she is not looking for volume (as she will only get a very, very small amount out), but looking to stimulate her pituitary gland - her powerhouse for milk making. Follow the rules of - 1. Feed the baby 2. get a milk supply going - and you will do fine. Lastly, be sure she knows of any and all support at time of discharge - our hospital has a 'warm line' to call and leave a message and a peer counselor will call back to talk the patient through lactation problems. Also be sure she knows of new-mom support groups, give her the meeting dates/times/locations. Sounds like she's going to need to be around some other breastfeeding mothers for good on-going support. My afterthought is when checking the hospital policies, see if there is any reason why mom can't keep baby on her chest. Easy access to the breasts will relax both parties involved. As well as the heat from mom and a hat on the baby will keep the baby warm and help to decrease changes in the metabolism which could lead to further rapid weight loss. It would be wise to refrain from any artificial nipples until the baby's latch is good and you have evidence of good milk transfer (poops changing to yellow by day 4, increase in weight)

I think you'd find a great market. I make most of my own scrub tops because I am short and thin, but was very large chested when I returned to work still breastfeeding, so if I wore a small top, I looked like a Hooters girl, and if I wore a medium top it looked like a nightgown. So I created my own top and it has worked well. I also get to use warmed materials or softer materials. Good luck!

Our WIC office does not have anyone currently working the lactation education part of the office, so I do volunteer work for the WIC office offering free lact. ed. I also helped them to form a breastfeeding and infant/toddler nutrition support group. The first Monday of every month is game day at the library as part of the support group - we promote breastfeeding to the community. I also help organize their pumping supplies and teach the moms how to use the pumps. I'm not crazy about the formula side of it and the politics behind it. I'm also not crazy about the fact that most of the food given away on the program are cheap food products - I can't get organic milk, free range eggs or quality cereal. But that's just my way crunchy granola feel for the program.

my husband is in the coast guard and that is what brought us here. what don't i like about living in remote alaska (and i am very remote) - when my father died (down in the lower 48), the weather was so bad, nothing flew in or out for a few days and i missed the funeral - when i was pregnant i really, really, really wanted some eggplant parmsigiana (sp?) and i went to both of the grocery stores here only to find narey an eggplant that day. however, i've seen plenty since - they are $7 a piece. - if the barge doesn't make it because of weather, etc - no milk, eggs, bananas or other fresh items. this happens quite frequently - i now keep a steady supply of shelf stable milk and i've learned to make my own breads (and wine!) - gas prices...i read about them going down in the lower 48, but not for us. the good news is that i only fill up once every 3 weeks - no traffic, the bad news is that it is almost $100 and i drive a dodge caravan. - medical care for anything serious can get expensive if you are not properly insured. fortunately, we are military and our insurance is great. my daughter needs to see the pediatric eye doc and he is unable to come to our town this year, so we have to fly to anchorage to go see him. that could be pricey if we did not have such a good insurance. - it's the end of september and my days of running my 3 miles to decompress at 8pm are now over - it is dark. soon it will be dark by 3pm and stay dark until 10am. - 90 mile an hour wind is not a hurricane, it's just a every couple of week happening, not many people in my area have lawn furniture. - the housing market has skyrocketed in the past couple of years. we would not be able to buy our house now if we wanted to. my next door neighbor just profited $100,000. on the price of their home, just by pricing it at what all the other houses are priced at, actually they went $20,000. lower! - lack of educational opportunities for me. the local community college has fun things like belly dancing, yoga, basket weaving, but nothing brick and mortar for me to sit in a class, so on-line classes it is, but even then finding the clinical experiences are tough. it's hard to interview two hospital ceos and compare them when i only have one. - the school system for my kids. the local school has the library sharing a room with the cafeteria. however, the homeschooling support is excellent. i never thought i would be a homeschooling mom. - we are so far away from everyone that by the time the family spends money and travels for 24 hours to get here, they stay for a really long time! - there is no anonymity. everyone knows your name. when my son is having a meltdown in the local grocery store, i know it is now circling town that i bought him off with cookie from the bakery just to make it through one more isle. - we have no local new station. - we get no grocery coupons and groceries are high. ************************************************* now to counter with what i love - - on any given day there is at least one other mother i know at any one of the public parks or walking trails. this comes in handy when i need to run evil kneivil to the er yet again. - i always know who the er doc is, so i don't feel bad when they know us by first name. - there isn't anyplace that i need to be that is more than 9 miles from my house. - i can sit on the beach and not see another person for miles. - our town has one stoplight and it just blinks at the 4 way stop. - i don't even own a set of keys to my house. we all just keep them unlocked. - my kids don't ask for fast food because we don't have it. - everyone knows everyone else, so when an emergency happens everyone pitches in. - the entire town goes to the airport whenever the men and women from the national guard arrive or leave. - i very rarely have to wear sun screen. - i've grown to love local festivals and local talent - artists, musicians, storytellers, etc. - i've seen a moose about 3 feet from my car, looking in the window at my daughter. i've seen a herd of buffalo crossing the road right in front of my car (literally, i had to put the truck in reverse we have it on video). i've had bears swimming the the pond behind our house. there is a bald eagle that has a nest in a tree in our yard. **************************************************** good luck in your adventure. i'd still do it all over again. we had our chance to leave a few years ago, and we asked to stay. now we are ready to leave since the kids are getting older and we miss grandparents.

I'm in Kodiak right now. And since we don't have any midwives and we average maybe one delivery every 2nd or 3rd day, I haven't been to aggressive in applying. But now that my husband's time is up here (he's in the Coast Guard), and we are moving permanently back to Florida, I am ready to jump in and get started!! Good luck....good to know I can survive at least the first half of the program! :)

I get up two hours before the kids and I study. I also study after the kids go to bed. We have a rule in our house that even my 5 year old understands (my kids are 5, 3 1/2, and 22 months) - after 8pm, I'm off duty. Which means at 8:05pm, I have my running shoes on and I'm out the door (if hubby is home to man the house while the kids are sleeping). When I get back from running, I study for at least 2 hours. Let me suggest you not study when the kids are up. I know this is hard. But you need to try to read for concept, study the charts, answer the review questions in the back of the chapter, see if you text has a website, use study tools, just plain reading takes up a lot of time and doesn't help anchor the content. I take one morning and one night off every week - so basically, I get 24 hours a week in for study time - without the kids bothering me. I use it wisely - except for now, I'm goofing off!!). Some quiet time activities we have: - blank sheets of paper with crayons keep their attention longer than coloring pages - my kids hate the TV, but will sit to watch a movie if I am in the same room, so I bring a book with me if I really, really need to catch up. - lace up cards are fun, I have the older help the younger - music for them to dance to - they love it! - I've been known to fill out the tub and let them play in the water until they got all shrively, and I've sat on the bathroom counter reading - again, hard to read for detail. Good luck. Being a mom is the most wonderful, but the most difficult job in the world!