KT-Jay731

We are trained to lift them off the forehead after each "beep" but I have never actually seen anyone do it that way unless the baby is squirmy.

I wish our meetings were scheduled for 0730 or 0800! When I'm expected to go back in to work at 1400 for a meeting, especially when I live an hour away, it really messes with my sleep. Day people aren't expected to go to a meeting at 0200, why is it ok to make us wake up in the middle of our "night" to get to a meeting that is made twice as long by people chatting, getting coffee for 30 minutes, and complaining about everything else? Ugh! K I'm done complaining now! I wish our floor had rotating meetings - do one at 0730 one month, 1530 another month so all of the evening people can go. Not fair to make them get up early for a meeting either when they don't need to be there for another 6 1/2 hours. Just my

This caught my attention too - we had a few moms last week with general anesthesia and they were breastfeeding once they were able. I asked about it (since I'm new ) and I was told it was fine. I guess I attributed it to the fact that they were only producing colostrum?

Just want to clarify my post: I made it sound as if we don't inform them. We do, I meant to write that I don't think they notice that it IS being turned town. I've never had a Mom say "Gee can you turn that back up?" And of course it is not turned off before each delivery; every case is different. :typing

We do turn down the epidural in our institution as a general guideline. Honestly I think most Moms don't realize it, either. If we've done it correctly, they are so focused on that baby being almost out that they don't realize their epidural has been touched.

Ok so we're roughly 3 weeks into our L&D orientation (we did mother/baby first) and I am HORRIBLE at exams. I can't tell what the heck I'm feeling for, I can't tell the difference between a cervix and any other tissues. My preceptor tells me "Don't come out until you have an answer," but I don't feel like doing a 5 minute exam on some poor woman in labor... Everyone just keeps telling me "When you feel it, you'll get it." Well, I'm getting frustrated and I'm not getting it. Anyone have any useful tips to help me out? Thanks in advance!

The day you stop crying is the day you should leave that position. We have a nurse who still gets teary at every birth, and she's been on our unit for almost 20 years. I hope I still love my position and patients that much when I've been doing it for that long.:)

I had the same problem. I went to Olympia Sports to buy a new pair of sneakers (clogs do NOT work for me, I tried them through school and for me they just didn't do it) and the kid actually didn't sell me an expensive pair of shoes, he sold me a really good insertfor $40. The brand name is Graphite, and it's much heavier-duty than your walmart/drug store insert. He said to stay away from gel inserts because after about 8 hours of wear, the gel shifts to the sides insead of in the middle where you need it. There were three different levels of this Graphite brand depending on your arch and some other foot characteristics. Best $40 I've spent, and I was so impressed that he didn't try to sell me a $150 pair of shoes. I've been wearing New Balance for the last few years just because of the shape of the shoe. I think the insert is the key though, that's what actually gives you the support. And oh yeah - you probably would figure this out but I didn't - take the original insert of your shoe out, don't put the new insert on top...doesn't fit! Duh!!! Good luck!

We actually just had a meeting on this yesterday at our facility: we attempt to keep the monitor on and write on the strip that a placement is being attempted to explain any funny-looking tracings. A little off topic, our institution also requires that Mom is on a dynamap and EKG during placement - very strict per the anesthesiology group, they want BP, pulse and any changes noted during the test dose. Not sure if this is standard everywhere else, this is the only hospital I've worked at. I believe that if a Mom indicates earlier in her pregnancy that she'd like an epidural she has an anesthesia consult at that time to sign a release, and if a Mom decides during her hospitalization that she'd like an epidural she signs a release at the time of placement.

The whole thing screams "patient safety" issue to me; do you have someone in your hospital that you can go to, a risk management officer, etc?? We have LDRPs so luckily we don't need to move Mom, so many of the things you've described don't apply to us. But we would DEFINITELY not lock the IV within an hour. And if Mom can't ambulate, how are you supposed to get her up to the shower?! And does your hospital really expect a PP Mom to remember the teaching that you've done in that hour after birth? She's running high on adrenaline or she's completely wiped, depending on her delivery. Highly unlikely she's going to remember the teaching you've done...

I asked a ped about pain control after the procedure when watching a circ last week (new RN, new to the floor). I knew from school that generally they get "sweetums" during the procedure but that's about it. The doc's reply? "They don't usually complain too much so we don't medicate." Um, yeah... Parents flip out when I give a Vitamin K shot and their baby cries but they have no issues when I wheel their baby out for a circ. I don't understand.

The only reason I wouldn't deliver where I work is because I delivered my first at another hospital and I have established care there. My new unit seems great so far, but I've only been there 3 weeks.

I am a new grad (and new RN as of yesterday!!!) and at our facility we do BPs on all newborns per our policy. Now my question: Is there a difference between belonging to your state division of AWHONN or the national organization? Thanks!

It is not ok for ANYONE to slap you!!! It doesn't matter what mood the doctor was in or what type of slap it was - let me ask you this: if he had slapped you somewhere other than your cheek, would you even be questioning taking some kind of action?? Good luck!

I second the massage suggestion - my sister delivered last year at a very nice, small local hospital. She got a great massage the day after delivery and they also got a free coupon for dinner for anyplace that would deliver to the hospital.