BETSRN

There is a huge differnce between a cardiac patient and a new nursing mother. Let's compare apples with apples. Encouraging a breastfeeding mother to sleep through and have the baby fed in the nursery is undermining that mother/baby couplet. As a nurse (but here as a lactation consultant) I have to say that you, as that L&D or PP nurse will not be the one trying to undo what has been done in the hospital when the mom is having difficulties that may never have needed to happen.

Why, we do that on occasion. If you have very involved parents, and a baby that is not critical, it's fine for the parents to watch, as long as the nurses are around if need be. In my opinion, the parents are far more likely to really watch (sometimes too closely) the numbers on the Sat monitor than nurses are. Sometimes, nurses tend to try and rxclude parents from the baby's care. Sometimes, we have to step back and rememebr that the baby belongs to the parents: not to us and they certainly have a right to be involved in the baby's care.

St. Joe's is a private 4 year college (BSN). It's a good school. Goodwin is new and still has to receive its accreditation. Naugatuck Valley is a cc and has an excellent reputation as far as their nursing program is concerned. Like others, it has a wait list and they will not accept you into the nursing portion until you have passed all their other requirements. One of our unit secretaries is a srudent in the program presently. Getting into the nursing program is very competative.

NO LPN's in my hospital at all. LPN's are not usually used in OB anyway.

The hormones women take during or before menopause are to help with the hot flashes, lady partsl dryness and other symptoms that older woman may experience as they age. They feel better when they take these and those symptoms I mentioned are decreased. Of course, hormones are controversial and must be taken with caution. This is totally different from what you are experiencing.

> I notice that you mention that your baby was returned to you two hours later (as above here). You also mention breastfeeding. I assume you were nursing and if that is the case it is perfectly natural for the baby to want to eat every two hours. Obviously, the baby wouod have come back out to you in a couple of hours. Would you not maybe get only 2 1/2 hours of sleep at home with your new infant? While I am all for new mothers getting rest, the hospital stay is also so that Mom learns to care for her new infant and respond to the baby's cues. That cannot happen if the baby is sitting in a nursery. We always respect a mother's wishes and help out as much as possible. We usually take babies under phototherapy to the nursery at night so that Mom can sleep and not have the bili lights bother her (not to mention we have to know that the baby's eye shield is on corectly). but during the waking hours, the baby stays with Mom as much as possible. We show her how to take baby in and out,etc., and are always available to help with questions or problems. However, when nurses take babies to nurseries under the guise of letting Mom rest, we are doing her no favors, whatsoever. When Mom goes home, the nurses are not going with her and the reality is that she will indeed, be on duty 24/7. The more familiar she is with her infant, the better. If she is breastfeeding, she will be feeding that baby every 1-3 hours anyway. The more that baby is withher in the hospital, the easier her adjustment will be at home. It sounds like your baby had a lot going on. I was mostly speaking for the feeding issue.

Don't buy expensive: no need. They may have them on the unit. We do.

At my hospital, GN's are not even allowed to practice as such. They remain aides until they pass the bards. I think the nurse manager is wrong to do that. I can see that she wants him to get confidence and experience, but I'm not sure that is good from a liability aspect.

We use gentamycin in infants as well as on moms in labor when necessary.

I delivered a baby just the other night. She was there about 5 minutes before the baby came. She stayed home with her doula and SO. It was such a great feeling. I love when that happens!

The only problem with that thinking is that in a hospital with a level 3 NICU, you (as the laboring woman) are probably far more likely to get unnecessary interventions that could cause your baby to need a NICU in the first place. Big, teaching hospitals (with interns and residents) are far more likely to overuse interventions in the first place.

There is no way you know that such a baby will not fit through your pelvis. I have seen very tiny women (under 5 feet) deliver 10 pounders without a tear.

With my second, I delivered in my hospital with a CNM: no meds, no IV's no nothing except routine intermittant monitoring. It was great. I probably could have done it at home, but being a L&D nurse and having seen how wrong things can go so fast, I would not risk a home birth, but am fine with it with a qualified care provider who has good OB back-up.

Of course she does, depending on the environemnt in which she works.

EXCELLENT job! You'll have made a difference for a lot of mothers and babes!

I think we have stayed on the topic, Siri. All the posts are related to her strep status and to her emotional health surrounding this subject. I believe it is a nurse's job to advocate for her clients. The poster came here asking for advice. I believe that that is what each of us have given her. How we express it is going to differ.

PLEASE stop doing the "what if????" thing. You are driving yourself crazy. If you go into labor this weekend, then you go into labor. You are making such a huge big deal out of a very minor thing. If your body is ready then that's the way it is. That's great! You're going to be a parent........Starting with your labor, you are going to have very little control over the next about 20+ years of your life. This is said to you in humor, but it is nonetheless, true. The baby is going to be in control and the baby is going to be controlling your labor as well. Hopefully, your doula has already been over this with you. Hopefully, your childbirth instructor has let you in on this as well. You are correct in saying that worrying will do you no good. That's right. I don't know what anyone else on here could tell you that might relieve your fears. Just try and let go and let your body do its thing. Your doula should be a tremendous help, if...................you let her help you and you let your body go. Your doula will know exactly what I mean.

Can I just add one word of advice? If you are this upset and suffer from PTSD, you might want to consider getting some therapy and help. Having a child is NOT a walk in the park. If you have some help, you may find those early months with a new baby a little easier. Also, you need to get past being "petrified of medical professionals". Your new baby is going to make at least 10 routine pediatrician visits in the first two years of life (not to mention any sick visits on top of that). The pediatrician is a medical professional. You're going to have to learn to develop some trust in people who are trained to assist you and care for your health. You are also going to have to learn to deal with people in a calm and efficient manner. All of us "medical professionals" have a pretty good sense of when a person can cope and when they cannot. We are all "mandated reporters." The more ill at ease you are, the more red flags you will be sending up to peolpe who are trained to help you. I do not mean this in anything but a kind way, but I would say the same to any of my patients in the hospital or those I visit in the home during my work with the VNA. Bottom line is the fastest way to have social servoces and child protective services on your back is to show the inability to cope (especially with infants and children). So, if you are feeling the need for social and especially emotional support, start accessing that care NOW. It's gerat that you have a doula all lined up! They are wonderful!! Just from reading your short post above, I would have to say that you have already raised a few red flags for me. Your GBS status is the least of your worries. Please go to childbirth classes (as well as breastfeeding class if that is your preferred method of infant feeding). Best of luck to you.

We,too, just use Clindamycin in PCN allergic people.

Being GBS positive is no big deal! There should be abolutely no need to do anything except have antibiotics when you are in active labor or whenever your water breaks. What "tests" are you talking about? There is no testing done with positive GBS? PLEASE stop worrying. It sounds as if your health care provider has you all in an uproar over nothing.

I agree. I think a lot more gets accomplished (and less time is wasted) if you just talk to the nurse taking your assignment. This taping report is a waste of time. No wonder the nurses before you are not getting finished.

Excellent post! Thanks for supporting my thoughts. All I want to know when I come on is what I need to do when.....If the nurse before me has been unable to do something or has forgotten something, I just want to know. It helps me to prioritize my time. The longer you newer nurses are around, the more patience and humility you will develop.

I,too, would agree that not getting blood started in all those hours is unacceptable. Hence, my comment about the aquity. Yes, I am a long term evening nurse, but it's not as if I don't do nights on occasion or days,either. I stay on evenings because I like the personality of that shift the best. There are too many extraneous staff and administrators there on days. Actually, regarding involving the complainers.....sometimes getting them on a committee is just what you do need. Sometimes, when these people are given some input, they really come around. If those considered "the complainers" are involved, you may just solve a lot of issues at one time. Nurses are great at complaining and then not having the guts to stand up behind their issues. People like this don't do a lot to further nursing's cause.

It sounds as if you are pretty critical of another shift. I would wager that if one spoke to the day girls, they might have complaints about you all as well. It really irks me to hear one shift "blame" another, as you are doing here in this post. As a 20 year veteran of evenings, I can tell you that things do not slow down on the off shifts and as a night nurse, you should know that. I would suggest that you ask to form some sort of task force with nurses from all your shifts (and all your managers) to start working on this problem. I have to say if I were one of those people on evenings and I had to work with the criticisms and the attitude that you have presented here, I wouldn't be too happy. Just because an order was written at 1600 does not mean it is going to get done in a timely manner (depending on the order and the acuity of the patient, of course). I see you have been an RN for a whopping 12 months, yet you criticize newer nurses because they might be developing "bad habits?" You have hardly had time to develop any habits (good or bad) yourself! Maybe it is time for you to learn to "think outside the box" and realize that things do not always go as they should, even under the best of circumstances. Maybe your shift needs an attitude adjustment as you seem to have such a morale problem. That issue belongs to you people on nights, NOT the evening people. I am sorry to sound so harsh, but your critical and judgemental manner will not get you too far in this profession. You have quite the nerve, placing blame on every staff member and nurse manager when you seem to take no responsibility for any of the problems yourself. Now, to add a bit about me (as you did), I am a RN with 20 years at the bedside, with several advanced certifications after my name. I am also a regular charge nurse as well as a preceptor for new staff and students. Now, doesn't that sound silly? Please get a grip.........

Personally, I hate days (not to mention the pay is less). Too much fuss and bother with tons of unnecessary people around. I'm an "off shift" person (evenings) and will probably remain there. There is a different "personality" on the off shifts, if you KWIM.