breastfeedingRN

we play brahms lullably when the mom is leaving L&D on her way to postpartum, so that she can hear it. it only plays in the main hospital halls/public areas, not on the units/rooms, so the mom never got to hear "her" baby's song (we used to play it when a baby was born). it plays when they are passing thru the double doors of L&D. this also saves patients there who suffered a loss, etc, from hearing it in the rooms, which might be a way to compromise for places that have complaints.

lurk away! have your tried hypnosis for your fear of vomit? could be worth a shot!

Exactly. I had only seen one VBAC in the year I have worked postpartum. I read the VBAC consent form and it actually said several times how the risks of VBAC were less than the risks of C/S and that was surprising to me how honest they were. I wonder how honest they are when it comes to just a C/S?? We have so many that are cut happy. You can even tell when certain docs are on-call because we have soo many sections that night. Argh... I do think that it is our sue happy world though that has a lot to do with it since I don't think that actual safety has the biggest part in the reason docs don't want to do VBACs, though I am sure the new restrictions hinder their schedules, a lot is probably to do with fear of being sued. That is our country, things don't go right, sue.

when i was home postpartum after a 2nd degree lac, i would put water in a newborn size disposable diaper, then freeze it and presto! i also suggest this for engorgement to my patients.

That makes complete sense. on another board where I post, some of the mom's who have lost their babies have posted pictures. I don't think anyone has said anything but how beautiful they were. I even think the pics of babies in utero are beautiful as it is human life. I am sure your babies were beautiful and thanks for sharing your experience. it is much like the feelings expressed by the moms on our loss board and I am sure your post will help someone here as well to be supportive to someone who has lost a baby. Hugs to all those who have lost babies.

my friend lost a baby at 17 weeks and it was very hard. hopefully they have a good bereavement program and they made a memory album for them. some parents choose to hold their baby, others don't. my friend didn't and then wished she had later, but she was thankful for the memory book they made for her. here are some websites for you. https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/ I think the fact that you want to be sensitive and are searching out how is great. She is lucky to have a friend like you. Here is what an online friend wrote about what to do and not do... Do - Call the baby by name (if it was named) - this validates the parents and the love that they have for their child. - Send a card, flowers or a note of support - Call the couple and ask how they're feeling - Bring up the baby - you won't cause them to be sad, they're already sad and need to talk about it. Don't - Say they have an angel in heaven - many parents wanted that angel here on earth - Say it was 'God's will'. Even if the person is deeply spiritual, this can leave them feeling angry or questioning. - Tell them the can just have another or at least they can get pregnant - comments like this really hurt! Even if they do have another baby, they wanted THIS baby and have the right to be sad and mourn the loss.

i tested out of them back in 2001. i worked as a medical assistant for 7 years before that, so i thought they were very easy. i think if you have a medical background, then they should be easy to pass out of. good luck.

just wondered if you have thought about looking around for another NP that wants to work part-time and see if you can find somewhere that will let you guys "share" a full time position. 2 pediatricians that i worked for actually did that. both worked 2.5 days a week so they could still be at home with their kids. worked out well.

I was an MA for many years and never referred to myself as a nurse. When I worked in a peds office for several years, one of the docs would call me her "nursie-poo" to her patient's, but I always corrected her. I always assume that an office staff member who says they are a nurse is an MA until I see her badge with LPN or RN on it. I actually had an awesome instructor in MA school that told us in the first semester that we were to never refer to ourselves as nurses. She told us that if we did and gave medical advice and that patient believed we were a nurse and sued because of wrong info or whatever, that we would be held to the standards of a nurse in trial. Not sure if that is true, but never wanted to find out! I wish all schools would tell their students that. I also think that it is the doctors that hold a big responsibility in making sure their staff MAs don't refer to themselves as nurses and that the docs themselves don't. I always identified myself as Dr. So and So's medical assistant when I called a patient. In peds we actually had a staff nurse that did triage and whenever she was out, the MAs had to return calls. I always made sure they knew that the nurse was out and that I was an MA.

i love couplet care! some nights can be a little "boring", but there are many a night that aren't. breastfeeding issues, postpartum hemorrhages, people with pre-existing issues, etc. i do love all the teaching and getting to work with the mother/baby pair. we also get GYNs occasionally, so you still get some med-surg in there. i have no interest in L&D, the medicalization of the birth process drives me nuts and i would go crazy in L&D, but i love helping new parents, breastfeeding challenges, etc. i had a patient on remote tele this weekend, several on IV anbiotics and breastfeeding issues galore. it was definitely not a "boring" weekend for me. i say if it sounds interesting, to go for it!

Hi! I started as a new grad on PP about 11 months ago. Every place is different I am sure, but here is how my night typically goes. I usually have 4 couplets assigned to me. Get report and am introduced to my patients from offgoing nurse. After getting report I get my charts and check for any new orders or orders that haven't been done yet. I go through my clipboards and see what the patient will need that night, are they going home tomorrow, is all their teaching done, does baby need tests done before the AM so they can go home, etc. By 8pm or so I start assessing my moms and make a quick assessment of baby as well. I go over the plan for the night, answer any questions and then move on the the next mom. After that I start charting on my moms, unless I was lucky enough to chart between moms. By 10pm, I am done with assessments and am starting on charting. Around midnight we do our baby assessments, we take them from the room to another room with a scale and good lighting and do a full assessment and weight. We figure out how much weight they have lost, if it is WNL and if not what we will do about it (usually with breastfeeding moms, though sometimes bottlefeeding moms are underfeeding). When I am done with baby assessments, usually by 2am, I chart some more and then go to lunch. When I get back, I finish charting, do the chart checks and also sign off the next days MARs. Around 5 or 6am, depending on how many babes need to be done, I start taking the babies to do their Newborn Screens and Bilichek (for jaundice). I also update the feeding sheets for babes at this time and then they go back to their moms. That usually ends up getting me until 7am which is time to give report and then go home! Of course, that is only when things go as planned. There are always nights with babies that have problems breastfeeding, pain issues, or starting the night with only 2 or 3 couplets and then getting 1 or 2 new admits. Meds are given as well, IV antibiotics hung, postpartum hemorrhages, moms on mag sulfate, etc. I really love postpartum. It can be hectic some nights and other nights things just go smoothly and I actually get finished with everything on schedule. As for things to bring. Maybe the normal parameters for moms and babies, what you are assessing when you do your assessment, etc. I am imagining you will be following a preceptor for awhile? Hopefully you will be able to learn a lot from them and maybe even get to precept with a few people and see how their routines differ. I liked having a good Maternal/Child nursing reference with me, just in case. Good luck to you! Postpartum can be a very fun and rewarding place!

i am totally paying out of pocket for my homebirth and prenatal care because my insurance at work doesn't cover lay midwives or homebirths. actually, i am going to try to fight them for some reimbursement, but am not holding my breath. i read the policy and nothing says they don't cover them and under their out of network providers, it says any provider licensed by a state or federal agency and she is. not that i mind paying for her services, it is worth it for us. our medicaid here covers homebirths and my midwife is a provider, i guess i could quit my job. LOL! i have tried scoping out OBs at my hospital and there are none. i won't see a man for prenatal care because of being sexually abused as a child and the women haven't inspired much confidence in me, they seem more cut and epis happy then the guys. i think in a transfer situation i wouldn't care who was "catching" the baby, be it man or woman, but not for PNC.

Definitely! I am pregnant with #2 right now and have a CPM and am planning for a home waterbirth. I had DD in the hospital, after planning on a birth center birth with a CNM. I had high blood pressures, but no signs of pre-e, so I am hoping this time I have no blood pressure problems. It wasn't bad, but being stapped into the bed made my previously easy labor much harder, luckily I made it through with no interventions and had a pretty okay hospital birth. As much as I like my old CNM, her practice is way too busy and it is practically like seeing a physician. They are just too busy to spend the time with you. My CPM comes to my house, spends at least an hour here talking to me about proper nutrition, etc. I know that she really knows me and I trust her completely. I know there are some risks to homebirth, but I also know the risks of delivering with an OB or even just in a hospital setting. I choose my set of risks as well as the benefits to the care of a homebirth midwife and delivery at home. Klone, good luck deciding what to do! I hope you find a decision that you are at peace with!!

Awesome post! I plan on having my baby with the care of a CPM at home this time. I couldn't have said it better, so I won't even try!

thanks everyone. i am liking the tshirt with a vest or jacket over it. maybe i could get a few button up scrubs in my size and wear them over a tshirt with some drawstring scrubs. congrats andrea!

Hi all! Wondering what you wear when you are pregnant. I wear scrubs all the time because I love pockets. Just can't find many maternity scrub tops. i am going to get me some stretch drawstring pants for my soon to be growing belly, but wondering what to wear on top?

Hi. Fellow new nurse here, have been a nurse for 9 months now. Just wanted to send a hug and tell you not to worry about having to do 2 weeks more of orientation. It makes a huge difference to work as an LPN prior and also to having worked there, as organizational skills are a major part of the transition to being a new nurse. Just hang in there and take advantage of the extra 2 weeks. Good luck to you! You will do fine!

my nursing school instructor called it STOP syndrome....Sick and Tired Of Pregnancy!

well, my sister left AMA today from the psych facility. she is afraid of losing everything if she stays in there. I don't fear for her life, just fear that this will only make it look worse for her in a court when they are fighting for the kids. haven't talked to her since she got out since I imagine she is trying to get her money from the bank, open separate account, etc. he could have waited till she got help for this to do all of this if that is what he thinks is best. what peeves me is that he was swearing his undying love for her to me just the days before, how he would do anything for her, etc. I think he was probably wishing she would die. JERK. I don't know if she can even deal with the stress of the kids, but this was uncalled for. she needed to get help and he knew this and he didn't care. I would slug him if I was there.

well, apparently my BIL filed for divorce today and custody of their kids. even the one that isn't is who he called a "b*stard" the other day when he talked to me. he has turned my sister's boss against her, took her paychecks and deposited them so he can get the money (he doesn't work right now) and her boss who co-signed for her car is taking it back. like she needs all this right now. what a jerk. I am a bit surprised they let her have phone calls during the 72 hour stay, but since they did, he has told her all this. not like she will be getting help now, just stressing over losing her kids, her job and her car. what a turn around from all the lies he told me on the phone about how much he loves her, how he would go to the news if they didn't put her on transplant list, etc, etc.

hi all. I totally understand his anger and know it is normal. this isn't the place or time though to be doing what he is doing. plus, he hasn't been a model husband or father anyway. I have never really cared for him or how he treats my sister or the kind of dad he is. she might as well do everything by herself most of the time, works full time, does all the housework, does everything for the kids. she constantly complains of not getting enough help from him and even my dad had a heart to heart with him about it and he had never changed. he'd rather golf than take his kids to boyscouts or some other activity. I talked to her a lot today and she is up for help. she also sounds like she might want to leave her husband after this is over and I don't think it would be a bad idea. I told her that I support her in whatever she decides, just reiterated that she really needs to get long term counseling, not just back on her meds. she said she really liked the psychiatrist she spoke to and felt she could open up to him, so I hope she does. she is in the psych facility today as of this afternoon so I won't be able to talk to her for at least 3 days. hope she really does some internal looking inside and finds the help she needs. thanks again for all the support.

thanks again everyone. my sister is doing much better. she has been on med/surg floor since yesterday and will be transferred to psych hospital either later today or tomorrow. she wants help and wants to live. she apparently hadn't been taking her meds (she is bipolar) and coupled with all the other stress in her life she just snapped. her husband is now being mean to her, when he was really supportive before. is complaining how it is "all about her", etc. maybe this is normal for someone who had close family try to commit suicide? don't know, but making me mad. his 2 faceness has been apparent to me since this whole thing started, saying things to sound all supportive and great and then in the next breath saying so stupid comment. I really hope she gets help and realizes she is in a really dysfunctional marraige. anyway, I thank you all for your support, info and advice throughout this whole ordeal. I really appreciate it.

hi all. my sister is doing much better. she is going to med/surg floor today and I think she might be out of the hospital and into the psychiatric hospital by the next day. she is doing good and now comes the harder part, healing herself emotionally. from the bottom of my heart, thanks to all those who took the time to respond to my post. it helped me so much to get my questions answered and helped me to have some hope she would get better. thanks!

well, I talked to my BIL and he says that she is doing better today. her liver enzymes are going down and they are talking about transferring her to a med/surg floor and from there she will go to the inpatient psych clinic there for a mandatory 72 hours. she has already seen a psychiatrist there as well, today I think. I have been trying to get in touch with her nurse, but she has been busy each time I have called. I hope to be able to talk to her soon.

rjflyn, thanks for the info. I don't think she is in the best hospital in her area, but my BIL feels comfortable there I think. it was the closest hospital to their house. one of the nurses did mention that if she needed a transplant she would probably go to a different hospital because they don't do transplants there. I think she said she would go to university of alabama hospital because they do them there. I guess in my heart I know that if she needs a transplant, she won't get one and will likely die. that sucks. I know they haven't started testing or even blood typing so maybe that is a good sign, maybe it is just because they know she won't actually get one if she needs one. I have AB- blood and don't know what she has. I keep praying she was in the 10 hour window with starting the treatment. I know it doesn't guarantee she will live, but it is better than the stats after 10 hours.