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Make sure your birth plan is reasonable and does not include absolute phrases like "under no circumstances". Remember to be flexible. Some things absolutely have to be done because you are in a hospital such as a medical history questinaire (and the same questions may be asked each time you visit), puting you on the monitor for an initial NST (non stress test), obtaining vital signs and making sure all is normal before you come off the monitor to walk. If you have to be induced you will absolutely have to stay on the monitor because we have to make sure everything we are doing the baby is tolerating. Always be respectful. I love women who can have babies with no epidural but at the same time do not snap at me because you are in pain. Remember this is your choice not mine. But under no circumstances should your nurse ever be rude and tell you you will bleed to death or your baby die. That is just wrong and should have been reported to management. As far as c-sections my philosophy is I would not want one but there are worse things in the world such as a fetal death or brain damage. Remember too you are not on a clock. Just because it is 5pm and you are not ready to push does not mean you need a c-section. That is my biggest pet peeve. I tell all my patients as long as the baby is doing ok and mom is good as well you can have more time. Now on the other end of that is if you are 4 cm for 8 hours well thats probably an indicatio that the baby is not going to fit. So between you and your midwife use your best judgement. At the end of the day we (patient and the nurses) all want happy and healthy moms and babies. Treats for the nurses are a nice gesture but are not required. I would treat all my patients with the same patience and respect if they brought goodies or not. Congrats!! and enjoy your delivery!!

Lately on my unit nurses have become lazy about cleaning fetal monitor parts after a delivery. We recently had a very bloody IFM cable rolled and put back in the drawer as if it were clean. It is so nasty. I am so tired of putting a patient in a "clean" room and then have to wipe old gel and pubic hairs off the monitor parts in front of her. I am wanting to start a new process of handing a new bag of monitor parts to each nurse when she gets a new patient. Our current process is the parts all stay in the room and SHOULD be wiped off after each patient an put back in the drawer but this is not happening. I would love some input on a better process, and what you do to clean monitor parts at your various facilities. Thank you