M/B-RN

We have only healthy food and diet pop for employees yet our patients have other choices. It's unfair I think they should offer a bit of both we are adults and have the right to choose to have a little junk food to make our shift more bearable!

I've never worked l/d, started as a new grad on postpartum. You have the advantage of nursing experience which means you already know how to start an IV, cath someone, etc. so your main focus is learning all about babies and changes that come with pregnancy and labor. It really helped me to buy books on my specialty as it is a true specialty. Focus on getting your assessments down, how lab values and VS change, complications during labor and after delivery, medications, and on breastfeeding. It is okay to ask a lot of questions, we all ask questions every day, sometimes even nurses with many years on the unit ask me something and teach them something they don't know! Congratulations on the job!

I usually do get a break. It's rarely 30 consecutive minutes because we do not have PCTs so if a patient hits their call light I must get it. We have good teamwork so if someone sees you are eating they will go get it for you if they're available. And on occasion I do not get a lunch at all. If I ever have to starve during a whole shift I make sure to mark down no lunch because not eating makes me angry and I shouldn't work for free and be hungry!

How long is your orientation? Do you have a skills checklist to keep track of your progress? How many couplets per nurse? Make sure you are not being cheated out of a proper orientation. If they try to pull you early, say no I need all the time I can get to learn. I was hired as a new grad and my orientation was 12 weeks. I oriented to each shift. My preceptor first had me focus on assessments, then charting, then admissions, and then discharges; then she slowly let me do everything with her just keeping an eye on me and checking my work. I was given a skills checklist and though there wasn't always time to keep it updated I looked it over at home and made sure to try anything that I was able to that I hadn't done yet. I would tell anyone "if you need someone straight cathed, need Rhogam, need to give blood, etc please let me tag along or let me do it with my preceptor if you don't mind!" I asked her a lot of questions, I had her walk me through what to do in case of emergencies i.e. hemorrhages, baby turning blue, etc. I took a lot of notes and studied OB books on my own time. Let her know what you are having a hard time with. Don't worry about being fast. First worry about getting good. It is hard to get into the pace of things. The most important things are getting your assessments, meds, blood work, and education done. Make a brain sheet. I make hour marks i.e. 11pm-antibiotic due, 00am-PKU needs to be done, and so on and I cross it off as I go to keep me on track. Our ratios are not the best, sometimes I have things late. If anyone says anything I tell them I could do better if I either had more hands, or if we had less patients per nurse. Many times I read on here ratios are 1 to 3-4 couplets, oh if only we had that standard!

To each their own, but I would want my baby squeaky clean! I want him/her to be able to be held and kissed by grandma and grandpa, comforted by the nurses when they make it cry, and not held like he/she is a grenade. I agree that I'm happy to live in a place where we have choices, but I also think it's okay for some of us to think that not bathing a newborn is gross.

I wouldn't do anything to hurt him, but I would NOT be nice to him. I would answer only medical questions and ignore him otherwise. He does not deserve to be treated with kindness, nor respect, no way. Hopefully, he would request another nurse other than me due to my coldness!

If this is a job you would like to keep, given that circumstances improve for you and your coworkers then ask her for a plan, give her time to implement it, and if she either fails to respond or fails to improve, then quit. Or if you really want to quit now and there will be no financial burden to you and this is not a facility where you ever want to be re-hired, it might be nice to tell her off and never look back!

Everyone's body is different. I drink 2-3 coffees when I work at night. Two before for sure, and sometimes once during my shift. Caffeine is my friend. If that coffee and red bull keep you alert during your shift, then I don't see a problem with it. But then again, I'm even able to fall asleep after having coffee. I rarely ever have a hard time falling asleep, but some days are like what you described. For whatever reason, I wake up and I just can't get back to sleep. And I'm sure that applies even to people with a normal sleep schedule. I find it helps to have a routine so your body knows what to do. I come home, eat something small, get cleaned up, wind down with TV or a book, and then go to bed.

If the call lights are an error, then they should get rid of them. I'm tired of the dinging! lol

Our c-section patients recover in the labor and delivery unit. The l&d nurses are required to have ACLS and there is 24/7 in-house anesthesia.

1. What is it like to work nightshift? I absolutely love working night shift. You could not pay me enough to switch to another shift! Yes, it can be busy because we are understaffed, but i'll take that over dealing with all the visitors, docs, managers, etc. 2. Can you tell me a little about your sleeping habit before a night shift? If I worked the night before I sleep from about 10-7 like a baby. If I had the night off I either try to sleep in until noon, or I wake up very early and nap for 2 hours some time before work. 2. During night shift, are you allowed to take a short nap during breaks by the hospitals? We can, but if something happens or a patient has a question that only the primary can take care of then they have to be bothered during break. I personally do not because there's no way I'd be able to fall asleep at work, nor would I want to wake up after. 3. If you are and you do, how long do you usually take a nap for? n/a 4. Do you feel groggy after? If so, how long does it take you to recover? n/a 5. Where do you take a nap? Is there a special room provided by the hospital for nurses to take a nap in? No, only if there is an empty patient room to use. 6. What do you think are the barriers on having a nap on night shift? Understaffed, no space, and for me, I just would not want to. 7. Do you have any concerns about driving home during night shift? No, just irritated by all the traffic. 8. If there is an especially designed 'Nap Room' available at the hospital, would you use it? What feature would you like it to have? No, I wouldn't. I live in Illinois by the way.

The baby-friendly initiative is great and I wish I had time for it! I'm not going to lie when a mom is having a really hard time with breastfeeding and finally decides to ask for a bottle, I give it to her because we too are understaffed and I rarely have time to help with breastfeeding, especially with those SLEEPY babies that I would like to stick ice cubes in their diaper because they won't wake up no matter what LOL I do always ask all breastfeeding moms to call if they have questions and I assess for nipple pain/cracking so that if it happens I can do something about it so they do not get discouraged. I also offer them to pump before they completely give up. I do not offer formula, not unless they ask for it or if baby has a low blood sugar. If there is a LC working I try to ask them to spend some time with my breastfeeding patients if they look like they need more help. I think proper staffing would make a big difference. I also really wish there were breastfeeding classes or seminars offered at my hospital that teach RNs how to assist patients.

My typical day starts with report. Then I go meet all of my patients. I then plan my day of who I will see first. If I have anyone due to void they go to the top of my list. Then any fresh post-op patients are next. I go to each room, assess mom by getting a set of vitals and then the postpartum assessment, medicate mom if indicated. Then I assess her baby by again doing vital signs and a head to to assessment. I work nights, and a lot of patients get AM blood draws, also any fresh c-section patients get up in the AM, so I assist them with that. In between, there are call lights, doctors calling, new orders, admissions, baby blood draws, sometimes transferring a newborn to special care, every so often a postpartum hemorrhage, assisting patients with breastfeeding, feeding babies that moms don't want in the room, medicating people, checking labs, etc. Other types of patients we get are antepartums (hyperemesis, post-op appy or other surgeries, fevers, diabetic education, abdominal pain, and just about any pregnant patient that steps foot into the hospital that needs to be monitored), patients who had an IUFD, and patients who had a hysterectomy. It is not an easy unit, but your patients are mostly ambulatory and not in a critical condition. Emergencies to happen, but for the most part your day is full of busy work. It's a rewarding place to work. I started as a new grad and I am so thankful that I was able to get a job in Postpartum without any experience.

It depends, some are difficult and super crabby but you can tell that they are mad at the world, so I just leave them alone. I assure them that I will check on them at least 2 more times during the night, but if they are sleeping I will not wake them and if they need anything to not hesitate to call. If they are difficult and needy, then that's another story. I try to give them everything they may need, but if their wants are excessive I try to set limits. I don't want them to have the idea that I will do whatever they want, however I don't want to be rude either. I also try to figure out if there are any problems or underlying reasons for them being super nervous and abusing their call light. If all else fails, I give them Benadryl and tell them I have no problem watching their babies so they can sleep and then I stay clear of that room lol

While this may not be the best answer, every single patient in my hospital receives Pitocin either 20 or 40 units (depending on the doc) in 1000 ml of NS or LR after birth either 1, 2, or 3 bags depending on her bleeding. It is routine because it will help keep the uterus firm. Pitocin is used to help induce labor, but it is also used after delivery to prevent uterine atony. Even on patients that are only G1, P1, it is still routine. You stated she had moderate bleeding. In primiparas, we like to see small bleeding. Anything more and the doc will order extra meds for her bleeding. Moderate lochia is common if she is a multipara. Some of our docs also order Methergine post-delivery along with the Pitocin, just to be extra safe. Most will only do a one time dose, unless it is a multipara then they do Q8h x3 or more if they feel it's necessary. I feel like they did not give you too much info, I remember we would get a whole page front and back with info on our case studies.