DoulaKelly

I also went into L&D right out of school. This is my second year as an L&D nurse and I absolutely love it. I worked as a tech on an ortho floor during my last year of nursing school. I am glad I went straight to OB, I don't feel that I am missing out on anything by not doing med-surg first.

I've got a few... A patient told me that she came to the hospital for her "Seduction of labor." At first I was confused and then I realized she meant induction of labor, LOL! I was completing an OB history on another patient and I asked her if she ever had any surgery and she repied, "I had surgery to remove a couple of furballs" I looked at her and said, "furballs? You mean fibroids?" And she proceed to say, "yes those!" I was starting a pre-ecclamptic patient on Mag. and Pit (I said oxytocin) and I explained both of the medications to her. I left the room to go get the medications and when I returned she asked me, "Is that the oxy-toxic stuff for my contractions and the amnesia sulfur for my blood pressure?"

I just started in L&D and last week I had a patient that came in and delivered her baby with no interventions. In fact, the docs didn't even make it to the delivery. After about 15 minutes they started talking about a retained placenta. After about 20 minutes we rolled her down to the OR and as soon as we got into the OR she delivered the placenta. Had the docs waited a couple more minutes she wouldn't have ended up in the OR and seperated from her baby (her baby was taken to the nursery). For the most part the hospital is very low intervention I just couldn't believe that they were so eager to get that mom into the OR. Sorry I just had to vent.

Nope, I think they are just going for it.

I recently accepted a position in L&D at a hospital in Detroit. The only experience I had was 4 years as a doula (labor assistant) and 9 months of med-surg as a nurse tech. I feel very fortunate to get a job directly in L&D as a new grad. Good luck with your search!

I was just at a meeting at MCC and they said the accelerated program will run again this fall. So for those of you who aren't in the top 125 don't fret! They are taking an extra 30! Kelly Class of March 2007

Don't count yourself out just yet. I was ranked 146 and I ended up being called up as an alternate and I just graduated! There were many people they took after me. Macomb has an awesome program and while I am not particularly fond of the entrance criteria, I feel like I am well prepared. Kelly MCC Grad - March 2007 ETA: Apparently they are adding another accelerated class this fall so that increases the acceptance number by 30. Good luck!

Are you talking about the mid-curricular HESI that was taken in March or the one that was taken in December? I am in the graduating class of March 2007 and we just took the mid-HESI and my class did well. Except for respiratory, lol. Good luck in psych, I had a blast!!! Sue, Marilyn and Mary are a riot! The requirements for admission into the program were slightly different in my class. They weighted the GPA at 50% and the asset (sort of like the HESI, but not computerized) test at 50% for your score. My GPA was like a 3.5, but I had a really good asset score. There were people with 4.0 that did not do well on the asset and didn't get in so I can see where the confusion might be coming from. Kelly

They didn't do an HCG on me either and I wasn't on my period in fact I was very close to ovulation (I chose that time because my cervix was open). My OB/GYN knows that I was charting and that there was virtually no chance that I was pg, but I do think that for most women an HCG should be done.

It amazed me how things changed from 6 years ago when I had my first son versus 2 years ago when I had my second son. In 1999 they actually sent me home with 4 packs of diapers, peri packs, burp cloths, gauze and vaseline (for my son's circ), a hospital t-shirt ("I was born at ...hospital"), a gift basket with a sippy, onsies, pacifier, and a manual breastpump! In 2003 they sent me on my way with whatever we brought with us. Right before we left the hospital I asked for a clean peri pad and they told me no, that I had used what was allocated for my room and they didn't give out extras! Yikes, I wish they would have at least given us a heads up about what we should bring. I didn't even buy newborn diapers the second time around since they gave us so many with our first, but boy was I in for a shock when they didn't give us any, lol. I am all for cost cutting, and I think that hospitals should give their patients a list of the things they should bring so there are no suprises. I think the panty thing is a bit ridiculous though, lol.

It amazes me the support that is given to patients for elective c-sections. I am a birth and postpartum doula as well as a nursing student. There have been many occasions that I have observed physicians not only supporting, but encouraging elective sections. Did something change and I missed it? Since when are the risks of a c-section less than a lady partsl birth for a mother who is not having any complications? One of my clients was told by her physician that a c-section was far less risky than a lady partsl birth, because it is a controlled environment! What the heck is that all about? I trust that our bodies were made to birth babies naturally. I do also realize the thanks to medical advancement there are babies with us that wouldn't have been without c-sections. I don't think that childbirth is Burger King and you can just "have it your way" whenever you don't feel like being pregnant anymore. I found this thread very enlightening. While I see the trend of elective c-section and banning VBACs going in a scary direction, I am hopeful that childbirth will again become a more normal and less medical experience. Kelly

Ultimately the choice is yours, that said, an induction 38 weeks might be a good option for you if you want to avoid a c-section. Chances are the baby will be smaller and at much lower risk for SD. My second son was born at 37 weeks after an ultrasound revealed that he was around 8 pounds and my OB and I weren't sure that I would be able to wait until 40 weeks so I was induced. My son was 9 pounds, delivered lady partslly. We didn't have any trouble with SD, but I am so glad that I delivered him early and avoided a section. In fact, I don't think my OB even mentioned a section. Congratulations on the new addition to your family! Good luck with the delivery!

Our uniform is white, it is a scrub top with 4 pockets and white tapered leg pants with an annoying seam down the front, lol. The class that is starting this fall has the same top (only in blue) and they have straight leg scrub bottoms (with no annoying seam down the front and they are blue). I am so jealous. Our class is actually petitioning to allow us to go with the new uniform, but I don't think that we are going to be successful . Oh well such is life. I guess we will be white "beacons" until we graduate in March of '07! ~Kelly