JennieBSN

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LMAO!!! That woman would lose her religion if she did a midwife delivery @ my facility....not only do we not put those moms on the fetal monitor (we merely AUSCULTATE....GASP!!), but they DON'T HAVE AN IV, EITHER!!! If they need pit...and I mean NEED it...the midwives don't just shove it in out of habit...they get it IM. Tell that old nurse that there's this neat little thing called fundal massage combined with breastfeeding that works JUST AS WELL, and doesn't fill up the doggone bladder with a big bag of IV fluids!! LOL!! I laugh because I used to BE one of those nurses...I freaked out the first time I had a labor patient who wasn't on the monitor and who didn't have an IV or anything...but now I LOVE it that way!! Education is truly a wonderful thing....

You are extremely fortunate....see, the Europeans have it right. When me and my coworkers are on one of our 'these women need to get a grip' tirades, we always come back to how it's WESTERN, AMERICANIZED women who have this 'epidural, epidural, epidural' mindset. I will FIGHT another nurse to take care of a Latino woman in labor.....they understand that *gasp!* it HURTS to have a baby, but that you can *get through it* and will do just fine. I tell my patients that we send home that if they want to try to 'induce,' that what got them pregnant in the first place (like Renee said) is the best way.... That, and some castor oil. American culture, somehow, has just gotten into its' head that giving birth has to involve all kinds of interventions, epidurals, and that breastfeeding is primitive and dirty (that's another one of my soapboxes....but we won't go there today). AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH!!! It's so frustrating... Krista, while I love the freestanding birth center idea, I must say you hit the nail on the head when you said you can get more access to women who think they can't at hospitals. It's so cool to get a woman through labor using the tub and birthing ball and relaxation and see the look of amazement on her face when she realizes 'WOW!! I really DID it!!' One birth at a time....

Me and my coworkers get so fed up with b.s. inductions and impatient MD's that we threaten all the time that we're going to open our own freestanding birth center....no epidurals, no pit, no admittance until you're FIVE CMS!! Had a patient who was ADMITTED the other night at ONE CM because she whined and moaned that she 'didn't want to miss her epidural.' We tried to explain to her that she wasn't IN LABOR and had LOADS of time, but the doctor caved. It totally pissed us off. She got an epidural 2 hours later, still 1 cm dilated and contracting only q12-15 minutes.....CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT CRAP???!!?? Needless to say, she got a c-section 26 hours later for 'failure to progress.' Well, DUH...I suppose one WOULDN'T progress if one wasn't even in LABOR when they got a freakin' epidural and their water broken. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr..... Anyway, the moral of this story is that yes, a big part of the problem is that docs are impatient. But the OTHER part is that the general public thinks that A)having one contraction every 15 minutes = labor, B)epidurals are passed out like candy at the front door of labor and delivery, C)it doesn't hurt to have a baby(I hate it when a patient with an epidural whines, 'but I still FEEL something!!' DUH...it's an epidural, NOT a spinal, and you HAVE to feel SOMETHING to push your baby out of your lady parts), and D)it's perfectly okay to be induced if you're just 'sick of being pregnant' when both you and the baby are fine and there's no MEDICAL reason to induce. That *#@!! show "A Baby Story," where freakin' everyone gets pit and an epidural and pops their baby out like toast (after 3 hours of pushing, forceps, vacuum...that they DON'T tell you about) is a horrible disservice to those of us who work OB. The general public thinks childbirth is fast, easy, painless, and that we'll induce you on a whim and give out epidurals the minute the pt. says 'boo.' Unfortunately, it's the doctors dealing with these patients that aren't standing up to them that's causing such trouble. SO YES...I hate pit, I hate most epidurals, most inductions nowadays are total CRAP, and I wouldn't go to an obstetrician unless forced. I see a CNM thank you very much, and am THRILLED with her care for just my regular GYN visits. Stepping down off the soapbox....geez, you guys have such a way of getting me rattled.. :). Catch ya on the flipside!!

HOLY CRAP, DEBBY!!! I have NEVER heard of such a thing!!! I ALWYAS go over the list of possible adverse reactions/side effects with ANY medication I give, including the ol' standby, 'you may, as with any medication, have an allergic reaction.' Thanks for sharing that, you just never think about someone TRULY having an allergic reaction to pit....I will share your experience w/my coworkers tonight!!! KristaB.....come on down, girlfriend!!

If it's a big teaching hospital, then yes, it's probably standard protocol. Where I used to work, there was a sheet of pre-printed orders that came with every patient out of triage, and on it was 'pitocin per unit protocol.' Every patient got an IV, they all got pit, and there was about a 95% epidural rate. I had to actually FIGHT with a doctor once when I refused to start pitocin on a woman who was 8cms, having her 3rd baby on the grounds that SHE DIDN'T NEED IT. The doctor was just floored when lo and behold, SHE DELIVERED without the use of pitocin!! NOW....that being said, there ARE some cases where pitocin IS actually 'needed' and nature WON'T take care of itself without KILLING the mother or baby first....prime example, pre-eclamptic on the verge of seizure. Pitocin has it's place, however, in large teaching hospitals they tend to give it out like water. It's just lack of education and experience on the part of the medical staff on the most basic level. Where I practice now, pitocin is used much more judiciously, and pretty much given to women who either need to be induced for medical reasons or who have severely fallen off the labor curve and need a 'kick.' Yes, there are still those physicians who will induce anything they can get an amniohook into, but for the most part, where I practice now the docs and midwives are very much into letting nature take its' course and trusting that a woman's body will do what it needs to do IF YOU HAVE THE PATIENCE TO LET IT . Hope this has answered your question without my pounding too hard on my soapbox. :).

Hey!! Relax!! I've had surgery 4 times, twice w/general anesthesia. Rick is correct, they put a catheter in if you have general, but usually you're already knocked out when they do so it doesn't hurt. As for the N&V, well, I never had any problems. The most I remember was feeling like my head was weighted down with bricks...it felt so heavy. That's about it. Remember, surgery is a lot safer now than it used to be. My patients who get general don't have much problem w/ N&V, as most of the CRNA's will push some Reglan or Phenergan IV prior to extubating. You'll be fine!!

Good article. I told my husband when we got engaged that because I was going to be a nurse, he would need to help 'put back' what work and my patients would 'take away.' He understands that I need to be 'taken care of' too, and need encouragement to take care of myself. When we bought our first house, we did a $5,000 modification (it was under construction when we made the offer) to install a jacuzzi tub JUST FOR ME in the master bath. The builder kind of balked at first and said that no one really used jacuzzi tubs and that we were wasting our time. My husband said, 'you don't know my wife. She needs this. She's a nurse.' What a good man. I think I'll keep him.

BTW...my 'needle phobe' patients always breathe a sigh of relief when I tell 'em I'm a big wussie, too...

AAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!! I'm a big chicken, too ya know... Krista, honey, don't you feel bad at all. I used to get laughed at regularly during clinical labs because of my nausea, near-fainting, and green skin after being stuck by a needle of ANY size...tb syringe, fingerstick...didn't matter. I have been asked politely by the red cross to NOT donate again, as I've passed out every time I've donated. My MOMMY had to drive me to and from my immunization appointment prior to starting college, because I KNEW I would be woozy and unable to drive after all that poking. Whenever a needle comes near me, it's 'stretcher, siderails up, please...okay, NOW you can stab away.' I have begged my way out of an IV on more than one occasion. I just got my yearly TB test, and man, did that nasty little bubble make me NAUSEOUS. I can stab anyone else like I'm playing darts. I'll fight you to start an IV. But come near MY bod w/that crap, and it's kiss my butt goodbye...you'll be picking me up off the floor. You'll probably be able to stick other folks just fine. Don't worry about your own phobias. You just make sure that you repeat after me: 'stretcher, siderails up, please...'

Well.....my take, speaking as a female, non-ER nurse of course, is that men gravitate towards these areas for several reasons: 1. not all 'touchy-feely.' I believe the phrase is 'treat 'em and street 'em?' most men don't like all that hold-your-hand kind of nursing care that you get by 'bonding' with patients on the floors. 2. very slanted towards the quick-thinking, technical side of nursing. yeah, yeah, all nursing requires quick thinking and technical skills at some point. HOWEVER...flight and ER nursing requires it more often, and men are more inclined to enjoy areas where these skills are needed more frequently. 3. independence. in critical care, you are more independent and your input is more valued (in most instances...). you are treated as a physician's peer, not servant. this is attractive to men also. Yeah, I know I'm a chick and don't work ER, so could be way off base, but these are some of the reasons I think they may gravitate towards those areas. So that's my opinion....

Bbqchick, just READING your post made me tired. I know how you feel, my dear....sometimes you just want to SCREAM. Fortunately, most of the folks I work with are really hard workers and compassionate nurses, and we work V-E-R-Y well together. However, tonight was the 2nd night in a row I came home way late because I stayed over to help out the next shift. Last night we had all 'strong' nurses, it was just that census was booming and we had a lot of wild patients (one standing in the middle of her bed screaming, threatening to push on her only 7cm dilated cervix...but that is another thread entirely...). Tonight, it wasn't as busy, but we had 2 'weak' nurses, so it FELT like we were only 1/2 staffed. I called my husband and told him I was coming home late...again. Then limped into my patient's room (cartilage in my hip is dislodged or something....don't understand my own dx...and is pinched between the head of the femur and my hip socket...again, that is another post entirely) to start her IV and load her up with mag to stop her flaming preterm labor. Just wanted you to know, you're not alone, sista!! We feel your pain!!! I'll now have a ceremonial glass of wine in your honor.... Hang in there...it DOES get better.