I don't know why but that statement makes my jaw clench up everytime I hear it.
I had a patient the other day ask me how I was going to insert a foley since "the head is down there, wont that hurt the baby?" For the love god, people .... come on .. 2 HOLES! SERIOUSLY!
and my favorite of all time ...
"Does that machine beep everytime I dilate?" .. this one left me speechless
Please share your "omg, no she didn't say/ask that" quotes
Actually, "take the baby" was sort of a commonly used phrase among OB docs and some of the "older" (30s, 40s!) L&D nurses when I was a 19 year old corpsman working L&D in the early '70s. They used it almost all the time they had to tell a mom they would have to perform a C-section due to CPD, failure to progress etc. I guess they just thought it was easier for the patient to comprehend and say instead of "Caesarean"--people didn't have the internet to read up on what to expect during labor and delivery, and even the books available back then sort of just very briefly mentioned the possibility of a Caesarean, ( I rarely recall sseeing it abbreviated as C-section, even when I had my first baby in '78) then moved quickly on--they just sort of glossed over it--they didn't want to scare you.
I guess the phrase has stuck in the minds of non-medical and non-nursing people who had C-sections back then, and they now use it around their grown children who are having them.
Boy, do I feel old. :)
I had to stop reading to reply to this . . .. I cannot stand the term
CESAREAN SECTION . ... :uhoh21:
I don't like the "section" part. It sounds like something that would happen in a butcher shop.
This drives me crazy too and I'm not even a nurse yet! But I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone say that I needed to give one of my infants formula because they were "starving" only having colostrum. Give me a break.. I'm pretty sure God knew what he was doing when he designed the female body!
when i'm straightening out main iv's and piggybacks-"you have to be a plumber to do this" I've heard it a million times-wish i had a dollar for each one
I can handle the weird things that patients say due to lack of education or understanding, but it really irks me when patients try to manipulate. Like for example, the patient I took care of last weekend. 36 weeks, G2P1001 presents with "contractions" every "2-3 minutes" however, no contractions seen on monitor, none palpated in over 15 minutes of palpating and cervix was thick and closed. Explained to patient that she was not in labor, gave her verbal and written instructions on when to come back, and then, here comes my favorite line "well, I never go into labor on my own, they always have to break my water." OK, several issues with this sentence, the terms always and never don't really belong since you have only been pregnant one other time! and membranes never HAVE to be AROM'd. So, I just told her that this was good news, she won't have a premature baby because the doctor will not induce her labor at 36 weeks just because they "had to" last time and since it apparently won't in any way happen on it's own she wasn't at risk for delivering early!!!
The other thing that irks me is when you go into a patients room, do an exam, discuss the patients progress with her, leave the room, and the mother or mother in law follows you out and corners you and asks "how is she really doing?" Well, first of all, I am not lying to her and I'm not holding anything back from her and, why do you think that you have a right to some nonexistant "secret" information? OR, same type of scenerio, but, you kick everyone out of the room do an exam, leave the room and everyone in the hall starts asking "how far is she dilated?" and get mad when you tell them that they will need to ask the patient that info as nurse is not at liberty to discuss it with them. Like they aren't planning to go running right back into the room!!!
Oh my, am I on a roll now, cuz I just remembered my all time favorite. FOB is married, but not to patient. FOB's wife calls L&D unit (several times) but on the time that I answer the phone, she wants to know how far the patient is dilated and how much longer until she delivers. I explain to her that I cannot tell her that and I will transfer her call to patient if she would like, she gets upset and refuses to be transfered to patient's room, then tells me that she has a "right" to know because her husband is FOB and she needs to know when he will be home!! When I continue to refuse to give the info she acutally asks for my name and says that she is going to report me to the administration. I asked her to please do so!!!!!
All of these scenarios are all too familiar. I love it when a pt thinks its OK to deliver at 32-34 wks because her last two kids only had to be on O2 for a week or so. Well great maybe this one can come out with only a few learning disabilities. (Then she'd probably sue)
All of these scenarios are all too familiar. I love it when a pt thinks its OK to deliver at 32-34 wks because her last two kids only had to be on O2 for a week or so. Well great maybe this one can come out with only a few learning disabilities. (Then she'd probably sue)
I can totally understand why this is frustrating, but here is the same scenario from the patient's perspective:
First pg., started to efface and dilate at 24 weeks, bedrest at home followed by hospitalized bed rest, delivered at 32. My 4 year-old is now in the 95th% for height and weight and thriving physically and intellectually.
2nd pg, cerclage placed at 12 weeks, bedrest at 20 when I started funnelling. I was religious about following drs. orders--I stayed in bed except for showers and bathroom, only left the bedroom for my 30th b-day to lay on the couch and eat cake and for drs. appts. Although my daughter did well, I was painfully aware of all of the risks of prematurity, I knew the likelihood at each week of gestation of each complication of prematurity. I would have done everything in my power to make it to term and have a baby that I could take home from the hospital with me, believe me!
At 33 weeks, I started having incredibly painful back labor and was admitted and placed on mag. I can not possibly overestimate the amount of pain I was in...in addition to the pain of contractions I could feel the cerclage pull with every one and it was excruciating, but nothing was showing up on the monitors so at first my pain was dismissed. This went on for close to 12 hrs. with no effective pain relief. I knew that ultimately the efforts to stop the labor would not be effective--I just knew. Finally, I begged my dr. to just cut the stitch, knowing that it would tear my cervix if not--it was clear, even in my pain-induced haze, that the nurses in the room were disgusted and told me I needed to put the baby's interest ahead of my own. While I can see where they were coming from--I did not leave my bed for 13 weeks because I put the baby's interest ahead of my own. Ultimately, the stitch did tear through my cervix, and my son was born by c-section.
I want to be absolutely clear that I would have done anything in my power to maintain the pg. longer. There is nothing harder than leaving the hospital without your baby. But the disdain and disapproval of the nurses that night, at a time when I was most in need of support, made a difficult situation even more difficult. I am thankful that all of the other nurses that I have encountered during the combined months of hospitalization were wonderful and supportive.
Just had to share my story, thanks if you took the time to read it!
Yes.................I have heard that one before! LOL! Have you ever had someone tell you that their boyfriend is "too big" for condoms? I have heard that one as well!
According to, um, someone i knew, it may be able to fit over a fist, but sometimes it pinches and causes a tourniquet-like effect. Still not an excuse to skip on wearing one, but i can't imagine the averaged-sized one being comfortable for everyone, though.
According to, um, someone i knew, it may be able to fit over a fist, but sometimes it pinches and causes a tourniquet-like effect. Still not an excuse to skip on wearing one, but i can't imagine the averaged-sized one being comfortable for everyone, though.
Totally true, Marie. I've actually, um, know someone that happened to as well. I know I'm killing my own point here - it was just a funny thing I used to do. We also used to demonstrate a certain skill with a flavored condom and a banana, which can be dangerous when attempted by the novice.
All of these scenarios are all too familiar. I love it when a pt thinks its OK to deliver at 32-34 wks because her last two kids only had to be on O2 for a week or so. Well great maybe this one can come out with only a few learning disabilities. (Then she'd probably sue)
I had a patient just yesterday morning that came in for PSROM at 29 weeks. I explained to her the plan of care including Celestone, Ampicillin, Magnesium. She tried to convince me that her "baby says its time to come". I cannot tell you how angry I was by the end of that conversation. Nothing I said or anyone else said was going to make her feel any differently, her baby was ready to come! :angryfire
I can totally understand why this is frustrating, but here is the same scenario from the patient's perspective:
First pg., started to efface and dilate at 24 weeks, bedrest at home followed by hospitalized bed rest, delivered at 32. My 4 year-old is now in the 95th% for height and weight and thriving physically and intellectually.
2nd pg, cerclage placed at 12 weeks, bedrest at 20 when I started funnelling. I was religious about following drs. orders--I stayed in bed except for showers and bathroom, only left the bedroom for my 30th b-day to lay on the couch and eat cake and for drs. appts. Although my daughter did well, I was painfully aware of all of the risks of prematurity, I knew the likelihood at each week of gestation of each complication of prematurity. I would have done everything in my power to make it to term and have a baby that I could take home from the hospital with me, believe me!
At 33 weeks, I started having incredibly painful back labor and was admitted and placed on mag. I can not possibly overestimate the amount of pain I was in...in addition to the pain of contractions I could feel the cerclage pull with every one and it was excruciating, but nothing was showing up on the monitors so at first my pain was dismissed. This went on for close to 12 hrs. with no effective pain relief. I knew that ultimately the efforts to stop the labor would not be effective--I just knew. Finally, I begged my dr. to just cut the stitch, knowing that it would tear my cervix if not--it was clear, even in my pain-induced haze, that the nurses in the room were disgusted and told me I needed to put the baby's interest ahead of my own. While I can see where they were coming from--I did not leave my bed for 13 weeks because I put the baby's interest ahead of my own. Ultimately, the stitch did tear through my cervix, and my son was born by c-section.
I want to be absolutely clear that I would have done anything in my power to maintain the pg. longer. There is nothing harder than leaving the hospital without your baby. But the disdain and disapproval of the nurses that night, at a time when I was most in need of support, made a difficult situation even more difficult. I am thankful that all of the other nurses that I have encountered during the combined months of hospitalization were wonderful and supportive.
Just had to share my story, thanks if you took the time to read it!
Shannon
Shannon,
Your story is amazing and the nurses who treated you the way they did should be reprimanded. I can sympathize with your situation. I was speaking of women who come in and want to be induced simply because they are tired of being pregnant. Or, in one case, because she had a wedding to attend and didn't want to be "fat". Thank You for sharing your story.
I told this pt I was going to check her and she stated, " are you going to touch me down there" :rotfl:
"They are going to have to take the baby"
I don't know why but that statement makes my jaw clench up everytime I hear it.
I had a patient the other day ask me how I was going to insert a foley since "the head is down there, wont that hurt the baby?" For the love god, people .... come on .. 2 HOLES! SERIOUSLY!
and my favorite of all time ...
"Does that machine beep everytime I dilate?" .. this one left me speechless
Please share your "omg, no she didn't say/ask that" quotes
I hate to say it, but I would be asking over and over to see the baby also. Do you separate mom and babe pairs? Do you still have a regular nursery? Or are you talking about NICU or special care nursery? We haven't had a regular nursery for years. Moms and babes are never separated but cared for together regardless of where they are. How do you manage successfull breastfeeding?
This idea that a baby has to go to a "transition nursery" is ridiculous. I would never deliver or encourage anyone to deliver in a place that has that archaic philosophy.
The infants are transfered to the well baby nursery after 1hr of bonding, breast feeding is encouraged immediately after a lady partsl delivery....while the infant is in the nursery VS are done and it is being monitored for thermo-regulation,hypoglycemia , or any other abnormal findings. Then the infant is bathed, warmed up , all the paper work (chart) is done and the baby is transfered back to mommy's room this practice usually takes about 4 hrs in the hospital I work in, I guess we are behind the times , I have heard of us changing to LDRP (so it can all be done in the delivery room), but this has not been implemented as of yet.
It is the RARE baby who has a problem with temp regulation if you just leave the baby and mother together with the infant on her chest. Abnormal blood sugars can also be taken care of at the mother's bedside. Once you have the good fortune to work in a facility that does LDRP (where the nurses are cross trained) you won't ever want to go back to the old way.
Part of our role is to educate our patients without judging what we feel they should or should not know. Everyone had to learn what they know at some point, some just learn certain things later than others.
I agree with you, there is a difference between ranting and being judgmental.
Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN
11,305 Posts
I had to stop reading to reply to this . . .. I cannot stand the term
CESAREAN SECTION . ... :uhoh21:
I don't like the "section" part. It sounds like something that would happen in a butcher shop.
I always just say "cesarean".
steph
p.s. Funny thread though . . . :)