Night Shift

I successfully stayed awake all night... That's about the only good thing about my night. It is a very different pace.... I think I much prefer the fast pace of day shift... Maybe because I always have to be doing something... If there's nothing to do, I make something to do....

The other nurses told me it was a slow night for them and it usually isn't that slow... And, I suppose I cannot judge a whole shift on one night.....

But, overall, if I were grading my experience I would give it a "D." I hope it gets better - or I adapt because I'm stuck on night shift for an undetermined amount of time... until a spot comes open on days....and there are many in front of me - seniority wise - who will scoop the daylight shifts up quickly before I have a shot.

So, my goal is to make the best of it....

I had a hard time sleeping when I got home... Even though I was exhausted, I couldn't really fall asleep until about 10am... But, then I slept right through the day until about 3pm.

On an unrelated note, I'm excited about a new purchase we made: A COUCH!! If you've been to our house, you know we were in need of one - badly... The one we had was so uncomfortable...and old... But we didn't want to buy one with little kidd-os around beating it up... Now that they are older, somewhat, we thought it time to get a new one... It is so comfy -- and we bought a matching chair and ottoman. It will look like we have a regular living room suit! It comes next week... I can't wait!

Here is a picture of it. It is a light, sage green color.

Random Things

Heard around the House recently:

"Can you believe in Santa and not believe in Rudolf, because I don't think that reindeer can have a red, glowing nose." - Lance, age 8

"Did you know that both 'poop' and 'puke' can be nouns OR verbs!" - Isaac, age 10 (Obviously following his aunt's bent for meticulous grammar usage)

Thinking we were Lucky:

When I originally bought Mark's PSU football tickets I thought I ordered them for yesterday's game against Michigan State... But, I received tickets for the Indiana game. Anyway, I'm glad that mistake happened....and we weren't stuck outside "cheering" in 20 degree, snowy weather yesterday.

Change of Shift:

Tomorrow I start my new shift: 7pm - 7am. I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing yet. I can see both sides.... I will be home 4 days a week and only work three. I will be home during the day every day.... I will sleep while the kids are in school.... But, not sure how I'll adapt to switching my sleep schedule back and forth like that.... Historically, my body is sensitive to changes... with migraines being my main affliction when anything goes awry. Here's hoping for the best. Any night shift-ers or previous night shift-ers with advice would be welcome!!

The Short End of the Stick

Since I'm still on orientation, my name is written on the board at the nursing station with the category I am focusing on. For example, right now I'm finishing up Labor & Circulation for sections. So, it says that on the board in order for the charge nurse to make proper patient assignments.

Yesterday I had an odd shift and didn't start until 11am. So, when I came on at 11am, I took on one of the other nurse's labor patients. The off-going nurse was giving me report on the patient and said, "Boy, I wish I could just stay with this couple... They are so nice." But, she gave the labor patient up willingly to me, so I could learn; and, she took on two post-op hysterectomy patients who were coming back from surgery (Our floor occasionally takes a few gyne patients if our census is low enough).

Not half an hour later I heard a slight commotion in the hallway but not thinking much of it, I simply closed my patient's door so she wouldn't be disturbed during labor. Then, when I went out for a break later on I found out what the commotion was: One of the nurse's post-op patients went into respiratory arrest and the nurse had to call a full code blue!

Luckily, the code ended well.... But, boy did that nurse get the short end of that stick.... I got a lovely vaginal birth during my shift with time left over to do all of my charting .... and ... she got a code blue.

She laughed at the end of the day and said, "You owe me!"
That I do.

Football Game Update v. II

Ok, since no one took the bait..... Mark and I went to the PSU game last weekend and it was tons of fun.

For the whole month between giving him the tickets and the actual game, every time I walked outside and felt the chill of the November air, I secretly dreaded spending 4 hours outside for a football game - I don't really know a lot about the game... It always gets me when they start running away from the ball... Anyway, I knew I wanted to spend time with Mark, so I was determined to deal with the weather.

The day of the game my mom came to watch the kids and she brought bundles of clothes to put on me... Yes, my mother dressed me for the game... Weird, but it worked. Boy, does she know how to bundle someone... I had on 2 shirts plus a hoody sweatshirt, long-john pants plus jeans, 3 pair of socks, boots, a winter coat, hat, gloves and a poncho. Plus, she gave me a "Lava-Buns" to sit on. Nothing was getting through to ruin the game for me!

It was chilly and it rained the whole game off and on.... But I wasn't cold or wet in the least... I enjoyed a good hot chocolate and time with Mark, and still after 15 years was asking him "Why are they all running away from the ball?" :)

The Game

WE ARE......

The Hat

After I graduated from nursing school, I wanted to do something just for the heck of it... for - what's that forgotten word? - FUN.... So, being the adventurous gal that I am, I decided I would teach myself how to crochet. :)

This has been something I've had the desire to learn for quite some time... I just always pictured the calming presence of a birth attendant rocking in a chair crocheting or knitting .... Comforting by presence not by grand gesture or actions. Plus, my grandmother used to crochet afghans for us all the time; and, she passed away this past year... When looking at the afghans we have from her, I imagine the time she invested in making the blanket as a gift of love to us. So, I was inspired by that as well.

This past week I went to visit my uncle who lives in my grandmother's house. He pulled out three bins of yarn she had been using and gave them to me. So, now, I'm even carrying on the crocheting tradition with my grandmother's own yarn.

Anyway, I've been practicing since June.... I made a baby blanket and some booties.... and I'm working on a doily for our coffee table. But, Lance asked me about a month ago if I could make him a hat. So, knowing that this will likely be one of the last times in his life when he would eagerly ask for something his mother crocheted for him, I gladly began making my first crocheted hat.

He was thrilled all along watching me crochet during his karate classes and while sitting around at home. His little friend came over last weekend and he quickly brought him over to where I was working on the hat and told him, "My Mom Is Making Me a HAT!!!" His excitement was a gift to me.

So, the process is completed. It is not perfect, and I found out making a pom-pom is much more work than it is worth.......I will surely just buy a pom-pom next time.... But, here is the finished product.

Lancey in a Blue Hat.

Sad Work

This week I was involved in my first fetal demise. It was known that the baby would not live long after birth.

I was assigned to be the "baby catcher."

I really didn't know how I would respond. Would I be paralyzed with emotions? Would I break down and cry? Could I handle it?

I took a 4 hour class just a couple weeks ago on handling fetal demise cases. But, there is really no better way to learn than to do it.

In contrast to medical practice years ago when the baby was whisked away without the parents ever seeing the child; today we make every effort to make and preserve memories for these families. We help them bathe and dress the infant. We take photos and do footprints/handprints. We save locks of hair. We make memory boxes to put all of these keepsakes in.

I was surprised at how controlled I was able to be. I was handed the baby after birth because the parents wanted her cleaned and wrapped before holding her. So, I cleaned and wrapped the precious, breathless baby who was not crying - and was not going to. I delivered the baby to the parents and continued to listen for heart tones intermittently so we could call the time of death.

It was a very somber experience. But, I didn't cry. ---- That is, until I watched to photo montage the next day that the labor nurse put together and set to music (the theme from titanic & "There are angels among us") for the family. All of us nurses gathered around the nursing station to watch the slide show.... Passing the tissues around... It was time to cry... time to be human and to allow myself to feel the sadness....

I think I was focused on doing the nursing tasks and helping to make the experience meaningful and meet all of the needs of the family during the birth, that I didn't allow myself to become emotional...I was all business.... I guess... I'm a little surprised at my reaction, to tell you the truth. Why didn't I allow myself to cry then? I did consciously hold back the tears at one point.. I'm sure the parents would have been touched to see that their child's birth impacted another person.... But, I didn't. I only cried later, when in a safe place, away from patients..... But, as soon as the slide show was over, my other patient rang out and I had to go in to help her feed her squalling, pink baby...with tear stained cheeks from the baby who passed.

Usually this job is full of joy and happiness. It isn't usually sad... But, when it is sad, it is really, really sad.

SIDE NOTE:
As a side note, our department likes to have memory boxes to give to the family after a demise. Usually they are small, about the size of a shoe box, and decorated with crafty things like paint or fabric or ribbons, etc. We are all out. Us, nurses, are making some as we can....But if you are crafty or are part of a group that is looking for a charity project to take on.... We would welcome donations of memory boxes. Just let me know if you are interested and we can talk details.

Called Off

I got called off work today for the first time. I got up at 5am and took my shower and was getting ready in the bathroom when the phone rang.... There were only 3 postpartum patients there and they all were going home today. So, me and a handfull of others were called off.

Mark commented that he never heard of a job where they could call you and tell you NOT to work. But, the hospital cannot justify paying 7 OB nurses with only 3 patients.... So, unfortunately this is what can happen.

Another possibility (which wouldn't happen while I am still on orientation), is that you could be "pulled" from your floor with a low census to other floors that have a high census. This is a very unpopular option.... OB nurses are sheltered and pretty much separated from the rest of the hospital.... We go into the locked OB unit and don't really emerge until our shift is over. From what I hear, when we go to the other floors to work, it is less than ideal.

We are so specialized that being able to function independently on med/surg floors is unreasonable. We have to be paired up with another RN and get used as LPNs or Aids, mainly. And, when med/surg nurses get pulled to the OB unit, they cannot function independently, either. They have to be paired up with an RN and can only work with postpartum moms and babies.... They aren't trained to be OB nurses and we aren't trained to be med/surg nurses. So, generally, we all would almost rather be called off than be pulled.

But, then you have the fact that when you are called off you are not paid for those hours. I was doing the math today and I lost a pretty penny for having an extra day off this week. But, what can you do.

I did some crocheting this weekend. I finished Lance's hat. Pictures soon. And I started a new project. More on that later.

Refreshing Salad Recipe

Go HERE to get a recipe for Mandarine Orange Spinach Salad.

The Good, Bad & the Ugly

Yesterday was a great day - milestone wise - for me at work. I was assigned to an AROM induction that I handled the whole way through from admission to IV start and AROM to epidural to birth and recovery - INDEPENDENTLY!!! My preceptor didn't even have to come in the room.... I was thrilled.... Because there has usually been a point sometime during the labor that I get the "deer in the headlights" look and get lost or sidetracked as to what I need to do next... But yesterday I held it together the whole way through!!

I didn't do everything perfectly, and there is room for improvement... But I'm thrilled to be on my way to independence in labor/delivery nursing.

Speaking of imperfection.... Yesterday I did the "set-up" which involves setting up a sterile field with the doctor's instruments for delivery on it - each dr has their own specific preferences, etc. for how they want it set up. So, I was doing the sterile set up and I thought to myself, "Hmmm, this table seems different than usual." But, not being able to put my finger on what was different, I covered the table when I was done and went on. Then, when the doctor came in for delivery, he uncovered the table and said, "Are we trying to save space?" I looked at it and thought for a second about what he said then realized what was different.... I forgot to pull up the side table flap that makes the table about a foot longer when it is pulled up..... He laughed when he saw that I realized my mistake... I said, "Can you tell I'm still on orientation?" :)

That doctor is pretty easy going and easy to work with... But there is one doctor in particular that intimidates me, regretably. I try to not feel flustered when working with him or calling him...but without fail I am flustered and I inevitably do or say something stupid/absent-mindedly because of it. For example, the other day I was calling him with lab values and I read off the one value as being "0.0" as in saying "zero POINT zero." DUH! It's just zero. And then another time he was leaving the floor (by way of the back staircase) when I received a panic WBC value on my patient. So, wanting to catch him quickly, I ran over to the stair case and called his name right before the door closed. He turned around and I (having never gone down that staircase before) pushed on the door to open it... Nothing. Then I pushed again... Nothing!!! He rolled his eyes and said, "Push the green button." Sure enough, there was a big green button on the wall beside the door that said, "DOOR."

Something like not knowing how to push open a door seems silly and almost laughable...But on that particular day it sent me over the edge. We had just had a hard delivery with a baby born with an apgar of 1, then 4 and was transferred to the NICU - at the same time the baby was going bad, the mother had a postpartum hemorrhage and we lost her IV site and I was scrambling to start another so I could infuse pitocicn while giving hemabate and methergine......So, follow that kind of delivery up with an un-open-able door and you get tears. After I was done receiving orders on the patient with the panic value, I went back to the nurses station and lost my composure and cried. The un-open-able door was the straw that broke the camel's back, you could say....

So, I've had bad days and good ones... It just so happens that yesterday was a rather good one... :) So, I'll enjoy my day off today!

Halloween

This post is a little late...but....

Here are a couple pics of the boys on halloween.... they were the only ones young enough to really embrace it this year... soon we won't have any pumpkin carvers or dressed up kiddies.... how quickly these things go....






But, here they are: Lance was a scarecrow and Isaac went as "Joe Paterno."