come swim with me!

last friday during my clinical placement shift, i was placed on labour and delivery again. woo! 

i started my shift with a morning elective caesarean section (makes you think that LOTS of babies must be born around the same time almost everyday when the hospital arranges the same time for c-sections). it was my second time watching a c-section and i wish i could say i was just as excited as the first time. but i wasn’t. it becomes a step by step checklist as you watch the doctors, residents, and nurses work. the neato special thing about this c-section was the scarring from the mother’s previous c-section (hence, c-section for second time around). the doctor made the incision into the abdomen and then cut out the scar tissue. getting a piece of scar tissue thrown in your general direction isn’t exactly something that happens everyday now is it?! surgery went well and the family so loving and friendly and they were ecstatic to have a baby girl. the little one was adorable. :)

my favourite part about working with these newborns is cuddling them. it honestly makes your day knowing all the work put into creating something so special and adorable. smiles allllll around! :)

of course, on the labour and delivery floor there are always newborns to bath! i am a newborn bathing expert. i think i lost count how many babies i washed for the first time, and hopefully each time i’ve been improving… it’s just all around good moods. i mean who wouldn’t enjoy a nice head rub with some johnson’s baby soap after 9 months in amniotic fluid? i love giving the babies baths! and of course, always a good time to inform parents about how to bathe their child when they take them home. gotta love health teachings.

so up to that point, i had not seen a vaginal birth in person. i was crossing my fingers and toes to see one that day! i followed a mom for the rest of my shift who was amazing and had the most supportive and friendly family. she allowed me to feel the position of the baby in her uterus. it was awesome being able to feel the baby’s head and spine! and the nurse i was with was so awesome with explaining the readings on the fetal heart monitors, medications, inductions, and general preparation for a delivery. this mother had to have an artificial rupture of membranes (AROM) which made me question my opinions of AROM and again the medicalization of childbirth in the hospital. the device they used resembled a crochet hook (insert jokes the family made about crocheting with it after rupturing her amniotic sac). the ob-gyn inserted the device (what is the name? i do not know) and the amniotic fluid came out like a tidal wave! then of course, since she wasn’t ‘progressing’ (how medical.. eye roll), the ob-gyn began induction with oxytocin. BUT this story is anti-climatic, my clinical instructor had a severe migraine and she decided to end the shift early. sooo i never got to follow through with my client and be with her during her delivery. on the way out, on the elevator, the client’s mother got on with her grandson. she told me that her daughter wish i got to see her delivery. 

to the ears of a 2nd year nursing student, that means so much to me and quite easily made my day to hear how significant i was to my client even though i didn’t do much but talk and stand there. it makes me confident that nursing and caring for people is what i want to do! :)