September 30, 2009

I’ve been working on the labor and delivery unit for a month now…watch this video, http://vimeo.com/6344770 (at least the beginning where the nurse describes what happens typically when a woman comes in).

It’s true. The cascade I’ve seen for nearly every patient is this:  early first stage labor (came in probably too early), IV fluids, continuous fetal monitoring, toco (to measure contractions) mom is now allowed to get up and is stuck in bed due to continuous monitoring, slow progressing labor (most likely due to being stuck in bed and laying on her back), several vaginal exams, artificially rupture her membranes, pitocin, epidural, foley catheter… then either (pushing with and epidural- which can be ineffective so you get: episotomies, tearing, both, neither (hopefully) or the vacuum, maybe some fetal distress (heart rate decreases) and then the ever convenient Cesarean birth.) Hire a doula and midwife, and statistically your chances of this ‘cascade’ happening go down, down down. (I posted some journal references so you can look them up if you’d like, those are only three of MANY studies done. I don’t have the time to write them all out, but you get the point.) You don’t have to be afraid of hospitals or docs. That’s not the point.

Just be educated and then be empowered ladies.

References.

Ballen, L. & Fulcher, A. (2006) Nurses and doulas: Comlemntary roles to provide optimal maternity care. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing, 35, 304-311.

Scott, K. D., Klaus, P. H., & Klaus, M.H. (1999) The obstetrical and postpartum benefits of continuous support during childbirth. Journal of Women’s Health & Gender-Based Medicine, 8, 1257-1264

VanZandt, S., Edward, L., & Jordan, E. (2003). Lower epidural anesthesia use associated with labor support by student nurse doulas: Implications for intrapartal practice. Complemntary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 11, 153-160

groceries can be rough. September 27, 2009

Oh the life of a college student living in the city…with no car… who is in need of napkins.

My bike, though I love it, only fits about one bag of groceries. So what do you do when you have to buy tofu, bananas, laundry detergent, and napkins? It’s like “The Perfect Storm.” It’s practically a crisis situation.

Observe:

I told my napkins to stay on, and I was only semi confident that they actually would- but after just getting out of a 7 1/5 hour Sunday class, I was too tired for things like good-judgment or rationale. They took way too much energy at that point.

Ever have one of those days? So this is how it played out: First it started to sprinkle. (And by the way: Walking in the rain? Good. Running? Better. Biking? I’d rather memorize 15 drugs- for fun.) Then, I dropped my keys in the middle of the crosswalk (remember the long class/tired/lack of judgment thing?) So I turned around, grabbed my keys and while bending over, my beloved orange tic tacs fell out of my pocket. I laughed. But my napkins? Intact.

I made it halfway home- feeling like “Yah, I could buy napkins anytime! No biggie! …but then when I glanced back I noticed my napkins had dislodged themselves. Did I turn around for them? Um. Yes.  There they were, rectangular and bright yellow packaging- in all their recycled-napkin glory. I grabbed them, (keys and orange tic tacs now safely zipped into my pocket) held them in my left hand, smiled at the elderly couple in the car who did not run me over (or my napkins for that matter) and went on my way- noticing that the drizzle had stopped.

The days of getting to pick more than five items at the grocery store are long gone. The days are here when I have to choose between salsa and a pound of grapes, buying napkins stresses me out, and toilet paper? (shudder) yah, that’s a 45 minute bus ride- You better bet your buns, we’re stocked up on that stuff. I don’t want to be biking through the drizzly city droppin my TP in the middle of the intersection. (I don’t care if it’s packaged- I’d adopt the same rule we have at the hospital- “If it drops, leave it!”

oh city. You make me miss my car terribly.

ladies. this blog is for you. September 21, 2009

Ever since I started taking Nursing the Childbearing Family and doing my clinicals on the Labor and Delivery unit, I have somehow become the self proclaimed expert of obstetrics. Seriously, advice that you didn’t ask for, keeps falling out of my mouth, such as, “Take folic acid- NOW. I don’t care if you’re not planning on being pregnant yet, just do it. Seriously!”  See? I can’t help it! I’m all full of opinions and often find myself wishing that I could take all my friends and shrink them down to pocket sized people so I could bring them to class and the hospital.

But alas, that is impossible… I was going to blog about some “opinions” I now have, like,

Ask your doctor if he is experienced in vaginal deliveries with an intact perineum, (that is, can he do it without an episiotomy). Ask this before you pick him.  Don’t go to the hospital just because your water breaks, wait until your contractions are  regular and about 3-5 minutes apart- that’s if you don’t want to be a likely candidate for a cesarean section. (30.1% in the US and climbing… ) Vegan pregnancy? Yes. If you are pregnant, take classes and educate yourself about the birthing process. You’ll feel empowered by your body, instead of scared when those contractions hit and you want to give up. Watch The business of Being Born before you get pregnant. Hire a doula. Consider a midwife.

but I will refrain from spouting off too much advice… don’t want to seem so radical that you don’t believe me! Hahaha

More to come. Especially if you are of childbearing age and you are on my cell phone contact list.

hi! September 9, 2009

Someday, I’m going to prove that studying actually does burn a TON of calories (the more complex the material- the more calories you burn)- if I can’t prove that, then I’m going to prove that working on a Labor and Delivery unit all day long increases your appetite-  because it has something to do with vicarious longings or some form of subconscious pregger’s-belly-envy. I have no idea…But I’ll figure it out and get back to you someday.

That was my back to school introduction!

So yes, I’m back , and it’s taken a week and a half for me to be say with honesty this next sentence…”I’m excited about this semester!”

My brain has never been asked to be stretched further, the workload has not been this intense- and yes, probably due to the constant running around, or the biking around everywhere on my new bike -(Yay!), there is now my continuous need for sustenance! And seriously- studying Pharmacology and trying to remember drug-this and drug-that… it makes me quite famished!

But as I eluded to earlier, there is another reason (perhaps!?) for my famish’ed’ness. Labor and Delivery! I LOVE my classes this semester- namely my OB and Birth Companions classes. Pregnant women are lovely- and babies- what can I say about new beautiful babies-I’ll just sighhhhhhhh…instead………..

On my first day when I got to see a delivery- I practically passed out- not because of all the blood or the placenta that was placed in the blue tray in front of me, but because I was in love. I think I floated home from the hospital that night and my feet didn’t touch down until the next day. Labor and delivery is making my semester.

Then there’s birth companions- Amazing! I am so excited! By the end of the class we qualify to be Doulas (birth companions). The even better thing- is that they are internationally recognized through DONA, and this is very conducive for my goals, so this is good! (DONA site)

What else? What else? There’s my bike. Love her. She’s taking me all around the city and this has exponentially increased my satisfaction with my geographical locale.

I guess I could ramble on and on about other amzing things that have happened this semester- involving Dentists, a marathon, Mya (!), and my sweet class at the school of public heath on Humanitarian Emergencies….but… I think I’ll spare you the details or write about them later.

Peace- Rachel