Who Knew I Would Like L&D??
Well, my L&D rotation is over.
I have to say, I really enjoyed it! Who knew?! I was not expecting that. It got slow at times, but once the pushing got started, it was a fast-paced environment, good turnaround of the patients, AND you got to build a rapport with them. Everything I love!
I hadn’t realized how much the bedside nurse does. The MD or midwife really only came in after the head was on its way out. They were there to pop the baby out, deliver the placenta, and repair the perineum. That’s it. All the baby care, the comfort, the assistance with labor, being a labor coach, doing the vaginal checks, being there for the pushing which ranges from 10 minutes to 3 hours (a patient yesterday pushed for 2.5 hours!)…that’s all done by the nurse.
I really liked the continuous monitoring (q30min for baby, q1h vitals for mom) and the fact that there is so much to keep track of. Plus, there is a mini-OR on the unit for the C-sections. How cool is that! One of the nurses today was bedside all morning and then went and was the scrub nurse for the C-section. Very cool.
And it’s exciting. Everyone has a different story and a different history. Bringing new life into the world is always exciting. It’s an infectiously happy environment. AND I liked the nurses there. They are good at what they do and they were willing to teach, which is important. It was so awesome!
Granted, I had an intimidating instructor, but it was still a great experience overall.
Maybe I’ll be in purple scrubs after this??
