Soooo... apparently there have been lots of OB days that I haven't blogged about.
I've had the opportunity to spend one day in antepartum (AP), caring for women who may or may not be in labor, and two days in labor and delivery (LD). They've all been wonderful in their own separate ways.
My day in AP taught me an important lesson, and that is this: it's not the babies I love about labor and delivery. (Although, I admit, they're super sweet.) It's the moms-to-be! I had the chance to care for all sorts of different moms-to-be and all sorts of different pregnancies.
My days in LD reinforced that lesson. I saw my first vaginal birth on day 1 in LD, and then spent the rest of the day helping admit a new laboring mother to the unit. She was young and scared -- and I think I'm the first person who told her that it's normal to be nervous or scared about having your first baby. She was so relieved! I spent lots of time talking to her and her mother, holding her hand during contractions and when they started an IV.
On my second day in LD, I saw a cesarean section and spent the rest of my day (plus some additional hours) helping a woman through the labor of her 5th baby.
I never did get to see that baby born. I did, however, get to put a catheter in for the first time. (It took a couple of tries.) And, I had my first experience with adult poop. For the sake of those with weaker stomachs, I'll just leave it at that.
One thing I've noticed about my experience in L&D and AP is that, by and large, these nurses love to teach. I have learned so much from my few days with them!
It makes me want to cry when I think about Black Tuesday -- i.e., my last day in OB nursing.
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