What do I think about L & D?

My past few shifts have been crazy, but I love it. I have been, literally, up to my elbow in babies.

I've been able to practice lots of my skills, and slowly delve into the world of labor support. I was going to take pictures of my war wounds from being labor support during a precipitous birth (the baby came too fast for an epidural), but our camera was out of batteries.

One thing I hadn't anticipated was all of the paperwork and charting involved in labor and delivery care -- I think I have as much to learn about THAT as I do about how to be a great nurse at the bedside.

I'm learning so much from my preceptor, though. She does a great job of labor support, which I felt was really missing from my previous clinical experience in OB. And, she's supportive of me and my comfort level.

I still have to condition myself to the twelve-hour shifts. All in all, though, it's incredibly challenging, an adrenaline rush (I think I've finally got the shaking under control), and extremely rewarding when things go well. I cannot wait to see how much more I have to learn during this experience!