Not your 9-5 job but I LOVE it!!

In the words of Albert Einstein:

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

. . . and I witness the miracle of birth everyday. I LOVE my new job as a labor and delivery nurse. It is AMAZING! Since I've been a mother/baby nurse already they're kind of teaching me backwards. First I'm learning the babies. Then next week I'll learn OR- for c-sections, twins, etc. THEN I'll learn the labor process and delivering babies. Right now, my job goes like this:

The labor nurse calls me on a cell phone and informs me of an impending birth.

I meet her in the room (either the labor room or the operating room if it's a c-section). I immediately attach the suction tubing, the oxygen, get my vitamin K injection ready (all newborns are given a vitamin K shot in their leg to help with clotting), then I prepare my erythromycin to wipe across their eyes- that prevents any infections from bacteria they came in contact with on their way out.

Then we wait. And wait. And wait.

Soon the air fills with excitment as the doctor announces the sex of the baby, cuts the umbilical cord and almost literally, throws the baby to me where I vigorously wipe the baby dry. (they're born with blood, fluid, vernix (a cheesy like stuff to protect their skin from acid in the amniotic fluid) all over them. As I wipe the baby, he should be pinking up (he's born blue or kind of gray) If he's not pinking up I may have to put the oxygen mask on his face or wave it by- depending on how long it's taking. This is when we assign those "apgar" scores. The babies are given a number 1-10 at one minute of life, then again at 5 minutes of life. They're judged based on their color, their muscle tone, their heart rate, their respirations and their reflexes. When the doctor cuts the umbilical cord and the baby takes his first breath of life, he often sucks down lots of fluid- if his lung sounds are gunky (I'll spare medical terms for ya :0) then I suction him by threading a small tube (again, I'll spare medical terms :0) down his throat and suctioning up all the "crap". C-section babies are especially gunky because they're not squeezed threw the birth canal on the way out.

After I've determind the baby is in no imminent danger I give him his shot in his leg, smear the medicine across his eyes, weigh him, measure his length and continue his assessment. I won't bore you with all the details but there's an exam called "Dubowitz" that we have to complete to determine the exact gestational age of the newborn. Here, I just googled "Dubowitz" and found this:

Dubowitz exam

The Dubowitz scale is a standardized scale for the estimation of newborn gestational age by neurological examination. The full exam is very extensive and scores 33 specific responses in four major areas: habituation (reponse to repetitive light and sound stimuli), movement and tone, reflexes, and neurobehavioral items. See also Ballard scale.


Then I put a little diaper on, his hat, and I wrap him up and hand him to either mom or dad. It's usually dad because mom's still getting repaired. Can you believe I am the one who hands the baby to his dad for the first time-and I tell him "congratulations".

Not exactly your desk job. I've learned that in labor and delivery when we're busy- we're really busy and when we're not, we're not. There's no in between. I'm also learning there's no lolly gagging around. I have to be aware of every minute and every detail. As the doctor's tossing the baby to me, the labor nurse is yelling out the time of birth which I have to note. Then she'll yet out the time the placenta was delivered, which I also have to note. The doctor will yet out what kind of laceration the mom has- which I have to note. And whether he's using stitches, steri strips or staples to repair her- which I also have to note. All while I'm completing the above with the baby. So there's a lot going on and a lot to do. I am THRIVING on the adrenaline! I learned yesterday that when there are twins, the first one comes out healthy and strong - and the second one has the trouble. I witnessed a beautiful boy being born and then when they tossed him to me, he had cleft palate. I've seen a baby stuck (called "shoulder dystocia"), and I've seen a new little premature girl get whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit). Among the many many normal deliveries- all in just this past week!

So that's "a day at the office" for me :0) I wanted to share it with you because I think it soooooooo exciting. This is a small window of everything I'll be learning. Once I get the babies learned, then I'll learn to be a circulating nurse in the OR and then I'll learn labor- from beginning to end. And you get to hear all about it!! :0)