The "woe-is-me" blog

Remember that old commercial "Calgon take me away"?

Admit it, I think everyone at some point uses their blog as an "outlet" right? Well here's my turn. . . I just worked 27 hours in the last 2 days! I am so pooped! (this is where everyone goes "awhhhhhh" ) I wondered if it was my "initiation" into Labor and Delivery but from what I saw, we were all running around- not just the new girl! Monday I got to work at 7am and ran until 7pm- and I mean that literally (you can "awhhh" again here :0) We had a baby boom on Monday and the pregnant ladies were coming in droves! There were babies everywhere. Then knowing we had 6 scheduled c-sections and 5 inductions (where they come in scheduled to have their baby), we knew Tuesday would be just as bad- and it was. On Tuesday I finally took my lunch at 3:30 when "normal" people who work 8 hour days go home! (I didn't even get to lunch Monday- awhhh again here) And do you know what I learned? That when it's that busy- you're better to just keep going! I couldn't get back up after I sat down (insert another "awhhh" here :0) then when I did, I couldn't get back into it. That quickly changed when I learned they were throwing me in with the triplets delivery!! First one baby- then another-then another. That OR got awfully loud awfully quick. Mom, Dad and their 3 new daughters are doing well. You know what else I learned? That it really was no different than any other cesarean section except that there were 2 more babies- and it gets really crowded back in that OR! (each baby needs a neonatologist, a NICU nurse and a respiratory therapist-plus the anesthesiologist, the MD and his assist, usually another MD, the circulating nurse-which was me w/ my preceptor, and a baby nurse) The circulating nurse is the one running the OR and doing the documentation. If a case goes to court, you have to be able to account for every minute- including what times everyone enters the room, what time the incision is made, what time the water membranes rupture, what time the baby is born, what time the placenta came out, what time you closed the incision, and in between you have to count all the intruments, lap sponges, needles, etc. at 3 seperate intervals. It's a very busy place to be. I've also learned that it doesn't pay to get all ready in the morning because your hair ends up in a hair net all day anyway. So please excuse your labor nurse if you have your baby at 5pm. There may be a very good reason she looks like crap :0) Then after my second 12 hour day, I went to a mandatory meeting that was 2 hours long! I couldn't even focus on what they were talking about- I couldn't tell you what the meeting was about. I hope it wasn't important! But do go check out www.edward.org and look around under "healthy living " and "health library". Edward offers all sorts of information on how to be healthy, get healthy and stay healthy. Take some time to check it out- there really is some valuable information there!