An RN’s Latest Experiences in L&D
By Danell Swim
April 13, 2008
I’ve been the baby/recovery nurse for several c-sections (almost all were repeats), with some fantastic couples. I was the baby/recovery nurse for a young couple, where the mother had placenta previa, with a history of bleeds and PTL during the pregnancy. Sadly, it was her very first pregnancy, so if she comes back to my hospital for future births, it will be repeat c-sections for her. Her baby was a tiny little one, only 5 lbs, but doing fantastic. Born at 36 weeks, with + fetal lung maturity on amnio. The docs just don’t like risking a hemorrhage from labor in the moms with a known previa.
Although it sometimes feels like I’m working an assembly line when I’m working with c-section moms, I try my best to personalize their care. Even the doctor for the 36 week c-section mom commented on how fantastic it was that I didn’t move the baby out of the OR as soon as I was done with baby care - that I had the dad hold the baby, had mom hold the baby (while they were still sewing her up!), and waited until they were just about ready to move mom off of the OR table to the stretcher, before bringing baby and daddy to the recovery room to wait for mom. I take it that other nurses will bring the baby and father out of the OR quickly, versus allowing the new family to bond in those initial moments. To me, it’s important to bond early on — you only get those initial moments one time. Who am I to take that away from a new family?
I think it’s wonderful that this nurse is so supportive of bonding time with the new family, but at the same time it’s sad that her attitude is such a rarity in the hospital scene.
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