Labor And Delivery Nurse Shares Her Wildest Stories
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- Опубліковано 15 лис 2023
- Meet Cat Reynolds, a passionate Labor and Delivery nurse with 9 years of experience. Patients routinely ask for her by name in the delivery room. A mother of five, she balances a bustling home life, complete with a grandbaby and four rescued pets. Her passion for nursing and family epitomizes the boundless love and care she brings to everything she does.
0:30 - Surprising Patient Requests
2:36 - Understanding and Adapting to Birth Plans
6:12 - Labor Prolongation and Patient Care
9:01 - The Unpredictability of Labor and Delivery
13:13 - Managing Expectations in the Delivery Room
16:39 - The Emotional Impact of Stillbirths
21:16 - Partner Support During Labor
25:35 - Dealing with the High Turnover Rate in Nursing
30:18 - Overcoming Personal Challenges to Become a Nurse
36:01 - Supporting New Nurses and Navigating Workplace Dynamics
41:02 - Tips for Patients Entering the Delivery Room
46:23 - Cat's Approach to Patient Care and Teamwork
50:04 - Final Questions: Lessons, Patient Interactions, and Tips from the Delivery Room
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Great!!!
Moving and educational!
How do I find your podcast later. I want to listen to it while driving for work.
Great chat! Very interesting!
download on spotify or apple!
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0LxFDnYVxqIMLYM5eq6eCF?si=2524e960353e487d
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/badass-mufkr/id1708994973
I once had a woman who was determined to name her daughter placenta. Finally we showed her placenta. After that she conceded a placenta wasn't pretty, she thought it sounded pretty. I know we changed a little girl's life experience without placenta being her first name.
😂 You did good. That poor child would have been scarred for life, and you saved her the cost of legally changing her name when she turned 18.
@IvyRose8
Thank you for your service! 😅🫡
Chlamydia sounds like a pretty name...but i would hope you wouldn't name your little girl Chlamydia 😂
@@jojo1216 Robin Williams had a comedy bit about Chlamydia.
My favorite was the couple who wanted to name their daughter Candida...until the explanation of yeast infections. They were told to do as they wished, but carefully consider how school kids would treat her...
They named her Maria.❤
With Cat’s comment about delivering a baby when she was young, my neighbor’s daughter was 16 and went into labor at home. Her family was having their own issues and was not helping her at all. They called me over and the first thing I did was time her contractions. She was having them close enough that she was in fact in labor. I told them they needed to take her to the hospital, they were too mixed up with their own issues, so I grabbed the phone to call for an ambulance. In the meantime, she ran to the bathroom yelling she had to go to the bathroom. I ran after her and yelling don’t push. Nope, she had the head delivered and there was a nuchal cord X2. She kept trying to push, and after trying to calmly tell her to breathe, I ended up yelling at her that if she kept pushing she will hurt the baby. She listened. The ambulance crew showed up, I knew the crew (from working in the ER), so I explained everything that happened up to when they arrived. They even asked me about the apgar score and I gave them what I thought was a conservative assessment. I was also in touch with the L&D nurse at the hospital throughout this process. BTW, I was a Medic in the military at the time.
Thank goodness you were there for her! How did they both do? I Hope well!
They were fine. Not too long after that, I moved on base and lost touch with them after a couple of years.
When I was in the military, I worked on the OB ward, and we had the unfortunate experience of having a mom who gone into labor too early, she delivered a baby and the baby was still barely alive. We emptied the nursery, and I stayed with the baby in the nursery. He was very tiny (smaller than a premie), the skin was still transparent, and his heart was beating about 10 times a minute. I had to watch him die. He was considered a live birth, so the family was able to have the normal stuff to care for someone who had died. This was very difficult for me and 3 other people due to the fact that the 4 of us were in different stages of pregnancy. 😢
Bless you for the compassionate way you handled this
I am so sorry that happenned for you. Staying with him must have been hard, but how compassionate that he wasnt alone.
She was my co- worker in Labor and Delivery! She is a great nurse!
We most often found that the more stringent the birth plan, with a patient that doesn’t want to go with the flow at all, the higher the risk of complications and Cesarean section. ALWAYS.
L/D RN, 20 years.
Ps…Catching a baby is the best, most absolutely joyful event that I ever experienced!! You are part of the miracle of life!! It’s beyond beautiful.
This happened to me several times over my career. The most beautiful moments ever to happen to me. Incredible gifts to my life. ♥️🥰
Thank you for all you've done ♥
The problem with birth plans is that parents don’t ever consult the most powerful person, the baby!
Bull crap. I called the shots on my labors, and I fought hard for my vaginal deliveries. I did give into an epidural with my first baby but after that, nope. I even went home AMA with my third baby, twice because they kept pressuring me about the induction process. Had that little girl a week later and was only at the hospital 5-10 minutes before she was born 😆
@@myINFJlife, well, you can count yourself very blessed. There are reasons for doctors to suggest inductions and 90% of the time, it’s because the placenta is beginning (or is) to fail and the fetus is showing us that he will not tolerate intrauterine life for much longer.
glad it worked out for you and your daughter.@@myINFJlife
I never had the opportunity for a plan. I was high risk.
I trusted the doctor and nurses, because chaos needs order.
They knew what was going on, and that’s all I needed to know.
Me too. I'm already high risk because I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and I had a previous miscarriage. I didn't have a birth plan at all... I just went to all of my appointments and ended up requiring a C-section because I developed pre-eclampsia. Thankfully my son and I made it through just fine thanks to the hospital doctors, nurses, and staff!
❤❤❤ I said to the surgeon when I shattered my ankle "I trust you and your training, I'm not lucid, but you're the expert." As an earth science expert, I have an extra level of appreciation for anybody who listens to the experts. Thank you.
I had a full term stillbirth in 2009. My nurses name was Robin. I will remember her forever. We do torture ourselves after stillbirth/miscarriage. We know it isn't our fault, but we believe that is the time we should be able to protect them the best.
My deepest sympathies on your loss.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your baby. 🫂
There are exceptions, but stillbirth is *typically* the result of inherent problem that makes the child fundamentally unable to survive. The most extreme such disabilities (e.g., trisomy on any of the low-numbered chromosomes) consistently result in an early stillbirth (often, before the mother even realizes she is pregnant); but less extreme conditions can take longer. Sometimes a child can even be born alive but only survive thereafter for a few hours or days, due to an inherent disability that cannot be fixed (e.g., Edward's Syndrome). Besides chromosomal anomalies, there are also genetic and congenital conditions that can prevent a child from surviving, without there being really anything that the parents, or medical science for that matter, can do (other than provide supportive care in the time leading up to death).
The are also two chromosomal anomalies that are actually survivable. The better known of these is Down's Syndrome. The other, XXY, is so mild that it often flies under the radar altogether (i.e., people may not even realize they have it), the primary symptom being infertility.
@jonadabtheunsightly my mother had a full term stillbirth in the 70s before she had me. He had Potters Sequence, which is insurvivable. My best friend also had one. In her case it was medical malpractice. She didn't know she was pregnant (she has cerebral palsy which gives her partial paralysis and had no pregnancy symptoms or weight gain). She suddenly started having dangerously high blood pressure and was given a medication that killed her baby without ever being checked for pregnancy. A married woman in her 30s was given a medication harmful for pregnancy without having it ruled out first. I've been checked for pregnancy every time I've ever stepped foot in a hospital since I was a teen, even while still a virgin. The whole thing was insane. Her husband wanted to sue, but she was so traumatized and they tried blaming her for not knowing.
@@ThesmartestTem FWIW, sudden otherwise unexplained high blood pressure during pregnancy can sometimes be a result of preeclampsia, which is very dangerous. If the person you know had that, she may be lucky to be alive herself. Sometimes the mother and child both die, even when it is diagnosed correctly and treated as well as it can be. (Though it's also true that sometimes they both survive, in those cases.) It's also fairly rare, though (my mom worked in obstetrics for 30+ years and only encountered it three or four times, IIRC), and at this remove there's no way to know if that's what was going on, unless it was checked at the time.
Stillbirth is also a lot more common than many people realize. People tend not to *talk* about it much, because of the emotions involved; but quite a lot of babies never make it out into the world. You probably know a lot more women who have had this happen, and you just aren't aware of it because they haven't said anything.
Women like you are how I survived my journey. I’ve had 13 pregnancies. I have 4 healthy babies. I’ve lost 9. One was an iufd, but the rest were at home/before 16 weeks. I hope you continue to remember that you do make a difference being there for the mamas going thru it.
My babies were born in '93 and '94 and my mid-wife was great, I got the same one for both babies. Had mine completely natural, no epidural or anything, my choice. I was also high risk with both babies and didn't have much of a birth plan. My mid-wife helped and talked me through everything, she even found a stand up mirror and placed it at an angle in front of me without being in the way so I could see the entire birth. Also, with my first baby, she was the last baby born in the actual delivery room at my hospital. They shut it down cause they were setting up the labor rooms to also be the same room you deliver in, which was how my other baby was born.
Giving birth is easy, unless you are like my mom with the c section
During my nursing school rotation, in the delivery room, I was checking the blood pressure on a patient. She wouldn't push when directed by the doctor so I felt someone pulling my arm....Swear to God.. the charge nurse straddled her and began pushing on this poor child's abdomen!!! She screamed at the patient, I bet you didn't scream like this when you got this way!! Needless to say every student and our instructor were horrified. This was in 1976.. I did not work Labor and Delivery ever again.
Absolutely true I relate so much to your birth story... I was 18 and the nurse that took care of me was mean and rough. Then I was 27 and the nurse that took care of me rushed me, angry cause she got called in on her day off forced me into what ever position she thought would make things go faster, so much pain. Then I was 31 and my own doctor for the first time. And the nurses were awesome.
The epidural thing wasn’t something I knew until I had my twins. I had a unmediated birth before the twins but when I talked to my high risk doctor that is when I was told that if baby b flips or is breech then an emergency c section would happen. Came in with mindset I was getting one, ( had epidurals prior too) but when my delivery was at push time when I got there that wasn’t an option. Fortunately, I delivered both boys safely unmediated. It was my true wish to do it that way.
Interesting what she was saying about significant others being present. I think it definitely depends on the persons involved… Some are DEFINITELY not helpful and can make the situation worse. Picking the right supports is soo crucial.
It’s a shame this L&D nurse doesn’t get to catch the babies of the women she cares for… so much work and the doc just swoops in at the end for all the glory! Especially when in sooo many other part of the world there are midwives who can provide this care.
In Aus as a midwife I can care of a woman, assist her in birthing her baby (catch her baby) and even suture her perineum if she tears and prescribe simple analgesia if required.
My L&D nurse was amazing. I was induced and my doctor disappeared right after and no one could find her. I went into labor right away, and the L&D nurse had started getting me to push and got to catch my baby. I was so angry when my doctor finally came in the room and joked about how the L&D nurse did all the work for her. I wanted to tell my doctor to give the nurse all the money I paid to my doctor because she wasn’t even there!!
I gave birth 3 times. The first two were not medicated. The last was a scheduled induction and I wanted an epidural. The anesthetists had a student work on my spine. After hearing the term “crunchy bones” and trying my darndest to stay calm while getting something that could paralyze me stuck into my back by a not so experienced person, I finally could lay back and said, “Wow, that wasn’t so bad for the first time.” The instructor (experienced person) looked at me in shock and said, “I thought you had done this before! I read that this is your third one!” Yes, yes, the other two were practically emergency room births. Impossible to even start an IV beforehand.
😂
Tell your friends don't let student doctors do your procedure.
my compulsion during labor was to pet my partner's hair. i pet my cat to calm down at home, so having him rest his head on my stomach so i could 'pet' him helped a lot lol. he also swore he could hear baby boy moving around, too.
i'm just glad i didn't take after my poor mom. while she was pregnant with me, her water broke on the 1st and they finally cut me out on the 6th. i was completely fine other than jaundice, i just didn't want to come out i guess 😅
I had a birth where i pushed for almost 6 hrs and 20 hrs labor. I asked for a csection. The dr came in said nurses are here all night i don't care if it takes 12 hrs youre pushing the baby out. He was face up head tilted to face showing, cord around neck 2.5 times and not breathing. Torn and episiotomy done and vacuum delivery. Nurse was not happy even said should have done a c section. It was very traumatic. I didnt want anymore after. 2nd birth over 4 yrs later 3 hrs start to finish. 3 pushes and born. I got to hold him right away. Amazing dr and just overall so much better. Then the massaging uterus cause it wouldnt go down. Wow. This is bringing back many memories...you seem like the best nurse!
Curious. Did nursing staff help you labor in all different positions to being the baby down or were you left in the typical on your back, legs in the air position?
Here in Australia the midwives routinely do the delivering of babies when all is going well. The obgyn only shows up if there are problems. Midwife is the official title of the labour and delivery nurses here. I had a situation with my oldest where they wanted to hold off on delivery until a pediatrician showed up, because my my oldest decided to show up at 35 weeks, but still no obgyn.
And on babies being in a rush, my youngest took 3.5 hours from the start of the induction to when she was born. I also had the urge to push before I was actually ready to push.
I was sad when this was over! I've never been pregnant, but can tell i would be entirely happy with this woman as my nurse. Love her personality, how humble she is, compassionate.
Adding another comment! I've also lost two pregnancies. One requiring medication and a near septic situation that led to an emergency D & C. I then had the nurse anesthetist to judge me, likely assuming I was having an abortion. My baby was wanted. That made the situation even worse. :( I really would have a hard time seeing some of the things these fabulous L& D nurses take like champs.
Sorry you went through this. I did as well. Maybe the anesthesiologist wasn't judging you. You just felt like they were bc, if you're anything like me, I raced through my thoughts blaming myself for the loss of our baby... & In a very emotional situation, you may have just perceived it as judgment. All medical staff knows the reason someone is having surgery. I don't think anyone would judge you having a D &C due to a miscarriage. My body didn't recognize that there was no life when I went for my 15 WK check-up. The baby had stopped growing at 12 wks. So I took, had to have a D & C. I know your pain & guilt it can bring over you. I hope you're ok now & have been able to have a happy, healthy baby.
I wasn't allowed to have my placenta. I'm a type 1 diabetic and the baby was early, but the placenta was considered late term. So, it was taken for research. I just shrugged. I just wanted a healthy baby.
Interesting 🤔 VERY curious if any obgyns or nurses etc have any information about how or why this may have happened. I hope that's okay 😅 I've never heard this before and I'm really curious lol
Congratulations on the birth of your healthy baby. I was so lucky, my daughter’s placenta held up till the end of the pregnancy. At the time I’d been living with T1D for 24 years. I was just so glad she made it when they suggested a scheduled c section I just went for it. Seemed like the safest move.
@@IveGotItTwistednot to hijack the thread, placental deterioration is closely monitored by her perinatologist and the endocrinologist. These specialists are far more knowledgeable and capable of preventing the danger of maintaining a pregnancy with a deteriorating placenta. It’s very reassuring.
@julietaron I was diagnosed at age 2 months. I ended up with an emergency c-section. But I will never forget that first view of my baby.
Congratulations on the birth of your baby girl.
I drove the ultrasound techs crazy because I refused to find out the gender. I wanted the surprise of holding my baby and naming them. Ex husband was desperate to know. But I'd had a nightmare that I was having triplets, so I only wanted to know how many. She's an only child.
I didn't think they could just take it. Espceailly to do research on it without your consent. I vaguely remeber almost consenting to letting them have it for science because I was so out of it due to the pain meds. Good thing my husband was there to help me actually understand what they were asking. I don't feel like questions like that should be asked when you are still loopy on drugs.
My daughter would have been 19 last month. I will never forget my nurse and the doctor who was there.
I had a similar experience with my first child.. I was 17 and at ob gyn appointment getting tests done. Nurse was taking a lot of blood and I said I can't look while she takes blood cause I don't like needles and she told me I should have thought about that before I spread my legs.. it was so undermining I was so mad
I believe she hit the nail on the head when she talked about the COVID issue, early retirement, acuity issues, etc. A whole generation of experience is gone- Newbies aren’t gradually getting into their areas. Spot on! I have several nurses in my family- I have heard it all from them!
A fairly conservative woman I know of had hers made into capsules. I did not even know it was a thing. I do remember being fascinated with one in the birthing class. I was the only one nearly 40 years ago who spent any time with it. Fascinating. I was way too tired when mine came along to care. Seven years later I became an RN and never was interested in L&D. Hats off to all that Love it.
My ex-daughter-in-law had hers cut up and frozen. She used it in meals for herself. She's helped babies come into the world for the last 2 decades.
After having my daughter, I have a deeper appreciation for labor and delivery nurses (and all nurses for that matter). Everything that they do for you after birth is amazing. I had one check up on me after my daughter was born as she was the nigh shift nurse and I hadn’t had my daughter during her shift. Just a round of applause for all nurses and healthcare workers 👏👏👏
not a medical professional, but love listening to the stories. As a person who is afraid to go see doctors, it would be nice to see people like these take care of me or love ones.--Steveioe- every time you cursed it brings a smile to my face.
When I was a fairly new nurse I lived in a smaller town and out running errands. During afternoon rush hour traffic the Volkswagen Beetle slammed on the brakes and the driver jumps out of the car. I almost rear ended her. She is screaming and I roll my window down just a crack and she is yelling that the baby is coming. I get out and she tells me her sister in law is in the passages seat and the baby is about to be delivered. I run over open the door, reassure mom, while seeing that the baby’s head is already out. I helped deliver that baby and got mom and baby on the ambulance once they arrived. Then carried on with my day. It was the craziest experience I have had as a nurse.
Currently 33wks pregnant, and I didn’t know that I’d have to be put under anesthesia if an emergency occurs if I decide to opt out of the epidural! So thank for that. People are lowkey trying to shame me out of getting an epidural so I keep going back and forth.
It’s a rare situation so I wouldn’t worry too much about being put under general anesthesia. If you want an epidural then go for it. It’s your body, your baby and your birth! My suggestion would be to look up coping strategies for a natural labour, how epidurals work at your hospital (for example, can you still more around? etc) and what a standard c-section process is. Sometimes babies come so fast there isn’t time for an epidural and sometimes c-sections happen even if it wasn’t planned.
P.S. congratulations 🎉 ❤
What the above said, and also even many unplanned c-sections don’t happen as immediately as you might think. Friends and family who have had to had an emergency c-section but weren’t put under anesthesia; they still had time to get epidurals or had other anesthesia so they were still concious
There’s no shame in an epidural. It’s much less stressful, in my opinion. What’s important is that you do what’s right for YOU. Birth is an intensely personal experience. Each one is different, as is each pregnancy, even for the same woman.
She made it very black and white, it isn’t necessarily. If you need a C/S because your labor isn’t progressing, or moving down despite your pushing efforts, or even if the baby isn’t tolerating labor, there is almost always time to do spinal anesthesia. It can be put in faster, works much faster, and gives a denser block than an epidural. If you need a true STAT section ( a prolapsed cord, sudden onset of severe bleeding, precipitous deep drop in baby’s heart rate that doesn’t resolve) is pretty much the only time you’d need to be put to sleep. Those kind of emergencies are very rare.
There is no prize for an unmedicated delivery. If you want pain management, get it. It's you who's going through it, it's your decision. Anyone else can make their own decisions when they push their babies out.
(Says the woman who had 4 unmedicated deliveries, because of a needle phobia bad enough that I have passed out.)
My sister had a baby boy in the bag (en caul). It's super rare!
Thank you both for your compassion for your staff as well as your patients! Nursing is now a very challenging profession with staff shortages and long hours and that doesn’t come close to describing what stress nurses and hospital staff face daily. Thank you for all you do!❤
OMGOSH! I had a nurse, while going from 3xm-7cm in 45 minutes, left alone that whole time, and I'm panicking because I didn't have space between my contractions, at all. (Likely due to only being 38 weeks pregnant and my OB stripping my membranes because he believed my baby would be over 9 lbs. He was 6.07 lbs and 23 inches long! Skelator!)
What does stripping your membranes mean?
I am loving these pid casts. They are very informative and such great healthcare workers!
Thank you for sharing this lovely lady and her stories from Tucson Arizona .
I was high risk with both kids. Bed rest for a month with the first, delivered 4.5 weeks early and had all my support folx with me. I had a pit drip and mag sulf line so did end up having three shots of staydol. (93) With the second one I was in labor for six days and my doc kept sending me home so I could eat. I used the Bradley method modified and a TENs unit for my back labor. Biggest help was the pedialyte popsicles the nurses kept in their freezer for me and having my sac broken. (96) And then my mother said she’d had to do that for all three of us. SMDH
For both births, the nurses were my people. I felt luke they cared and were rooting for me. Had a midwife but it wss the nurses who got me through
I have had four kids.... After my first ( who i had a birth plan for ) and it didn't go according to the birth plan. I never bothered to make another birth plan . When my obs would ask me what my birth plan was id say " i don't know what her plan is. My only plan is getting her out safely"
Labor is a normal physiological process that rarely needs the immediate attention of a physician. That’s not the case with most of your patients in the ER. So, of course, you want the doc there. OB nurses are more comfortable for longer without a doc because one just isn’t needed. But if something starts looking funky, we get the doc there right away.
In England, midwives deliver your baby. Doctors are only called in an emergency.
With my fifth baby, i went to the hospital at about 4pm, was attached to a monitor, midwife checked the reading at 5 and sent me home. 3 1/2 hours later i was back. New midwife told me off for not coming in sooner, because i was 8cm dilated. Pushed for 2 1/2 hrs. She was born just before midnight.
My first delivery
Water broke at home, it had poop in the water. So we knew baby boy was gonna need extra care after delivery, labor went on, then a pain started to shoot down my entire back down my whole left leg, it was horrible. My nurse was awesome, she believed me about my pain and helped my find the most hilarious position to lay in to end the pain, and yes i had an epidural, but it did nothing for this pain cause i somehow pinced a nerve in my back. Time came to push which was entertaining because my baby just refused to turn, he was OP, which simply means he was facing up instead of the correct way of facing down. He then got stuck and my breathing was off and doctor was worried about me, so emergency c-section for me. I didn't see my baby for 28 hours afterwards, he had to got straight to the nicu for pure oxygen, he had a tear in his heart, but pure oxygen healed it up, he also had to spend time under a lamp cause he jaundice as well. I didn't want a c-section but in the end he ended up healthy, i had a hard recovery cause my back still had that pinched nerve and i had that to deal with on top of healing from a c-section, i got some really bad depression and wasn't myself. Becoming a mother is hard, but i was crazy enough to have baby number 2 five years later, we scheduled her delivery, i just had to much PTSD from my sons delivery, my daughter too was born with something extra to bilirubin which made jaundice really bad for her, ended up returning back to hospital cause she need more light therapy, she just became so listless and i was scary, she is a happy healthy toddler now. I wouldn't change either experience it was just part of my story, alone with the baby between my son and daughter that didn't make it past 8 weeks. Miscarriages are very common in my family so the fact i only had one, made me thankful. Hugs to mamas who have experienced it, its not your fault. My hubby kept checking on me, he was worried about my mental health, but i was somehow okay. I think cause it happened so early in the 1st trimester.
Steve, sooo admire this subject video! You are amazing to bring these health care issues you bring to the public's attention! I ❤ your comedy chanel but also LOVE the "shorts" as a form of entertainment🤩!! You're making a difference!! THANK YOU!!
I think a placenta is considered a bio hazard here. The placenta with my first was the size of a grapefruit and the second was not quite double that size.
I has Pre Eclampsia twice and was happy to have two premie babies via C-section.
They are in their forties now.
So much for a birth plan, but all that matters is getting s healthy baby.
I know for a fact I was not a typical birthing mother. Hahahahaha. I refused all IVs and any meds. I walked and squatted at every door and those 2 babies I had 12 months apart were 0cm to done in 90 minutes with one and less either the other. My first 2 births were horrifying. So I switched doctors and even went 2 hours away and hired a doula. She was way better than my husband and wasn't busy with anyone but me.
What was the experience like working with a doula- if you don't mind me asking. I'm a nursing student and I've considered becoming a doula down the road 😊
@@VibrationCrystals Excellent! Let's face it, most dads aren't great birthing partners or good for much. A doula was amazing because she knew my plans and what I wanted and was there to advocate for me if need be. Along with just some great birthing support.
@@VibrationCrystals my last 2 births were uneducated. No IV. Nothing but my doula with me walking the halls and squatting a lot. Best of my 4 births for sure.
@@KitKatB83 So did you hire your doula through a certain company or did the hospital give you one after you requested to have one?
I'm so curious about the way I hear so many healthcare and emergency workers talk about how their coworkers are like family. They take care of each other, know each other outside of work, have each other's backs.
I can't fathom that. Is that something that is common due to what you go through together? Is it mostly because of the kind of people you work with, the personalities that are like this?
I just can't fathom feeling appreciated at work and not just picked apart for everything I do. In the office environment it's every man for himself and remember that your coworkers are not your friend. You can't trust anyone.
Thank you so much for all you do for yourself so you can do for others who come into contact with you.🙏I was fortunate enought to experience an amazing angel, or two, or three before, during & after the birth of my son via C-section (the one I didn't plan on having & therefore didn't study for). 😇😇😇On the other hand, one nurse jabbed me hard with a shot for my pain after the surgery. Apparently there's not supposed to be any pain experienced in her opinion. And I did have to ask the nurses to please show me my baby after the doctor was finished with me & was done with the first APGAR test. After I held him, he did excellent on his second APGAR test.🥰I didn't have the best of circumstances surrounding my pregnancy, birth & life afterwards. But I love my son & there were some amazing nurses there for both of us at the hospital.😍🤩💖
Here in the UK it's mostly always the midwife catching the baby. You can birth without even seeing a doctor if you have no complications, it's so relaxed, no stirrups lots of bouncy balls haha
That sounds great. I believe midwifes should be used more during delivery than they are. In my country, you don't see them very often in the delivery room. I'm not sure why though.🤷🏽♀️
Thats how is should be in the US.
Worked as L&D RN for over 15 years. Birth plans equal everything you want you will get just the opposite. Guarenteed.
I'm glad to know Tucson has some awesome nurses!
Just FYI it really depends on the hospital and your own specific medical situation if an IV is required. I haven’t had an IV during labour for any of my babies (all hospital births). You can ask your doctor or call your hospital LD department to confirm their policy.
P.S. I’m Canadian so maybe it’s different here 🤷♀️
A patient is allowed to refuse an IV even if an IV is hospital policy. In an urban area, they might send you to another hospital if it’s safe to do so. In a rural area where there isn’t another hospital within an hour’s drive, they’re not going to throw you out. They’ll just educate you on risks/benefits and have you sign an Against Medical Advice form.
I'm Canadian and they wanted me to have an IV in the whole time just in case, but I was in so much pain from it that I insisted I'd rather have it removed and put back in *if* it was needed. It wasn't.
@@ettinakitten5047 Sorry to hear your experience. Things definitely vary by where you’re located. I’m in Manitoba. Did they listen to you when you asked for it to be removed? Hope the rest of your birth experience went well.
With my son, baby number 3, the doctor barely had time to catch him. The doc commented that our last name was apropos. The doc nearly missed the whole thing. 1 hour, 36 minutes, start to finish plus a hefty drive to get there.
Thank you for talking about miscarriages/stillbirths- I had 3 losses years ago, and no one wanted to talk about it back then. I am so glad that these topics and other women-related issues are being discussed today.
My daughter-in-law was bleeding heavily. After using all the medications available to us, she was asked to eat her placenta. She stopped bleeding.
Yep! Midwives know this to be true! Any bleeding/hemorrhagic issues means having mom take a bite of the placenta. Works like a charm. Idk why people are go grossed out about it, people eat animals daily.
As a nursing student I feel every student and current nurse needs to hear the portion of this on new nurses and the turnover. As a student all I have thought about was the nurse I wanted to be for my patients. I have never put one thought into the type of co worker I wanted to be until now. We need to be supportive and help each other. My biggest fear so far is going into the first day on the job and feeling “stupid” because I will know no one and new at everything. I feel if I had a co worker like her I would feel better and be braver at showing my skills because of the confidence she gives by being a supportive co worker. We all want to help and make a difference in our patients lives but we need to remember that we need to do the same for our fellow nurses/co workers. I am so glad I found this video because I will take this advice and make sure to carry it with me when I start my career. I hope to be not only a labor and delivery nurse but also a travel nurse and I hope I get a chance to work with you in the future. You are an amazing person I would be lucky to have to chance to work beside you. 🥰
Had my last 2 at home with a midwife, was great! Good to have plan a and b tho
If Cat isn’t a charge nurse she should be! In fact, she should be CNO!
Never mind! She doesn’t want the position. Lol!!
Great Pod cast !!!
Loved the interview! Great health carer! 😊
My sister who is a nurse, wanted natural childbirth.. this was at least 20 years ago. The nurses were nuns and she had to apologize afterwards for cursing at them. She had a epidural for the 2nd child😂😂
Had an amazing birth, was in the hospital 10 mins and had him the midwife’s doctor everyone was amazing, couldn’t as for better care, this was in the UK
Really loved this conversation ❤cat seems really nice too
I can’t imagine pushing for five hours. 😮💨 I’ve had four babies and only ever pushed 2-15 minutes. I’m lucky it was always so quick.
My son had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck 2.5 times. My delivery was from 4pm until 7:30 pm - 3.5 hours.
The most difficult part was not pushing when your body naturally wants you to push.
Complete exhaustion by the end.
Our family friend here in Australia delivered her baby on the floor of the car out the front of the emergency department still with the bag of waters intact 😂 and had to wait for midwives to come to the car.. WOW 😮
Regarding the placenta up first, it sounded like she just ate the whole thing and then later it sounded like she had like one little piece. I’ve been at births with other women who chose to do that in order to minimize bleeding, rather than having Pitocin.
I had a very different delivery than I wanted originally. I wanted a natural birth and ended up being induced because of complications and it ended up with an epidural and c section. It’s ok. We kept an open mind and while it didn’t go as planned, it wasn’t traumatic. I also had a fantastic birth team.
Thanks for all you have shared. I’m an RN as well, wanting to do more L/D. Would love to connect, gain experience from you.😊
Sometimes a person looks back and says to themselves, She was really a good nurse, and I was a real witch to her.
Granted, being in labor is not someone's best moment. As a nurse all you can do is make it as comfortable as possible.
I worked 2 years at King Fahad in Riyadh, Saudi. Had triage pt with prolapsed cord. They tucked the cord back up, she was 7 cms, they gave antibiotics and had her push the baby out. Saw some crazy things there in 2 years.
Oh, I almost had a baby still in the bag. But the nurse standing between my legs prepping me got hosed instead. I was so embarassed, but she laughed said not the first time, won't be the last. And that night there was only me and one other lady laboring. She was down the hall screaming for jesus to help her and then calling her partner every name in the book and swearing off sex at the top of her lungs. So the resident delivering me stopped in to check before he took a nap and we had to close the door and have a good giggle. My sister's 3rd daughter stopped moving at around 32 weeks. She had pain and soreness at the top of her uterus. It took her a couple days, but when she called her doctor they sent her to the ER, and the baby was dead. She had a placental abruption. They had to induce her and the baby had obviously been dead for a couple days. It was horrible. And the husband really shut down and didn't provide any sympathy or support. Everyone grieves differently, but it did eventually lead to their divorce.
If you are an ICU nurse, the phrase:” high acuity” in the sense she talking about just makes you giggle 🤭
How come? 🤔
@@crazy.panda12 if you work in critical care, then nothing else is acute for you .
@@elvirasher4891 of course critical care gets the most critical patients, that's non-arguable. At the same time, I would guess a ruptured placenta previa that can lead to mother and infant death extremly fast is also pretty high acuity. Or an apoplex of the placenta, that can also cause fetal death quite fast. Maybe they are rarer, yes, but also quite tragic if they happen and if the situation is not well managed.
@@crazy.panda12 You can have an emergency situation in any setting, I just never can do L&D. It takes a special person to choose that field and stay in that field. I can never do peds either . I’m simply not made for that
In Norway, the midwives are responsible for the whole birth. She is accompanied by a children’s nurse through the final phase of the delivery (typically from pushing). The midwives will call an anaesthetic doctor to provide epidural if needed. The midwives will also call a doctor to assist with the delivery if needed - eg baby is stressed or no progress. So we rely on midwives to safely deliver and assess any need for intervention or support from doctors.
My little one was almost 9 lbs and he DID NOT WANT to come out but I had BAD preeclampsia... I had 2 birth plans, the first was 3 pages long, and ended with "okay, no, but really" because it was completely absurd... the first time I went in, at like 24 weeks, for some monitoring, I got up to the OB counter to find them laughing their heads off at that one. But, the second one was 1 page and could be summarized as "I'd like a natural delivery but, at the end of the day, keep the little bugger alive, keep me alive, and I'd REALLY like to breastfeed and avoid formula."
After 72 hours of labor (unmedicated because I'm far too stubborn), I said "get it out!". The nurses kept trying to console me, and I would say "there are graveyards full of the bones of moms and babies who wouldn't have made it through this. I'm good."
My mum is/was an OB nurse for decades. She also had some stories of catching the baby, but she was TINY and had tiny hands and wrists, so often ended up on the gurney holding the baby IN when there were issues! 😂😂
This also really made me appreciate my Mr, I was in labor for 72 hours, and he spent the bulk of that time running back and forth between the hospital and our house, because we were a few weeks early, We hadn't finished getting the house ready, and had a ton of family members who were REALLY excited about little snot. I don't think he slept in that time.
😂😂 im that mom that lashed out when my mom was trying to comfort me, rubbing my back, etc. It was so annoying & added to my anxiety & pain.
& Ooooo fir the dads that sleep the whole time! Yokkes! Thats a lifetime of resentment directed at them. Unless you have a more than sweet wife!
My daughter was born at 36 weeks because of my GD & HBP.
A friend told me, you should have eaten more vegetables.
🙄
@@thanksforstoppingby
She was serious.
Your mind sort of runs away with you.
She had seizures for months.
Late 1 night I decided the ice cream at the place there own had to have had something in it. Raw eggs.
smh she was injured in birth.
She is 22 next week
I'm so sorry about that. It was a rash answer.
@@thanksforstoppingby
No no I understood.
It's been a long time, every now & again I get angry about alot of things that did or didn't happen then.
She is 22 soon a senior in college.
She wants to teach.
First of all. Facilities staffing safely and appropriately would go a long way to retaining nurses.
I was in labor for 7 days because I wouldn’t dilate past 3.5cm. Plus I was on a blood thinner. The doctor had to punch my uterus twice, with medications, to stop my post labor bleeding. Felt like she punched me in the stomach. Not fun and scary.
All you had to do was take a bite of the placenta. It’s a time honored, proven way to stop post north bleeding and hemorrhaging.
My waters with my 3rd child, reptured and went all in the midwifes gloves and shoes lol. That was a bloody long labour.
Also, in the UK its the midwifes that deliver the baby and care for the mum. The dr only comes in if theres complications
I was in a delivery where the doctor was all ready to deliver the baby. Mom pushed, her water broke and hit him smack in the face. He had amniotic fluid dripping off his bushy eyebrows, his eye lashes and off the ends of his handlebar mustache with waxed ends. I wiped his face off, he delivered the baby. It’s a regular hazard of the job.
@@eleanorfowser4705 haha that's hilarious. I'd pay to see that lol
I had to leave OB after 20 years and i am bummed i never saw a baby born in the bag either. One kid had three true knots 😮 in her cord though. She'd be at least 7 now. 😅
Lots of cultures eat a piece of the placenta after birth. Fully known to prevent hemorrhaging.
When i arrived to the maternity ward i was 10cm. and ready to deliver
I guess eating lunch while I watch isn't a good idea
Why? You’re grossed out about north but probably eating the insides of dead animals.
In Germany, it is the midwife's job to deliver the baby, the doctor is only brought in when things go wrong. Doctors aren't legally allowed to manage the birth without a midwife (unless it's an emergency).
That’s awesome. Here in the US, birth is way too medicalized. All about the $$$
Pushed for 6 hours on pitocin during my oldest daughter's birth. (10# baby)
It was rough, not gonna lie. Wish I'd've had a nurse like you.
I've had goats that ate the placenta after kidding, and it is so disturbing to see an herbivore eat the placenta. I understand it, but still, that had to have been kind of gross to see a human do it. (You expect it with a dog or a cat.)
You could tell how much the contractions were progressing by how much I cursed. I pushed for 38 minutes, and the nurse didn’t think I would be that fast, but my husband forced them to check right then, and she told him to hit the call button. When they answered, she was busy with me, and he yelled, “she’s having this baby, NOW!” The nurse scolded him that saying that would make them come running, and he said, “Good!”
The doctor ended up doing the running down the hall, grabbing the door frame to stop herself while skidding, running into the room, holding out her arms and the nurses gowned/gloved her so fast that they were still holding the gown because they didn’t have time to tie it, and she caught my older son.
Mad respect to ALL L&D people, but this video and comment section made me SO happy that I’m nulliparous and sterile 😅
Do you have rose bushes? They like placentas too.
Hi Cat - love your tattoo! Are you from San Antonio?
So I have a friend who has some learning disabilities she had an arrange marriage. Well you could also call nothing. She absolutely wanted nothing to do but anyway long story short she got pregnant and her husband decided she didn’t want anything to do with it because she was having a girl and he didn’t want girl so he refused to even come to birth she did not really it took her a while to figure out that she was in labor. She called me and was upset because she cheated on the couch. It took me a few minutes to realize what was happening. She did you know she did go to the hospital, and he actually pretty much dated her , she basically said she fell asleep most of it and they basically handed her the baby she was having problems. She really couldn’t deal with what was happening and so I think they basically sedated her somehow but yeah, so just an interesting sidenote eventually her father did break her husband and the nurses apparently cornered him and demanded that he car seat and some stuff for her. Yeah, it was kind of nailed into the wall so to speak. Even though it was a terrible experience for her, it ended up being a wonderful she divorced right afterwards, and she couldn’t have ended up in a better situation than she was afterwards so yeah.
Great interview but I would say I didn't have to have iv in my birth so this isn't absolute but an vary by policy. The patient should have e these conversations before labor so there aren't surprises.
I've lived in my body for 65 years and know EXACTLY where an IV will work on me and where it won't. I HATE nurses that think they know more about my body than me & totally discount my huge medical experience. Let me help you know what will work in my unique body.
Many mammals eat the placenta for safety from predators to enhance milk etc
Huh. We recently inherited a house from a late family member and are raising our kids here. If we have another I would definitely take my placenta to use for planting a tree or nourishing a tree already on the property but I think we only have the one in the front yard that's actually in our yard the others are in the neighbours yards over the fence lol I am not flinging it over 😂 But that's a really cool idea, giving back to the earth while also making a special place to visit and spend time 🤔
What an amazing nurse. I can see why you picked her to interview. Her honesty does make her such a great person as well as a fantastic nurse.
Hospital better be bending over backwards to keep her working in this field.😊❤
Raised on a dairy farm...cows always eat their placenta. Something important in it.
My birth plan was fairly innocent- I knew I d being having a c section at 37 weeks (I’m a type one diabetic). And the p,a was basically to use music I like and breathing exercises I learned from a prenatal yoga class to keep myself calm beforehand. Instead, I found out my sons broth was ridging a bicycle, eccentric the bike is on fire, I was on fire and I was in hell 😆 I was out in bed rest at 27 weeks, and at 32 I gave birth,. I will forever be indebted to the amazing staff who save both my life and m son’s during an emergency c section, the icu and picu staff 💚 im no mommy to a healthy amazing 3 yr old boy.
Sorry clumsy fingers, let’s try this again bc it won’t let me edit the comment.
My birth plan was fairly innocent- I knew I’d being having a c section at 37 weeks (I’m a type one diabetic). And the plan was basically to use music I like and breathing exercises I learned from a prenatal yoga class to keep myself calm beforehand. Instead, I found out my sons birth was riding a bicycle, except the bike is on fire, I was on fire and I was in hell 😆 I was put on bed rest at 27 weeks, and at 32 I gave birth,. I will forever be indebted to the amazing staff in the icu and picu, who save both my life and my son’s during an emergency c section. I’m now mommy to a healthy, amazing 3 yr old boy.
Uh I’m in nursing and im terrified to be on the floor. No way in HELL would I ever think I know everything. I’m very humble lol. I’m an extern in l&d that stuff is hard!
My kids' Dad complained the whole time with all 4 of my kids. Whined about the bed he slept on. The food. The noise. Never bothered to help me or the baby unless a nurse made him. Bawhahaha. No wonder he is my former, and not current spouse 😂
When my son was born he flew out
Placenta is not from the mothers body. It’s is from the baby’s body and is their genetic material. Not mom’s. We all make a placenta of our own. Our very first blanket fort.
Placenta tartare 😮
If, under normal circumstances, the doctor is only there to deliver the child and placenta, I'm at a loss why the doctor needs to be there at all. Why can't the nurses handle the delivery, placenta, etc.? Again, I'm only talking about uncomplicated births/normal circumstances. What am I missing?
Birth plans are great. Letting L&D know what you want and how you want it is great, and important for things like medication and who you do (not) want in the room with you while you're pushing a watermelon out your vagina (especially if you have a MIL from Hell). It's also important to keep in mind that, for totally unseen reasons, parts or all of your birth plan may have to be ignored. This isn't a dinner party, Susan; you're giving birth. Control is only an illusion.