If you couldn't guess I am in an OB nursing class right now and I love it. I'm kind of a dork really when it comes to the whole pregnancy thing. I can remember being in middle/high school and renting birthing videos from the library or checking out books on the "miracle of life." Amidst the screaming, blood, and cutting there was something so fascinating to me. I even got the chance in high school to shadow one of my friend's mom on the Labor and Delivery floor at the local hospital. When asked if I wanted to watch my first live birth I was beyond stoked, that is until I got in the room. I have no idea why but after five minutes or so my hearing started to go, I started feeling sweat on the back of my neck, and my eyes started going black. I quietly excused myself into the hallway and quickly found my way to a seat. I am not a squeamish person but there was something very different about watching the birthing process on videos and being in the room while it is actually happening. Next on the agenda that day was a C-section. I got to watch behind a glass window. Thank the Lord there was a glass window. All I can say is "oh the tugging and manipulating."
Whoever said childbirth is a beautiful thing was STRAIGHT LYING.
This past weekend I had back to back 12 hour shifts on the Mother Baby unit at the local hospital. The mothers and their babies are transferred from the L&D unit to the Mother Baby floor shortly after delivery, barring no complications, until discharged from the hospital approximately 48 hours later. (My L&D clinical isn't until much later in the semester.) I really like the idea of L&D but after my first experience I have some hesitations as to whether or not I will be able to handle the whole thing.
Heading into my Mother/Baby rotation I was assigned chapters in my textbook to read. Let me say that as much as I thought I knew about what to expect after delivery I DIDN'T KNOW THE HALF OF IT. As I read the postpartum chapters and saw the pictures I was mortified. Recently after watching my sister go through pregnancy and hearing the whole after birth stories I have been kind off put of by whole thing. Don't get me wrong I want to be a mom some day but big bellies, stretch marks, hemorrhoids, tearing "down under", etc. were presenting a pretty good case if you asked me why not to put myself through it. Anyways, back to the textbook. My fears and hesitations over the whole process were intensified with every paragraph I read. I finally got to the point where I could not contain myself anymore and I shared the gory details with my roommates (I bet they love living with me sometimes, ha!). Stretching and tearing and blood oh my!
I showed up to the hospital on Saturday morning excited for the day ahead but unaware of what it entailed. I mainly did baby assessments and watched the nurses teach the family various things that pertained to their brand new bundles of joy. It was very low-key. Sunday things picked up. I was in charge of assessing the baby and mom. I'm over the whole "excuse me while I check out your privates" deal but I was a little unsure of assessing the uterus. So my excellent instructor showed me how to properly assess the postpartum mom and my day began. I was off to the nursery to retrieve the baby. He was born about seven hours before I got there so he was brand new (my baby on Saturday was almost two days old). One highlight of my day was when I was teaching the new dad how to change the baby's diaper efficiently. As the dad, who was thoroughly disgusted with the poopy diaper, wiped up the stool while trying to cover his nose baby J decided he was going to void. Pee shot up like a hose and got everywhere. I had tried to tell him to keep the baby covered because leaks are common but I guess experiencing it for yourself does the job better! At the end of the day I was saying goodbye to the family and held the baby one last time. As I looked at the tiny human being in my arms I realized something, you know those people who said childbirth is a beautiful thing? Maybe this was what they were talking about and maybe they weren't lying after all. He wasn't mine but as I got to know him throughout the day and as I held him I realized all that pain, all that bleeding, all that trauma to one's body is TOTALLY WORTH IT.
Other things I learned that I wasn't expecting (nice play on words eh?):
- Parenthood is an adjustment. I'm sure everyone out there is like duh Emily!, but its one thing to KNOW that and it is a whole other thing to EXPERIENCE it firsthand. Nine months of preparation can only prepare you so much. It's kinda like school. Its one thing to read about what to expect and what to look out for with your patient but its a whole other thing to deal with the patient clinically. Once the little guy/girl enters this world there are so many questions and things to get used to. Watching the parents interact with each other and their new child was quite entertaining. Everyday is truly an adventure of new experiences and learning new things about this new life.
- Circumcision was not what I expected. Now I know what circumcision is but I was not ready to watch one happen. I will not go into specific detail but the first one I watched was horrific. The poor little guy was screaming and oh the blood. I had to walk away because I had lost my hearing, was sweating, and began to loose my eyesight. (Yes I do believe God called me to be a nurse - I guess I will have to desensitize myself to the blood!) So when my baby had to go for his circumcision on Sunday I was determined to watch the whole thing. Well the doctor came in and set up his station. This time he pulled out a different tool. Basically it cuts off the circulation to the foreskin that needs to be cut off so when he finally cuts it off there is no blood, or rather very little. I asked him why he choose this way and he explained that there is less blood/pain to the baby, it looks better in the long run, and less potential damage to the nerves in the penis (I'm sure all the fellas out there appreciate that!). I was very impressed with the procedure and made a mental note to ask for that type of circumcision if I ever have a little boy someday! Watching the whole process made me appreciate being a girl, that is until I remembered that we bleed EVERY month, haha.
-While I was in the nursery on Saturday I saw an older looking baby being checked out by the nurses. Apparently he was a month old and had come from the NICU to be circumcised before going home. I didn't get to hear the whole story behind him but what I did learn was that his mother died during childbirth. What I could gather was that it was very unexpected and had to do with excessive blood loss. I guess there were four other little ones at home. I cannot even begin to fathom what that father was going through. Not only did he loose his wife but now he had to adjust to life with five little ones on his own. Dying in childbirth is hardly ever talked about these days because it is uncommon but what we forget is that it still happens. I walked away from this sad situation and told myself that if I ever have a child and we both survive I am going to get on my knees and thank the Lord. Every baby is truly a blessing!
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