I'll start with last Sunday, working, as I traded with a co-worker, who needed the Sunday before off. She, luckily, got an on-call, as we had a quiet weekend. That all changed during the week, and the following weekend. The full moon hit! So up @ 5:15 am, and was assigned the postpartum...three moms, and three newborns. One had a prolapsed cord with an emergency C/S, another, visiting from out of town, had premature breaking of her bag of waters,and was breech, so she had a C/S, and the third one, pushed for 3hrs. and baby stayed wedged in there, so she w
as a C/S.And me, I was moving like I had a C/S, as the day before, my back went out on me. But I managed to make it for most of the day, then told them I had to go sick because of my back. Relaxing @ home with a warm pack to my back was heaven. It gave me the few hours I needed to face the rest of the week.
Monday, I forced myself to go exercising. I work out Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays each week through Cardiac rehab. I felt bad that I turned Lorrie down when she asked me to babysit Sawyer, but I was facing four more days of working, and my back was a mess. I barely could get out of the car, but as I moved more, my back loosened up, and I was able to walk gingerly on the treadmill for 20", and lift some weights. It did help my back.
I worked in ICN that evening after rushing home to see Earl, and eat lunch, and shower. The little girl that was in there was about 37wks. along, with some respiratory, and feeding difficulties. Her mom had no prenatal care, and was adopting her out. She had a C/S for fetal distress, and she didn't want to see her, or care for her. It was a sad situation. She had two other children, 2 boys, but told us she couldn't care for another child, even tho she had really wanted a girl. So there she was, in a isolette, alone, but not without attention, that's for sure. One of the nurses named her, another, got a girly girl outfit for her. She was rocked, tube-fed at first, then bottled, talked to, and listened to music playing. Later, she was joined by a newborn boy who was a little shocky @ birth, with his umb. cord wrapped all around him, and he also had a irregular heart rhythm, skipping beats on occasion. But then, his heart rate began to beat regularly, so the Dr. left orders that if he stayed stable, he could be transferred to the regular nursery @ midnight. Well, little girl decided she wasn't getting enough attention, started alarming, and when I listened to her heartbeat, she was having premature beats. I worked an extra 45"at the end of my shift, finishing my notes after notifying the Dr., ordering an EKG, and labs on her. Forget my aching back!
Tuesday morning, I was awakened @ 6:30am, to go with Earl up to St. Cloud for an exam of his ears, and hearing test. He was fitted for new hearing aids, and will pick them up sometime in November. We went out to IHOP for breakfast after that, and had the special: fruit crepes, and strawberry french toast.
Got home, got ready for work, and was assigned as labor nurse, but since we had no one in labor @ the time, I took care of two post C/S moms. The first mom checked out fine @ 4pm-no pain, no bleeding, stable vital signs. The 2nd mom I had on Sunday, and she was doing well with her baby. By 5 pm, my 1st mom decided to bleed profusely when she sat up, and after massaging her uterus repeatedly, and removing a few clots, she stopped bleeding. Her bed and pad was saturated with blood. After cleaning her up, I checked her often, and thankfully no more of that occurred. But then I find out, there's a labor patient coming in for a cytotic induction. After many phone calls, someone came to take my moms, and I admitted the labor pt. She didn't deliver before I left, and I jokingly told her, have that baby before I return tomorrow.I stumbled into bed @ 1:30pm after being up 21.5 hrs.
It's Wednesday! I slept til8:45 am, got the dogs out of their kennels, and let them outside. They always make a mad dash out the door, like they've been trapped inside forever. I managed to make some coffee, and breakfast, got the newspaper, and sat down to read my daily Mass readings of scripture, and reflections. This centers me for the day. God is #1 with me, and I try to start my day thinking of Him, and thanking Him for this day. I find myself humming a song I heard the night before on the radio on K-Love, a christian music station. It gives very positive messages thruout the day, and very uplifting songs. Then I eat breakfast, and read the paper. Then I get dressed, and take the dogs for a walk to get the mail, after throwing in a load of clothes to be washed. Then I leave for work. I have to be there by 12:15pm for a mandatory inservice about setting up for a emergency C/S. A staff meeting follows that, and then I am working 3-11pm. As I walk on the floor, I see my mom from the night before, walking the halls, still pregnant, I say to her, haven't you had that baby yet? She says to me, I was waiting for you. Did I tell you this is her 8th child? I am assigned a mom who had twins, who are in ICN, for high bilirubin, and are jaundiced, under lites, and having feeding difficulties. I took care of all three of them. The mom was discharged after supper, but remained in her room, rooming in with the twins til bedtime, and then they went to the ICN overnight. It was a busy night, going back and forth, from mom's room to the icn to gavage feed the babies after trying to bottle, and putting them back under lites, after checking the bilirubin levels. There was also two more babies in ICN, the little adoptive girl, and the boy I had admitted earlier, with the same problems as earlier.
I was again in bed after 1 am.
Thursday-I am off work for one day! I did some wash, vacuumed the floors, and tried to do some of my bible study lesson from the week before. I have class today @ 1:00pm. Needless to say I didn't get it all done. I skipped the walk with the dogs, to their chagrin, fixed lunch quickly for Earl and I, and sped to Willmar for our bible study for two hrs. I really am enjoying this class, gathering in group discussion after watching a video, and sometimes discuss our answers to the questions, but mostly talking about how it applies to our life today, and what is happening to each of us. It's great to be open to others about how you feel about things, and your religion.
After that, Earl and I head to the store to get something for supper, and provide a snack for out Area social concerns meeting, which is being hosted by us @ St. Patrick's. We opted for pizza for supper, and halloween cupcakes for snacks.
Our meeting started @ 7:00pm, and lasted til 9:00pm. Earl then took off to bed, as he had to get up @ 4:00am for work. I stayed up to watch CSI which I taped, then headed for bed.
Friday-Breakfast, reading, folding clothes, walking dogs, getting mail, exercising, getting an on call for 10", then being called and told I had to come to work. So I rushed home, eat something, showered, and sped back to Willmar to work. Again, I was the labor nurse. Two moms being induced. One, 18, moving slowly, but handling labor well, with a doula present. The other, having #6, but not having active labor. Meeting her husband, who told me he stopped @ Caribou coffee, and ordered his wife a Chai Tea, but when he mentioned that his wife was in labor, they gave him the tea free. I asked if he knew Earl, and he said yes, he goes there every day. Then we laughed...he said, what a sma
ll world, here you are taking care of my wife, and I met your husband this morning. It is a small world. Sorry to say, I sent her home undelivered that night.Saturday-nice sunny day, so with Earl's help, we raked, raked, and raked for three hrs. the whole front yard, and make two trips to the dump.
Mahlee and Mac loved the leaves, too, rolling in them. This is what it looked like today, Sunday, after the blast of wind, and snow showers came. Did I say we raked, and raked, and raked?
