Saturday, June 22, 2013

My Labour Story: Part Two... Bitchy Nurse

Okay, so Part One is below.

We had been hoping that my in-laws would be able to drive to our place and take care of the dogs during our hospital stint. Thing is, I was in there 4 weeks before my due date, so no one was expecting it. My in-laws were in another province, and my mother-in-law was set to be staying a few more days to help out my sister-in-law. She had literally changed her return ticket the day before to extend her stay.

My MIL had even called to make sure I wasn't hospital bound. At the time, I wasn't, so it was all good. Turned out we needed to call them ASAP to see if they could make it back to help us out.

We were in the hospital assessment room. It was more of a group exam room - at least 5 beds laid out in close proximity, with the ever-so-private curtain between. I was grateful that I was the only one in there, though I do enjoy a good overhearing-about-others'-vagina-issues eavesdropping under normal circumstances.

The Hubs got on the phone to notify his parents and see who was coming back to BC, and when.

As an aside: I had no birth plan per se. I think mapping out a totally unpredictable scenario is a bit like intentionally setting yourself up for major disappointment. I figured that shit would get crazy at some point and either me or the Hubs would have to make some major decisions on the fly. That's how I roll. But I was specific about two things: no students, and no males wherever I was given the choice.

The Universe laughed at me, as it ended up being a male OB who delivered her. (Notably checking my cervix every 2 minutes to see where the baby was... and for those of you who aren't aware, "checking my cervix" is a nice way of saying "jamming his hand up my hoo-ha").

In truth, aside from the man-handling, he was a top notch doctor and he did right by me and Baby D.

Anyway, the bitchy nurse came back and said that the initial OB on duty wanted to send her MALE STUDENT to come and take my background info. I am horrible at stating my needs and wishes, and Hubs was on the phone. I had to tell her I wasn't comfortable with that (I had already told her about no students and no males). She said "Well, that's what the OB wants".

I told her again I wasn't okay with that.
She told me too bad.
I told her no, I was not okay with that.

She rolled her eyes and left me.

However - small win, the female OB ended up coming to us herself. PHEW. Glad that worked out.

No one could figure out how the baby was laying. It had been a source of major stress for me in the month + before - my other pregnant friends here had been shown how the babies were sitting, but I looked like I had a two-butted baby, and the movements made no sense with where a baby's limbs should be. After baffling my own OB, the nurse at ER a few weeks before, the nurse in labour & delivery, and the OB there, they decided to do a bedside ultrasound.

THANK GOODNESS baby was indeed head down. They said she looked like a heart in my belly. I was just so glad that we had a shot at a normal "natural" (read: through my hoo-ha) delivery. If the baby had been in a whacked out position, my only option would have been a c-section.

(You guys all know how I'd recover from THAT. Read: not well. Though, turns out a vaginal delivery still had lots of surprises and recovery for me as well).

The nurse was a total bitch when I told her that I knew I was GBS bacteria positive with the pregnancy. (It's a relatively common thing that affects preggers women). I was told I would need antibiotics when my water broke in order to keep the baby safe and greatly reduce the chances of passing infection on. The nurse told me there were no records and I "would have been swabbed".

I told her I was positive, it was from a pee test SUPER early in pregnancy, and that I was sure of it. I even knew the approximate date and the ordering doctor. She continued to not believe me and be a bitch. She told the OB I was "under the impression" that I was positive, but that there was nothing in the chart. After a quick review, and me reiterating the details of the date and findings to the OB, she found it in my chart. The nurse laughed it off and said she "read it but didn't see it". Bah.

I know people can make mistakes, but I understood it was important to get it started, and she just kept treating me like I had no idea what I was talking about.

So, my MIL changed her ticket to come back that afternoon, the Hubs was off the phone, the OB decided to induce me.

There was talk of putting some kind of baby-forcing-outage gel in my inner depths, but then they decided against it since my water had already broken and it could introduce some nasty shizz in there.

So... they decided to start me on Pitocin/Oxytocin (a drug that starts strong and/or more painful contractions) post-haste and start the delivery rolling. But because:
A) I'm a wuss
B) I have an existing pain condition
C) Inducing drugs cause massively painful contractions,  and
D) I'm a wuss
E) (see A and D)

they planned to start me on an epidural at the SAME time as the Oxytocin.

And here I am before the agony started:

You may notice my barf tray. You're welcome. Also? I can rock a muthaf_ckin' blue gown, yo.



To be continued...


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14 comments:

  1. I seriously want to crawl through the computer and choke that freaking nurse. I'm sorry, but if a woman says she's positive for something like that, then she better fuckin' find it in the chart. "I read it but didn't see it" don't cut the mustard.

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    1. @J.Day - I think some of them just get tired of all the false alarms, but she really did piss me off. In the end I had a loooong time until baby came out, but we didn't know that then, you know? Gah.

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  2. You DO rock that blue 'gown'. I would be officially squicked out by the medical details, but another blog buddy reset my parameters a couple years ago. Hope you're enjoying being a mom.

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    1. @Keith - Thanks! I was considering just getting rid of my regular clothes and wearing only blue hospital-gown-esque muumuus from here on out!

      Hope the details don't gross you out. I will definitely refrain from any and all baby poop stories, though.

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  3. Bitchy nurses, ugh!!! It's too bad we can't slap them isn't it?!

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    Replies
    1. @Hey Monkey Butt - I think as a rite of labour, we should all get at least two free slaps to anyone in our hospital room.

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  4. I had a male doctor and a male midwife and both were wonderful. I think I was glad glad to get that baby out (21 hour labour), the cleaner could have checked my cervix and I would not have cared.
    You know you have been at it a while when the first mid wife you had when you came in, returns for thier next shift the next day and their first words "Still at it?" At least it was said with a smile.
    Looking forward to the rest of the story. And you do rock a blue gown

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    1. @Mynx - I was still super worried about new people in the room, but I did come to terms with the male OB being there. I'm glad you had such caring male caregivers for your baby.

      And I know all about the hours part!

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  5. As someone who has just recently found herself pregnant, I'm just so very afraid to read more...but I will.

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    1. @thoughtsappear - CONGRATULATIONS!! I'll tell you how it really was for me. I hate the fake bull out there about the wondrous experience. For me it was INTENSE, but I survived.

      You know, barely.

      ;)

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  6. i'd have smacked that nurse somethin' good. well, maybe. probably not. i'm not good at stating my needs and wishes sometimes either. which is why i have gone to the same doctor's office my whole life and i feel entitled to speak my mine (and my doctor welcomes it). and i finally found a gyno that doesn't treat me like an idiot. but when you go in an emergency situation, you don't have that luxury. i'm thrilled to know that everything ended up okay, and can't wait to keep reading. hope you're enjoying your new family :)

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    1. @steph gas - I'm glad you have doc supports now that hear you. It can be so frustrating when you are ignored... I know it all too well. And super hard to advocate for yourself when you are laying down naked with only a paper towel blanket to cover ya.

      I just posted installment 3. I love having baby here, but damn I am tired and have no energy. How are you??

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  7. Ugh. Sorry about nurse bitchy. Yuck. But glad it all worked out in the end.

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    Replies
    1. @Nagzilla - It is still working itself out, believe it or not!

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I get far too excited when new comments come in here...