Labor and Delivery

This week was our first week in clinical rotation. I have to say that this semesters clinicals are a lot different and a lot more educational than last semester. Last semester we were all together in a nursing home and this semester we are all seperated in a hospital. It is a lot scarier and a lot more intimidating this semester because you don't have a buddy with you, they make you come out of your bubble. My first rotation was Labor and Delivery. My shifts are 3-11 so there isn't too much that goes on in the afternoon in that department. I wasn't sure I would see anything.
My first day was Wednesday and i was prepared and ready to see a baby be born, but I went there and there was nobody. I sat the whole eight hours. It was very disappointing. Thursday I went back and they said they didn't have anyone so I was kind of bummed out, but I saw one of their delivery rooms closed and I asked about it and they said one nurse had a patient in there that might have a baby. I asked the nurse if I could go in with her so the nurse took me in with her and asked the patient if I could watch if she had her baby and she said I could. The nurse left me in there with the patient and a student midwife and the student midwife was really good to me. She let me follow her around and she explained everything to me. The patient that I was with did not want an epidural. She was one tough lady. She was dialated to a seven and still walking around the halls and only have to stop every once in a while for a contraction. Finally the midwife made her go to her room and sit for a while. The contractions were getting closer and closer. They decided to have her push once she was dialated to about a 9. i was at the foot of the bed just watching everything, but they needed an extra hand to hold the ladies leg so they had her husband on the left and they had me on the right. It only took a few minutes and the baby came out and it was blue and crying and there was lots of blood....it was awesome. Then it was cord cutting time so they asked the dad if he wanted to cut it, but he said the midwifes could do it and they were so cool they turned and asked me if I wanted to, so I got to cut the cord. How cool is that? That baby was so cute too. He was eight pounds with a head full of hair and his shoulders were fuzzy and he was born with a tooth. The nurse was going to let me do a fundus massage after we gave the family some time together, but she couldn't find me so I didn't get to do it, but I'll eventually get to when I rotate to post-pardum.