Oh wow

Yikes- it has really been a while! My bad! I went to visit Emily last weekend in Kirksville, which was lovely. Then I came back and had a dentist appointment (YUCK). Then it was back to work. Last week was, well...terrible. I don't know why this happened, but we just had so so so many babies being born! On Friday we did 9 c-sections and 5 other deliveries. I discharged 5 patients that morning, and had to take 4 brand new ones. And I don't know if it's because my 6-month work-iversary is coming up or what, but it seemed like I was putting out fires right and left and dealing with emergencies that have not happened to me ever. During the end of my shift Friday, I have 4 crises going at all at once. One patient was hemorrhaging, an antepartum patient was contracting, a new c-section had uncontrolled vomiting, a morphine pump was beeping for no reason, and one of my patient's boyfriends was being an abusive you-know-what. On top of all this, Thursday morning I came down with a cold and have felt pretty crappy since then.
By Friday night when I left work at 8:30 (an hour after my shift is supposed to end) I'll admit, I felt broken. It was just too many days in a row (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) of too much. I was exhausted (mentally, physically, and emotionally). So as I rode down in the elevator, fighting back tears, I called my charge nurse and asked for help. I told her that I know we aren't supposed to do this (there is a schedule and order and everything), but I really really needed a day in the nursery. She told me it was good of me to acknowledge that I needed a "mental health day" and she would see what she could do.
She obligied! I got to spend Saturday in the nursery, which while busy (we had three "border babies" , who's mothers had been discharged, so I was responsible for feedings, changings, and soothing) was a relief. And I had yesterday off. Thank God.
Today was much MUCH better. Even with a crisis that started at report! I was taking over care for an antepartum patient (32 weeks pregnant) who was hunched over in bed,, crying, having contractions every 2-3 minutes and rating them a 6/10 in pain...uh oh! My co-workers tell me that I handled it all well, so that was re-assuring. None of my interventions worked, so she ended up going down to labor and delivery to get more intense and drastic interventions. I discharged 2 more patients throughout the day, and ended with just two!!! And though I'm back tomorrow, I don't dread it! Yay!