(Sunday at home) I stayed on the floor till about 7pm and then had to pick up Iris from Grammy's. Shelly was still laboring. She got in the whirlpool tub for a little while and then got out and asked for some pain medication. This case made me a little sad because Shelly had had two babies vaginally already with no pitocin or pain medication. Dr.W ruptured her really early (only about 2cm dilated) and thus committed her to the cascade of interventions...pitocin...pain med...She hates needles and had to be hooked up to IV for her third labor. Looking at her in my mind I have a sad image of a laboring woman who looks like she is really in the ICU, hooked to IV and monitor, laying back in bed with people standing around her looking distraught, the TV on. Not the picture of laboring strength that I would expect to see with a third-timer. I realize my preferred extreme of non-intervention labor and birth is not for everyone but I like the happy medium I've seen so far with the other family doc.
A week ago, my first day on the floor, I did not do much but hung out in the nursery for a bit and met the lactation nurse, Brooke-lovely woman. My experience in the nursery that morning was exciting and disturbing at the same time. I learned through Brooke that this hospital is trying to implement the WHO Baby Friendly guidelines to become officially "baby friendly" in the spring. While Brooke was telling me this, one of the nursery nurses was supplementing (with mom's breastmilk) a premature twin via nasogastric tube. They were letting the twins nurse a little (about 10 minutes) and then would take them away from the breast and feed them more pumped breastmilk with either a bottle or nasogastric tube. They thought the babies used too much energy nursing and they were trying to get their weight up. So anyway, during all of this and Brooke talking about the baby friendly stuff the nursery nurse keeps rolling her eyes regarding the baby friendly stuff. And she says things like "I'll get this mom to bottle feed sooner or later." And she makes rude comments towards Brooke like, "Brooke, the nipple nazi, wants everyone to breastfeed their child till they go to college." So I was a little bit in shock, but what could I do? My first day as scut monkey. I am already a loser and then I open my big trap and say, "I still nurse my two-year old." Nursery nurse must have thought I was lower than the scum left in a dried-up puddle on a tar driveway. While the lactation nurse says, "Good for you," and I can tell from her voice she means it.