This was the first shift I have worked with Tiffany, one of my teammates, and it was BUSY! I don't know if we should work together too often, unless we like no sleep :) It was amazing. I took the pushing labor (Janet Tapia) who had been laboring through 2 previous shifts because of ruptured membranes. It looked like everyone was at the end of their patience levels waiting for this baby, and so almost everyone leaving for the night came in to say goodbye and congratulate Janet that her baby would be joining us soon! It was so cute. It was her first baby, and she did an amazing job. Her little girl joined us at 10:28pm, and had a caput (funny looking swelling on her head due to long pushing stage) but she was adorable none-the-less. I missed endorsements, so I had no idea what was going on when I was done with the birth.
Tiffany filled me in that there were 2 other labors, one active, one about to be transported due to bow rupture for over 12 hours and not active yet. BUT... 2 more labors had walked in in the time that it took for my baby to join us, so we had a full birthroom. Tiffany took one active one, and Michelle (one of the newer girls) came to be with the girl I ended up delivering later because she had really connected with her during prenatals even though she wasn't delivering babies yet, and had day shift in the morning. So Michelle took care of her while I did alot of the postpartum work for my girl with Holly (another newer girl).
Just as we were about to do the newborn exam, Tiffany called for help with hers. Holly was going to assist but because it was thick meconium, Ate Steph was there with them. I was outside continuing paperwork for Janet, and Michelle's girl (Den) walked past saying she needed to use the bathroom. I thought this was stetchy and that it might not be a great idea, but we let her go anyway because this was her first baby. Sure enough, she started yelling from the bathroom that her baby was coming, and Michelle had a deer-in-the-headlights look, so I told her to run and get gloves while I half carried Den back to her bed. Just in time too, because 3 minutes later her handsome baby boy joined us. He also had thick meconium, but Tiffany's baby had just been born one minute ago, so all the other midwives were busy across the way. So since this was Michelle's first time assisting, I told her to pull the birth cart really close and I deep suctioned my own baby! Wow. What a rush, unsupervised and I suctioned as well. So step by step Michelle and I did what needed to be done and we kept track of things in our heads because no one was available to write things down for us!
So my first baby that shift was born at 10:28pm on November 9, and my second baby was born at 12:03am on November 10! That's the great part about night shifts. Sometimes the baby is born one day and the placenta the next! That's funny too!
Phew. It was great, I was able to help them through all of postpartum, and they were ready to go home the next morning by 6am when I left. I was tired, sure, but this is the kind of thing I live for.
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