My last call shift at the birth center.

It's been bittersweet leaving this family and home but I'm excited to move on to my new job (mom/baby nurse at a hospital) and start having a better work/life balance.

I have an interview for a new job today and no one from my current job or any of my friends know. I feel like I'm betraying them but my current job working so many call hours is killing me. For 2 years I've worked 55-85hrs per week at the same or less pay than nurses in hospitals.

Hoping this interview goes well!

Kind of annoyed when someone tells me that their IBCLC certification is better than my CLC one... they're both entry level as stated by the ALPP so hush. Unless you get your ALC or ANLC don't talk lol.

So I found out yesterday that my husband’s ex is choosing to come to my birth center for her pregnancy. I’m not sure if she chose my birth center because she heard me talk about it or she already desired a birth there, but regardless she knows I work there.

When my husband and I first started dating, his ex decided to start hanging out this his friends/friend group again. They had a bad breakup and her and I didn’t get along for a long while. There was a period of time we just didn’t acknowledge each other’s existence to make it easier. We’ve gotten more mature over the past 4 years but it’s still very awkward. We don’t talk to each other directly, or at least by choice, when at the same social gatherings. 

My husband’s friends used to think I was irrational for not wanting to hangout or around his ex, even though there was a two way street with the animosity. 

I’m not looking forward to the possibility of doing her appointments and/or being at her birth. I wouldn’t love the idea for anyone I know but don’t get along with, regardless of her being my husband’s ex. His friends think I’m “extremely irrational” for even voicing my discomfort with the situation.

I’m a professional and can definitely still do my job 100% to the same quality and dedication as any of my clients, but am I crazy for personally/internally feeling some type of way? (SIDE NOTE: I have moderately managed generalized anxiety, used to be medicated and on counseling, but with high stress situations I don’t manage well internally and it manifests with shaky voice and literally shaking hands and fidgeting)

Any thoughts?

Work Update!

So yesterday we had our clinical staff drills (for complications for births), our entire staff meeting, group staff meetings, and a bleaching party. I also had my private meeting with my clinical and executive directors.

Let me clarify bleaching party too. We typically have cleaners, a married couple, come two nights a week to clean the facility. They take out all trash, mop, vacuum and dust with antimicrobial spray. We also clean every birth suite after a birth with hospital grade cleaning solutions. However, due to COVID-19, our clinical director wanted a head to toe bleach of the entire facility (obviously we didn’t bleach carpet or curtains, we sprayed those down with our other cleaning solution). We spent 5+ hours after the staff and group meetings doing this. We did floors, ceiling to floor on all walls, EVERYTHING.

Anyways, during this time I got my private meeting to ask for a raise. Long story short, they were already planning on giving me a raise, but transfer of management and COVID-19 kind of slowed them down. My clinical director also kind of wanted me to initiate the conversation, which I did. I brought up how I get paid less than hospital which is understood but no raise over 9+ months so from being under paid I asked for a 15% salary increase. They couldn’t remember the specific number the budget/finance department reviewed so they’re following up with me this week. But I AM getting a raise!

It’s also not 100% confirmed but I think I may get a title change/promotion to charge/head nurse. We talked about this in the meeting. 

Feels weird since I’m the newest nurse at my facility and newest nurse in general currently. 

SO HAPPY with this validation of my work/improvement over the past half year though!

Work Update

Friday was a difficult call shift. I was at work for 14 hours, which isn’t bad. But I didn’t get to eat breakfast or lunch because we were so busy so I didn’t get to eat until about 20:00. 

I had to fully clean one of our birth suits while I was there because we had three moms in labor and two birth with us. We only have three birth suits so we had to have one clean and open in case another mom came in. 

Went home with a raging migraine that night. My call shift today has been much better. I am still on call for 4 more hours but I haven’t had to go in yet. I’ve just been working from home because our office is open today. Phone calls, entering labs, emailing clients.

We also have a new hire from about a month ago. She isn’t a new nurse, but working at our clinic is just so different from a hospital and we released her from training too early. I tried saying I didn’t think she was ready but I got out voted. I’ve been the one on call when she’s in office and I have to go back into everything she does to double check there are no mistakes or HIPPA violations.

I’ve been kind of surprised that as a seasoned L&D nurse she doesn’t know how to triage calls for things like spotting or unusual discharge. She also gives clients inaccurate breastfeeding info.

Anyways, my clinical director told me two weeks ago that I’m “basically becoming her charge nurse this summer” but won’t be getting any actual promotion. I have been working here 9.5 months, full time 7 months and never gotten a raise. I’m asking for a private meeting with my directors on Friday and asking for a raise then.

Wish me luck!

In clinic today... just needed to vent again that wearing a think fabric mask outside in the central Florida heat is crazy!

I'm sweating all over and my acne is getting insane!

My job told me we had reusable masks to wear a couple weeks ago and we initiated wearing them all the time like 8 days ago. They are so itchy and the inner filters are hard to breath with.

I ordered my own off amazon 7 days ago even though it looked like it was going to take 3+ weeks to get delivered. It got delivered today! The quality of the mask and filter keeps out just as many micron particles as the ones my work got and the fabric is SO much more comfortable. It is a little small for my ears (I bought a knock off brand that was one size fits all but it fits my face well), but we have 2 of our clients sewing headbands with buttons for our masks and should have like 2 dozen done by Monday or Tuesday so my new mask won’t be uncomfortable at all any more.

I made a good judgement call because that mask is no longer in stock on amazon and says they don’t know when or if they will restock.

COVID-19 Floridian Update

Craziness has begun in our modest birth center.

All staff is required to now temperature check prior to entering facility. Shower once at work (hair doesn’t have to be washed). Put “street clothes and shoes” in labeled bag to get back at end of shift. Change into clean scrubs at work. Wear our reusable fabric masks all day. Clean everything in between each client. Shower at the end of the day. Leave work scrubs and shoes there to be cleaned. Change back into street clothes and shoes. Put labeled bag into dirty hamper as well as mask to be washed.

Same protocol for call shifts. If we get called in for a birth we have to shower and change as well. If it is a precipitous birth we will be taking “whore baths” in the sink...

We are also going to start wearing reusable gowns for births and either wide headbands or O.R. caps if available for our hair.

For clients we have added a few more changes. Asking for no one to come with them to visits and to facetime for ultrasounds. Also offering more telehealth visits and car visits to decrease foot traffic inside our facility and cleaning.

The amount of exposure happening is crazy and growing closer and closer. We have 2 clients waiting on test results and if positive employees that came into contact with them may have to self-isolate which would force our modestly staffed birth center into a temporary closure...

All prayers appreciated.

COVID-19 Floridian Update

We changed our policy on support people during labor. We have asked to try and limit the amount of people but do not have a limit as long as everyone gets temperature checks prior to entering the building and has not traveled in previous 2 weeks nor had any symptoms.

I have been trying to call multiple numbers from our state and local departments of health in order to get approval for late transfers so clients from different providers who are good candidates can have the option to have an OOH (out of hospital) birth so limit risk of exposure to contacts in the hospital.

This has been very unsuccessful because the DOH in every state is so overwhelmed with phone calls and emails due to COVID-19. 

I’ve also been doing all of this after working from 21:00 to 03:00 last night and I have a migraine. YAY!

Uneventful call shift until 1630. Got called in, missed baby being born. SGA with low blood sugar and complicated breastfeeding. Hand expression for 45min and 1-1.5mL syringe fed to baby. Sugars back WNL. However I couldn't get the discharge process going before end of my shift at 2100 so had to call in the next RN.

Fun addition to this shift- I had a headache start around 1200. Going in forced a moderate HA into a moderate migraine. Now home with an aura, nausea, sensitivity to light, sound, and motion. Have to be in clinic by 0700 too. Love this for me!

For some reason, everyone has decided to go into labor and newly pregnant women have decided to come to us for care. I have been working so much during my call shifts, had completely full office schedules with multiple new OB appointments each office shift, and have become physically exhausted. 

My right shoulder has gotten overly exhausted and feels like I may have ripped something. I’m home today and off work laying in bed with arnica gel and a heating pad on my shoulder.

Additionally, I still have so many things to do before my husband and I finally leave for our honeymoon to Oregon on the 18th. 

Send help!

Gotta go in at the start of my call shift because one mom is about to give birth. Probably will be there until 1 or 2am at the earliest. Oh, and another mom is in early labor at home so if she comes in tonight I'll be there even longer...

Full-time and salary paid now so I don't get paid per birth either... oh well. In a field I wanted and getting good experience.