Different Stages of Labor ~ Including Dilation, Pushing, Delivery & Placental Birth

When I was an Obstetric nurse one thing that had me all tripped up were all the different stages and sub set of stages there are to labor.  I've recently made 6 videos on my youtube channel that explains all the different stages of labor.  You can find the first of 6 by clicking the video below.

 

Otherwise I'll briefly break it down for you here:

 

Stage 1 = Early Labor: This stage lasts the longest ranging anywhere from 6-12 hours. For some women they hardly know their bodies are changing and getting ready. The cervix can dilate up to 3cm.

 

Stage 1 = Active Labor: This stage seems to be for some women the most difficult especially if their pain is not controlled. This stage could last anywhere from 3-5 hours. This stage the Labor nurse needs to step up her game and stay strong not only for herself but for the patient too. Be supportive and let the woman know she can get through this and that she is strong!  The cervix can dilate up to 7cm.

 

Stage 1 = Transition: This stage is nearing the time when it comes to start pushing. The laboring patient doesn't think she can handle one more ounce of pain or one more hour of waiting for her cervix to dilate. This stage ranges anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.  The cervix dilates to complete aka 10cm.

 

Stage 2 = Pushing: This is SHOW TIME!  Yahoo the laboring patient's cervix is finally 10cm dilated, some women seem to get a second wind of adrenaline that gives them exactly enough energy to push the baby out. Now as a Labor nurse you need to find the strength to help get the laboring patient through this time mentally. She needs the most encouragement during this stage because with each push the baby moves forward but then slips back behind and under the pelvic bone. Which can last up anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours.

 

Stage 2 = Birth: FINALLY the baby's head has made it past the pelvic bone and is crowning. Phew, what felt like forever will be done in another couple pushes. Boom a miracle is born. Sometimes the reaction at birth can be anywhere from immense crying with tears of joy and shouts of happiness to exhaustion to complete and utter silence. The nursing staff and doctors can be emotional too.

Every family and every laboring woman is different. Each with a different story. Other women have a different reaction, where tears may not be made of joy instead sadness fills the air. Every road can be immensely intense and needs a strong nurse to help each patient along the way. 

 

Stage 3 = Placental Birth: Baby's out and doing well. Now all the laboring woman has to do is deliver the placenta.  Some women are just as nervous about this step as they are about delivering the baby. But trust me, most times delivering the placenta is much much easier than delivering the baby.

This is the best time to initiate skin-to-skin and breastfeeding. Otherwise if the woman would rather have the baby cleaned up first, then the Labor nurse can get a lot of the other to-do items completed at this time like "eyes and thighs" or footprints, weight and length etc etc.

Nursing Hiarstyles~~Under 1 min Each~~Quick & Easy

Watch as I style my hair quickly with 4 different options for the on-the-go nurse who doesn't have a lot of time for fuss.

Watch my video and please let me know if you have any questions!

All up

Half up half down

Ponytail

Thanks for watching :-)

~Rachel RN

Million Excuses

As I sit here I could find a million excuses as to why not to write today including these:
-computer is too fickle to work with
-no Word program
-the kitty litter amongst other things needs to be cleaned
-the extra weight I've put on around my middle beckons to be exercised off
-I haven't gotten ready for the day
-etc, etc, etc.
However, I proceed on and continue this post because what I think most important for me right now is to get out how I'm doing.

There seems to be a lot of things going on in my life right now.  Especially BIG life changes that I'm not so sure I can/want to handle.  I prefer to have a normal scheduled day with predictable outcomes but I also love to live each day to it's fullest.  Hence I have new and exciting changes happening all around me.

For example:
-my daughter is graduating high school :-() in 6 days
-said daughter is starting college this summer, in 4 weeks (plus we are having her grad party the day before we move her out)
-same daughter is moving out of our nest...
-I have officially given my 28 day notice at my job and am frightened to death (more to come on that huge piece of news and chapter in my life)
-my son is going to start driver's ed this summer
-my husband was offered an opportunity of a lifetime and going forward with that decision (more on that in a future post)

Ugh more than ever I need this blog as an outlet to vent all that is ever-changing around me.
Thankfully I am working on spending more time relying on my relationship with Christ to help me get through my days.  I cannot even imagine us doing any of this on our own.  In fact recently I read from Lysa and her team at www.proverbs31.org who is developing an app called "First Five".  It's a bible devotional app for your phone basically giving God the first 5 minutes of your day will help transform your day drastically.  They're in the works of fundraising for this app to get it off the ground and running smoothly for when they plan to unveil this summer. Check out more here www.first5.org  The app will be available for free for anyone interested.
HOW WONDERFUL RIGHT!  Either way I think this app will help remind me what to focus on before my feet even touch the floor each day.  Amen to Lysa and her team!

This feels good to be able to organize my thoughts today.  Thanks for listening.

How to Locate and Find the Cervix

One of the hardest things I had to learn when I first became an Obstetrics Nurse was how to locate and find the cervix.  This was difficult because until you find it, you're always in a state of guessing or thinking you're close to it.

The vaginal wall is very strong (being a muscle and all) but can be easily mistaken for the cervix depending on how far you advance your fingers.  And just like the cervix you can stretch and move the vaginal wall and really believe you're at the cervix.

BUT, unlike the cervix that has a thinner wall all the way around it that feels like when you poke your finger through a deflated water balloon hole, the vaginal wall does not.

If any of this sounds confusing or right on to you beginner OB nurses, go ahead and watch my video that explains more.

And if any of you are wondering how to check for dilation, station, or effacement check out my other post here

Hand Lettered Challenge Week 5/52 - Places to Visit

This week's hand lettered challenge prompt is places to visit.  This hand lettered challenge comes from a blogger named Miranti at www.penandpeplum.com

Oftentimes I think I would love to travel. I'll read an article or listen to someone's story about their experience overseas to another country.  I think I'd love to go there and do that.  But then they mention what they ate and immediately I become ill just thinking about their food options.  I'm not a big fan of exploring different food tastes or meals.  I'm too picky!  I would have to travel somewhere inside the US where American cooking is available.

I have 5 beautiful and wonderful places I've painted in this week's video you can watch below to find out more of each location.  And maybe if I ever overcome my fear of eating different foods, I may just visit them.

Thanks for watching and reading and we'll see you next time,
Rachel Anne

Hand Lettered Challenge Week 4/52 - Recall a Summer Memory

This week's hand lettered challenge is to recall a summer memory.  This comes from a blogger by the name of Miranti from www.penandpeplum.com.

Just keep in mind that I have plenty of summer memories and the one I talk about in my video down below is the one that stands out most recently.  Or at least it did when I started filming the video.

I wish there was a way for you all to hit a button and instantaneously feel the warmth from the sun on a bright sunny day.  It's not like I'm implying you all live in caves but when winter lasts longer than almost all 3 other seasons combined here in Wisconsin I sometimes forget that awesome feeling.
And as this winter continues I'm in need of warmth either from sun or temperature to bring me happiness real soon!!

Enjoy more of my explanation of my summer memory by clicking the video below:

Have a great day and we'll see you next time,
Rachel Anne

Early Valentine's Day

This year I have to work on Valentine's Day, actually the whole weekend to be exact. I wasn't so happy about missing out on one of the most romantic manufactured holidays of the year.

So Jason and I celebrated early on the 31st of January.  It was fun and exciting and romantic. We just did a bunch of things we like to do together anyway all in one day and called it good.  

You can click on the picture below to watch the short video I made about our special date.

First Jason surprised me by drawing a fun spring time picture on my bathroom mirror so when I got off work Friday morning I would see it.

Then the following day was our date night.  I got myself all dressed up in what else...a dress. And I happened to walk past this cool striped wall at the hotel and couldn't resist taking a picture in front of it.

Then it was off to dinner, yum we ate at my favorite restaurant in Marshfield.

Afterwards we picked up dessert at my favorite bakery called 2-1/2 Cups Cupcakery.  We purchased a 6 pack of cupcakes, flavors are as follows top to bottom and from left to right:  Bacon and Maple, Dark Chocolate Cherry, Oreo, Salted Butterscotch, M&M, and Reese's PB Cup

Talk about a sextuple-yum!!!

 

Then we splashed around in the steaming outdoor hot tub at Hotel Marshfield. And I gotta say is worth doing especially when the temperature is 17 degrees Fahrenheit and there's snow all over the ground!

Lastly we warmed up by cuddling close and watching our favorite Netflix show called House of Cards.  I love this show!

I love my hubby more and more and more each year, especially when we have many common interests.

What kind of fun things do you all have planned for Valentine's Day this year?

3 Things to Know About a Cervical Check + Vaginal Exam

When I started my profession as an obstetrical nurse back in May of 2013, one of the most difficult things I had to do was check cervical dilation on a laboring patient.
I was so dumbfounded that I didn't even know where, or what the cervix felt like.
I am writing this post for the new OB nurse so she/he can understand that every nurse has to start somewhere.  And it's okay to not know or feel comfortable with every aspect of the job.

I uploaded 3 new videos on youtube to help the new nurse with the following three areas:

    

Click here for video

Click here for video

Click here for video

The reason I created these videos was because when I started out there wasn't many resources especially instructional videos explaining how to check the cervix.
I think I would have benefited from watching these videos.  Which is why I am helping to benefit the new nurse who may be feeling the same way.

My top 3 pieces of advice would be as follows:

1) If you don't know something admit that to who you're talking to whether it's your preceptor, fellow nurse, or doctor (eck maybe even the patient :-).  DON'T GUESS, because those working around you with much more experience know a ton more and usually know when you don't feel confident.
You're not pulling the wool over anyone's eyes when you think and act like you know more than you really do.  It's OKAY not to feel confident at first.

2) Communicate and talk openly to those you are working with at all times.  If you're not sure if you've even found the cervix then explain in detail what you feel.
Most times the experienced nurse can walk you through whether what you're feeling is cervix or not simply by what you're explaining to them.  Also, the more detail the better.  Don't feel embarrassed, this is the profession you chose, feel proud of what you are doing and learning along the way.

3) Practice practice practice!  You must practice if you want to get good and feel confident at what you're doing.  What's the old saying The Great Wall wasn't built over night or was that the Pyramids??  Either way, I would suggest to practice and ask to check as many patient's cervix as you can.  This shows your preceptor that you're willing to do the hard work to become a great OB nurse.

Overall relax, take one day at a time, one obstacle/cervical check/ vaginal exam at a time.  Do your best to pace your learning and try not to get overwhelmed.  When you start to feel that way be honest and tell your preceptor.  Also find a buddy at work who is willing to listen to you vent.  If you want to leave a comment below, I'm always willing to help when I can.

Take care and keep going, don't give up!  You chose and were chosen for this job, so buck up, learn as much as you can each day, and march forward in confidence!

Hand Lettered Week 2/52 Challenge - Summer Love List

A few weeks ago I was reading one of my favorite bloggers, instagrammers, and youtuber named Kate Bryan at The Small Things Blog.  She wrote on her instagram account about starting a 52 week handwriting lettering challenge she found from another blogger named Miranti at Pen + Peplum.
And I was immediately curious and interested to jump on board and start the challenge as well.

The writing prompt for week one was to paint a word, a mantra or your focus for the new year 2015.
Miranti suggested using a #1 round tip watercolor brush + watercolor.  I have numbered brushes I use for nailart designs but I didn't have watercolors. Instead I used a dark pigmented shade of e.l.f eyeshadow and came up with the word Courageous.  I figured this word encapsulated the writing prompt perfectly, given my new adventures as a blogger and youtuber.

The second week writing prompt started on Monday January 12th and it was to paint your summer love list.  Miranti explained "summer has always been about long, lazy days, cold drinks, backyard bbqs, fresh seafood and easy, floating summer dresses". She also suggested using #0 flat watercolor brush + watercolor.  

Since I really wanted to get involved with this challenge I went out and bought some Crayola watercolors and compiled my list, sunshine, walking, barefoot, vacation, birdies chirping, and watermelon.  

Check out my youtube video describing all about it.  My video explains my reasoning why I love all these things about summer :-)

Dental Appointment + Dog Park

Today I had a dental cleaning and I started my day off worrying about going in.
First I called two hours prior to the appointment time to see if I could reschedule, like I've done the past two cleanings.  But to no avail the office staff told me I needed 24 hours notice otherwise I would be financially penalized.  Well forget that!
Unfortunately my teeth are in horrible condition. I don't have a money tree in the backyard to afford all the work needed to be done in one calendar year. With that being said, I have seen my fair share of the dentist throughout my life and cleanings are no different.
I swear most times the hygienist spends her time proving a point that I should floss more and how much can she make my mouth hurt.  hahahahahahahaha...

Well well well today was remarkable different.  My hygienist, Stephanie, did a fabulous job and she made me laugh while cleaning, polishing, scraping, and flossing my teeth.  You can watch my youtube video all about it here.  However maybe my view on dental cleanings have changed as I've gotten older.  And pale in comparison to the root canals.

Stan (my border collie) and I met up with my son after school and we all traveled to the dog park.  Despite a little run-in/attack with another dog who was highly aggressive towards Stan, we had a good time.  BORDER COLLIES = HIGH ENERGY

Lastly and by far most importantly, I started my Kayla Itsines workout program called Bikini Body Guide.  This program goes for 12 weeks and it's a little bit of plyo, jump & resistance training.  Each workout is under 30 minutes and they target problem areas.  I've been following her on instagram @kayla_itsines and I purchased her guide from her website which is https://www.kaylaitsines.com/guides.
She is amazingly brilliant, beautiful, inspiring, and enjoyable to follow.  I look forward to summer and feeling good about showing off my sculpted body.  Hahaha or at least that's what's motivating me forward;-)

Weekend at Mom and Dads + Mom post stroke

Welcome to my slice of the internet aka my blog livelyrachelanne. Where I can let down my hair and spill my guts on things happening in my life.
First I'll start off by writing about the most recent happening in my life which has to do with my mom, Pam.

About one month ago on Christmas day I called my mom on the telephone and spoke for a little while and thought she didn't sound quite right.  Come to find out, she suffered from two massive strokes. The next day my older sister, Karla, took my mom the the hospital and that's when we found out that my mom's right carotid artery was 100% blocked and her left one was 90% blocked.  She had suffered a few transient ischemic attacks (TIA) similar to a stroke where blood flow is stopped to the brain, but only briefly. Some of the tias were recent and a couple were older.  Either way something had to be done.

She was scheduled to have an endarterectomy on January 20th to allow her brain to heal a bit before surgery.  But the docs moved the date of the surgery up sooner to the 8th, after noticing more tias while my mom was in the hospital/rehab.

Don't let this picture fool you, she wasn't feeling well at all

I recorded a youtube video here so you can see how I handled things in the first few days.

It's crazy because no one prepares you on how to take care of your parents after a life-changing event like this.
As I write this post, my mom has arrived back home today and she is doing okay.  After I rearranged and organized a bit around her house, she has called a couple times asking where I put things.  I don't blame her:-)

"After" Organized in boxes

"After" I can see the dinning room again!

I'm grateful and thankful God has gotten her home and she is feeling better. I'm grateful my mom worked hard at PT/OT/and speech therapy to be given the okay to leave rehab.  And I'm happy her speech and scattered thinking has gotten better.

I'm going to visit my mom this weekend and come back and post an update!