this may not be your cup 'o' tea....

... sorry! but this is the craziest thing that i've experienced lately and i just gotta talk about it!

i had prayed that God would allow me to have a great expereince at my clinical on tuesday. i really wanted to see a birth. well He answered that in the first hour and a half that i was there.

i was with a mother who was in labour and things were moving really fast. she was pretty anxious because her husband was on his way and she was about 2 months early! she was really worried about her baby's health. she was transferred to the labour and delivery ward where she had all new nurses, so i decided to stick with her and try to be there for her. it was weird cuz i know a lot of things in theory, but now suddenly i was alone in the room with a very frightened woman who was in a lot of pain. so i crouched down and we breathed together. in and out. in and out. and i told her to squeeze my hand. [ouch!!] she wouldn't let go even in between her contractions. I was so glad i was there for her because her husband arrived 5 minutes before the birth. the birth.... wow. crazy! i can't believe that we've all survived going through that! as the baby i mean! its pretty intense. her baby was born totally healthy! such a tiny little purple squirming thing! ha!
later she thanked me quite a few times. it felt really good. afterwards i stayed with her until she moved to her postpartum room. it was so neat.

and then in the afternoon, i was sent off to do some vital signs on a woman who was scheduled for a c-section in an hour. so off i went, caring for a new patient, who was basically teaching me everything. she told me what i should watch for during the surgery, since she'd had mulitple c-sections already, told me about how to be a good nurse, how to do a good IV, etc. no she's not a nurse, but a very experienced patient. although she did make fun of me for looking 'petrified' while i was doing her blood pressure [i didn't think i was that nervous!] and made fun of me while i was feeling her belly, figuring out where the baby's head and bum were. she was even joking around with the operating team while they were slicing into her.

so, ya, the operation... crazy. i think that they had the baby out within 2 minutes of the first cut. it just took awhile to sew each layer up again after.

so.... now you want to know if i have vowed never to have children.
nope. i can do it!! most women do!

and no, i'm not convinced that a c-section is the only way to go.

and yes, we still have a lot of time to think about that before it's gonna happen. so don't ask.