One Born Every Minute

Have you ever seen this show?

I love it. It's one of those shows that the minute I see it on my DVR, it's time to stop what I'm doing to watch it.

It's based in a hospital that has cameras set up 24 hours a day in their labor and delivery rooms. Obviously a lot of editing is done, but it's sort of a reality show that simply shows people's birth stories.
I think I like it because it seems to be pretty realistic. Most of the time it makes me laugh . . . some people definately do interesting things, to say the least. Perhaps they are acting, knowing that there is a camera in the room, but sometimes I'm pretty sure that's how people are when "nobody" is watching. Like the lady that planned a natural birth, while she and her husband chanted "open" for over 24 hours. And the guy that dropped a camera on his baby while taking its first pictures. Or the grandmother with no teeth, that was adamant that her daughter would have a C-Section if that was the fastest way to get her baby out.

I'm pretty sure there wasn't any acting there.

Like I say, it's definately entertaining.

But occasionally it makes me kind of nervous. Knowing that I will be the nurse on there that needs to know what to do when something goes terribly wrong honestly makes me a little uneasy.

As you probably know, I'm in the middle of being trained to be a labor nurse at work. I've had mixed emotions about it . . . I'm definately excited about it, as it has been my goal ever since I was like 10. But at this point, the TERRIFIED aspect seems to be overpowering everything else.

I'm almost at week 5 of my 12 week orientation. So far I feel like I've learned a lot, but there is so much more to learn at the same time. There is so much that can go wrong while someone's having a baby, and instantly for that matter, that I feel like I'm not sure how I'm supposed to learn how to deal with all of those possibilities in a mere 12 weeks.

But at the same time, I've discovered that I have what has got to be the coolest job in the entire world. There's nothing better than being there while two people bring a little life into the world, and the emotions that always seem to take over, no matter what the situation is. Whether it's seeing big burly men break out into tears as their daughter is born, or a terrified mother finally open up and relax while snuggling her baby, it's always as cool as it was the first time.

I know it's always been that way, and that nurses have been experiencing this for years. But to me, it's still all brand new.

I've always been fortunate enough to be part of the birth, even as a "postpartum nurse." But for some reason I feel much more of a bond with my patients, helping them through one of the hardest things they've ever done, and being there at the end to see the reward. It's definately a rewarding process, to say the least.

So as I continue to learn for the next 7 weeks, I am hoping that I become a little more comfortable with things. I keep telling myself that I was this nervous when I first started . . . and they say that you are a good nurse if you never feel "completly comfortable" with things. Don't get me wrong, these things will become routine at some point, and the patients are always safe (I do know what I'm doing to an extent . . . :)

But for now, I will continue to learn as much as I can, and be thankful for having such an amazing job . . .

. . . Oh, and you should really watch the show . . . it's definately worth spending time on.