Labor and Delivery

Last Saturday I was assigned to the Labor and Delivery unit at UCI. Excited? Yes, extremely! I woke up ready to assist with some deliveries. Vanessa and I had joked that when it was our turn to be in L&D, there would be no births. I didn't think it would actually come true!
 
After being assigned to our nurses we were informed about the patient load only to be surprised to hear that every labor room was filled along with the OBER and the recovery rooms held laboring moms. I was assigned to a great nurse, Linda. She briefed me on our patient and we headed into the room. Our patient was an `18 year old primigravida mom....meaning it was her first pregnancy. She had a history of PIH, pregnancy induced hypertension, and was on a magsulfate drip. While Mag prevents her from having a seizure, it slows contractions as well as there is a potential for toxicity. Her deep tendon reflexes, respiratory rate, and urine output needed to be monitored frequently. She was on a pitocin drip that we increased every hour. While her membranes had been ruptured for hours, her labor was very slow to progress. 

Linda wanted to make sure I saw a epidural so she sent me to the recovery room where a laboring mom was patiently waiting for hers. I was instructed to hold the mom in my arms during the insertion. Her anxiety spiked as she watched the anesthesiologist set up his sterile field. He was an intern and his attending was there to supervise. After trying the first insertion it was not in the right location. So, he tried again on the opposite side of the spinal cord. I got a little light headed but it ended up being ok!

Reading a fetal heart monitor and contraction strip is new to me. Linda sat down with me and broke it down. She was a great teacher and I learned alot from her that day. By the end of the day not one of the patients had advanced in their labor. Seriously?! Yes, no lying here. Go figure it would happen on my day! But I did get to help my patient as she went through her epidural. Although this time I had to hold the fetal monitor on her belly while she was hunched over on the side of the bed. There I was for 20 minutes in a squatting position with my hand holding the monitor on her belly. Needless to say  my hand fell asleep and it was numb up to my shoulder!

Although I did not actually see a birth that day, I walked away with more knowledge than I had learned in lecture that week! That is the best part about UCI being a teaching hospital. Vanessa and I will be back in L&D next Saturday.....pray we can see one birth!!!

Orange Senior Center

For each clinical rotation my school requires a certain amount of hours for community observation. This term, for geriatric focused Med-Surg, I had 15 hours due. This needed to consist of two separate days at two different places to get a feel for what services are available to geriatric patients, differences between assisted living and skilled nursing, and more. For my first day of observation my friend Vanessa and I headed over to Orange Senior Center, not knowing anything about it.

I have grown up in Orange, even going to school right by the circle, and in all those years I never saw the senior center. We were greeted with a warm welcome and saw the daily schedule. Man, they pack their days full. It's really great how they offer a variety between games, educational classes, movie day, outings, social time, and specialty classes i.e. line dancing.  We waited as seniors were beginning to arrive and chatted away with those that were there. One man was too cute for words. Everytime he walked by us he had a joke to tell. " You are looking good....almost human!" or "So you are a gal and a qt.....does that make you a gallon and a quart?" Ah, that one took me a minute to figure out but he did have me laughing.


We were encouraged to just "observe" their Bingo game. Apparently they get a little intense so the director thought it would be best for us to sit off to the side. I'm glad we did! Their Bingo is hard!!! All these crazy lines they have to make and it's a whole different lingo....bingo lingo ;) I really enjoyed watching them play ...they were having a ball. The prizes were pretty awesome. Fresh fruits, veggies, flowers, and pastries. For some seniors they may not have the funds to purchase fresh food, so how great that they offer them as the prizes. After Bingo we helped set up for movie day. Can you guess the movie? Sister Act.....on VHS! Woooooo!!! Vanessa and I were pumped since we haven't seen it probably since 6th grade or so. There was a group of Jr High kids who were volunteering for the day and not one of them had heard of the movie. Seriously?! Wow, I just aged myself.


After the movie was their lunch hour so we snuck out for our own. The afternoon for them consisted of bridge, chess, and pinnucle games. Followed by line dancing lessons if interested. I was put to shame in that class. Let me tell you, they are good! I mean I hope I can move like some of those woman when I am 65 and older! We were able to have some great conversations in the afternoon too. I met the sweetest lady only to find out she was a young nurse in World War II! And, her family was Jewish. She even spoke to us in Yiddish as she told stories of things her mom and grandma would say to her. She told stories of being a nurse through the years. How changing beds they would drop a quarter on the sheets and if it didn't bounce back up, they needed to be re-done. She also told us how she had polio as a young girl and scoliosis set in her spine. The doctors did not know how to treat it, so they put her in a full body cast for 5 months. They noticed it helping so repeated for another five months. 5 years later, she was done with a full body cast and fully able to walk with a straight spine. Amazing.


I went into this community experience just wanting to have my hours done so I could finish my homework. But I had a wonderful time. I learned from their experiences. I loved hearing their stories. And I now plan on going back there on my own time just to spend a few hours with them. If you are looking fr volunteer work or a chance to give back to the seniors in our community, swing on by the Senior Center!

Just my thing

To some, a hospital is a scary place. They don't like walking through those big front doors into a place of such uncertainty. They don't like the smells or the atmosphere or the "what ifs". But to me, hospitals are magical. I know, crazy but true. When I walk through the front door of any hospital it is an incredible feeling. To me, they portray a feeling and enviroment of healing and great things. I love walking through the halls, the shiny floors that are always glistening, the sound of beeping IVs and machines, and the hustle & bustle of Drs and nurses running around as they provide care. 

That being said, I love visiting new hospitals. Buildings are inspiring in general. Architecture can be a pretty fascinating thing. Football stadiums and baseball fields are must sees when on vacation, but I also have Trav make one more stop: the biggest hospital in the area. I have a list of hospitals I love and hope to see one day. I am well aware that I am probably completely crazy but I truly love them. I love the helio pads and knowing that they provide an entrance for organ transplants to make their way to their recipients & for emergency cases to have a fast way of transportation. When I worked next door to CHOC, I had a view of their heliopad. Every time I heard the rumble of the helicopter in the distance I would open my blinds all the way so I could watch them land, the medical team prepared on foot for them, and the rush as they unloaded and hurried inside. Most would think it's really sad because it means someone is really sick, and yes, that is true. Those helicopters do transport critical cases but, magical things happen in hospitals. God gave Drs, nurses, researchers and more great technology, knowledge, and skills so that they can take these tragedies, act as His healing hands, and provide healing. It's incredible.

Here are just a few of my favorite hospitals. Some I have set foot in. Some I will see soon. Others I hope to visit one day.

 Phoenix Childrens, AZ

( New building)

Barnes Jewish, MO

Siteman Cancer Center @ Barnes Jewish, MO

Boston Children's Hospital, MA

Cardinal Glennon, MO

(Childrens)

CHOC, CA,

New CHOC, CA

( building in progress)

City of Hope, CA

Denver Chlidrens, CO

SSM St. Mary's, MO

Rush, IL

Texas Childrens, TX

UCI Medical Center, CA

Servant's Heart

The Simple Truths of Service | The Simple Truths of Service Movie


This movie was shown to us during our clinical post conference today. I love inspirational stories like this that grab at your heart. A servant's heart is a wonderful gift to have.

Enjoy!

The Unknown

It can be so nerve wrecking. A little frightening. But at the same time, really exciting. The unknown is what Trav and I are headed into. Come next February I will be done with nursing school and a licensed RN. ( fingers crossed!) However, were I will work, what will Trav's career entail, and where we will live is unknown to us. We have been praying for the past year for the Lord to open doors for each of our careers as well as the best place for the two of us as a family. We've prayed that we will have opened minds and hearts to follow where He leads. We know in the end, it's His plan for our lives and we are along for the ride. He is the author after all. It's taken this past year for both of us to come to peace with the unknown and the many possibilities that we have for next February, but we have reached it together and are pretty excited to see what God has in store for our family.

Today was a rough day at clinical. After sending out a text asking to be covered in prayer before beginning some new procedures, I assumed it would make the day better. Wrong. I was discouraged thinking that if everyone was praying, why was the day so hard and why did I feel so down!? But, once again I am reminded that He works in marvelous ways and I sould never doubt. I ended up learning alot from today and I wouldn't have should it have gone any different. Those prayers that were lifted up for my fears ended up being an answer to prayer, it just took me a little bit to see it. Same goes for after clinical. I don't like to use God as a genie but sometimes it's nice to see a sign to know that you are hearing what He is saying or where He is leading. Trav and I had an extra long prayer last night as we have felt pretty confused this week about next spring and in my mind I was thinking, " Please give us a sign. Put a road sign out there so we know where you want us to be." Well, on my way home from clinical today I received some unexpected news that knocked me over my head. Completely unexpected. Totally a sign. And an exciting possibility. Only the Lord could have had His hand in this to present it to Trav and I. We had a fun time talking through it at dinner and how incredible His timing is sometimes.

So, if you could keep us in your prayers over these next few months we would be forever grateful. Great things are coming our way! Please pray for patience, guidance, and that we are able to stay open and focused on His plan.

"Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know! "Jeremiah 33:3.

Another Sister!

Why stop at 5 when one could have 6!!! That's right...Trav's twin, Trent, proposed to his girlfriend, Teri! After flying up to NorCal for one of their visits he popped the question and she said yes! Which means, I officially now have 6 sisters....does it get much better! I always felt blessed growing up with three. Thank I married into the Hardemans and was blessed with two more. Now Teri will join the pack and we are all so excited!

Trav and I prayed hard for Trent to find someone amazing to spend his life with and Teri is even more than what we all prayed for. We can't wait to celebrate their marriage next summer! Ok, and of course help with the planning this year! Yay for weddings! :-)

Congrats Trent & Teri! We love you!

Cake Pops!

I love love love to bake. It completely relaxes me. Sometimes after a long day of class or when I'm stressed over something I find myself in the kitchen ready to try something new or an old fave. When my parents moved, baking/cooking became my coping mechanism. Poor Trav would come home to muffins, desserts, appetizers, and you name it.

I love the site Bakerella and visit it daily. She has the cutest ideas and even her ordinary cream cheese brownies or sweet rolls are delish. My favorite item to make though are cake balls.You can leave them as plain old cake balls, turn them into cake pops, or cupcake pops. Flavors can range from red velvet, to chocolate, to lemon...you name it. Let me tell you though....they are sure to be a hit. There is just something about them that is so scrumptious and savory you can't just eat one.

This past weekend I had the joy of making another batch. I often find reasons to make them and this time I had a pretty good one. Katie was throwing a baby shower and wanted to serve them as dessert. I was thrilled to have an excuse to whip up a batch. She asked me to use a lemon flavor which would be a new creation for me. But they ended up tasting great. Cream cheese + lemon = fabulous! I'm looking forward to Zoey girl's baptism coming up so I can have an excuse to make more!

Lemon Cream Cheese Cake Pops