aljea

So I am a nurse at a small hospital that is part of a chain of hospitals. They have been trying to close us or turn us into an outpatient center or rehab facility for many months now but were unable to because the city wouldn't allow it (This is all confirmed as true). The latest rumor though is that they are now trying to sell our facility. If any of these happen I don't know what this will mean for me. I don't know if some or all of us will be laid off or if we will be transferred to one of their other hospitals.

To further complicate my issue,...

(Continued below)

I have literally tried everything to get this baby out before my induction that is just 31 hours away but she is so stubborn.

On my last check up (at exactly 40 weeks) I was only 1cm with a hard and high cervix. My doc didnt believe I would go into labor anytime soon based on that exam but I was hoping for a miracle anyway. She thinks maybe labor has not started cuz the baby is in a bad position (facing my side instead of back) so she cant drop and put that needed pressure on the cervix to dilate it.

I have had cramps (some days non-stop) since 2 days before my appointment but nothing!

I absolutely do not want to be induced because it will probably be pitocin which I was given during my first child's labor when I didnt go into labor after my water broke at 35 weeks. I was miserable being attached to all those IVs.

So I have tried everything to get her to turn, drop, or just to start labor and its not working. Everything I have done so far has only brought on cramps that never turned into labor. I even have had the cramps come in a regular pattern (like every 8 mins, etc) only to stop after an hour. Yesterday after I walked, I could feel her pressing down and was hoping something would come of it but once again I was left disappointed. Its driving me crazy cuz I keep thinking this might be it!

What worked for you?

I have tried walking hours on end, chamomille tea, red raspberry leaf tea, relaxing, swimming, squats, on all fours, pelvic rocks, sitting indian style, standing and swaying my hips, sex, nipple stimulation, tried manually turning her. I even begged her to come out I swear. I am desperate! I only have until tonight to do something that will bring on labor because tomorrow I just need to accept my fate so I can rest up for a long night of labor.

I know everyone and every pregnancy is different, but i am just curious to know other people's experiences. I am almost 40 weeks and everyone is getting so anxious to see this baby already. I dont feel like I am going into labor anytime soon but I wanted to know other people's experiences in case maybe Im just not seeing it. This is my second child, however my first one was born at 35 weeks and the onset of labor came so quickly. With him, sorry tmi but I just had the runs 3x in an hour. At the end of that hour, I had my bloody show/mucous plug and then 1 minute later my water broke. I never had any contractions, nesting, or dropping of the baby and nothing else.

This time around, I am barely 1 cm dilated and have been for the last 2 1/2 weeks. I have not started to soften of thin at all. I have been getting cramps since 35 weeks. i got a lot of cramps a few days ago but now nothing. I have wanted to clean and organize everything for the last 5 weeks but have not had much energy to until yesterday, but now today I have no energy. Oh and I lost my mucous plug about 1 1/2 weeks ago, there was no blood. My breasts are not leaking nor does it even feel like anything is in them. The baby has not dropped yet but is upside down and slowly turning to face the back.

does it seem like Im getting close?

What were your experiences?

What exactly does it feel like when you are "nesting?"

I am set to deliver my baby at this hospital any time now. I wanted to hear from others who have delivered there.

I went to the maternity open house, but due to so many women in labor at the time, they were unable to give us a tour. It kinda scares me that they were so packed, I hope its not always that bad, and if it is, I hope they are still able to provide their patients with enough care without being stressed out.

I am curious to know how your experience was there.

Also, how was the nursing staff?

Is it a good, bad, or ok hospital to deliver at?

Are they really as pro breastfeeding as they say they are?

Do they give those sample formula diaper bags?

What other samples do they give?

How are they on the labor and delivery floor:

Do they accomodate natural births, water births, different birthing positions, etc.

Do they "HAVE" to hook you up to continuous fetal monitoring and IVs if there is no problems?

And let me know anything else you think I should know.

Thanks

I would like to hear other people's stories that are in the same position as me so I can get some tips and expertise.

I was on the waiting list to get into a nursing program, which is so hard to get into with lots of wait time. I was surprised to find out over the summer that I was an alternate for Fall Semester, especially since I was pregnant and due to deliver right around the time classes start.

Well I officially got my acceptance letter today.

I have 16 days before classes start and am still pregnant. My doctor expects me to go at least another week or 2. This will mean the baby will be born right before class starts on the 16th, although the doc doesnt want me going past the 13th or she wants to induce.

I will be attending class Monday and Tuesday 8-3 for the 1st 3 weeks and then after that clinicals start, which will be an additional 12 hour day OR 2 6 hour days.

The schedule seems manageable, I'm only concerned about getting homework done. But I have a supportive partner who does most of his work from home, so he can stay with the baby while im in class which helps me a lot.

I have looked at the schedule and know I will have enough time to pump and eat between classes so thats not a problem. I also have been spotting good and close pumping locations.

Is there any other advice you can give me. Or just share your experience with me. I would really like to hear.

I wanna hear about how you managed and what the biggest challenges were for you, as well as any tips you can give me for making it smoother.

I wanna know how breastfeeding went for you, if you chose to do so, or if not, why.

P.S. I have a 3 year old son as well. If you have older children as well, I would really like to know how that part worked out.

I don't want to hear that Im crazy, etc. I know its crazy, but I have to do what I have to do. I know in the long run, this is what is best for my baby and my family as a whole.

So looks like I will probably be going back to school right after I have my baby - no choice about that.

I plan to breastfeed for at least 1 year so I will definitely need a pump that will work best for my needs. I have been reading reviews and wanna know more from people's personal experiences, as well as what you guys think will be best for my situation.

I will be pumping about 5 times 3-4 days per week. A BATTERY-operated DOUBLE pump is an absolute must, as well as having a plug-in feature. It would be nice if it had a car adaptor (or have one you can buy for it) as well, but not neccessary. The smaller the better, but not the most necessary characteristic either. I need a pump that can handle this amount of pumping with these features.

I was given The First Years miPump Deluxe Double Breast Pump, but have read horrible reviews on it. Im not sure if the people that wrote those bad reviews just weren't careful and allowed milk to get into the tubing or if it really is a horrible pump because there were some very positive reviews as well. Please let me know if you have experience with this pump and what your situation was (such as how often you used it and for how long, etc).

Also, if anyone has any tips or advice for pumping at school, I would love to hear them. I was an exclusive pumper for my first child because of his prematurity, among many other problems, but was a stay-at-home mom, so I have little experience with away pumping. I used some kind of Medela pump that was given to me but the motor died after a few months. I read great reviews on their products though, so maybe its just cuz the pump was really old. But let me know...

Also, I want to invest in rechargeable batteries since I will be using them like crazy. Please tell me

(based on your experiences) what the best rechargeable batteries are, how long they last (for a high energy using device) with each charging, how long they must recharge for, and also, how long their life is before charging doesn't work anymore.

Thanks for any advice.

I just want to make sure I have everything down correctly and still have some questions on how sick leave and vacation leave will affect everything.

I am preparing to go on leave for my pregnancy in mid July.

Here is my understanding, please tell me if I am wrong about anything.

Up to 4 weeks before the birth and 6 weeks after if the baby is born by vaginal delivery. I cannot apply though until the 9th day of my disability.

After that, I get 6 weeks paid family leave, in which I should automatically be sent the form to apply.

I believe the employer can force you to use any unpaid vacation hours prior to the start of paid family leave, but cannot require you to use any sick leave hours. Right?

As for disability leave, I understand that any vacation time paid out to you does not affect your disability pay, however sick leave does. Right?

Also, the first week (waiting period) that you have to wait in order to file disability is unpaid and will not be retro-paid right? ALSO, during this waiting period time, if I collected sick leave (or was forced to), would that affect my disability pay, or would it not, considering I am not receiving any disability money during this time.

My son's father has gradually stopped coming by to see him as often. First it was only once a week then every 2 weeks, then every 3 weeks and only for a couple hours each time. Now he hasn't seen his son in about 2 1/2 months. Well, finally on Easter, he decided he wanted to visit his son, but I didn't bring him to his mom's house for the first time in a very long time, so he can visit him. I asked his mom why he hasn't seen him in so long and she said he told her he's beeen stressed out. Well that's not a good excuse not to see his son. I am a single mom working and going to school, if anyone is stressed I am, but I am with my son everyday and enjoying it. I want him either in his life regularly or not in his life at all. And to add to this, I met a really nice man who treats me very well and treats my son as his own son. I really want him to be my son's only dad, but I know its not right to cut out his real dad if he WANTS to be in his life. But if he doesn't want to be in his life regularly, don't you think its better that he not be in it at all if my son has a a man in his life that wants to be a real daddy? I just don't want my son getting hurt, thinking he's doing something wrong everytime his father decides not to come around for a few months at a time.I want him to know a man that will be there and love him. So would I be wrong to feel this way...any advice from someone whose been in my situation or knows someone who has??

My son just turned 2, and me and his father split when he was 5 months old. His father was visiting him regularly until about 6 months ago, it steadily became less, to the point it was only an hour every 2-3 weeks, and now he hasn't seen his son in over 1 1/2 months and it looks like he doesn't ever want to see him again or maybe once in a blue moon. His father's mom has a boyfriend that he adores so much, but will be leaving for Mexico soon to visit family and because he's illegal, may not be able to come back. My brother just got out of the Navy and has been staying with us and he has also become very clingy with him and has even called him Daddy a few times. He seems to be attached to any man around him lately, like he's looking for a dad.

I know the question will come soon "Where is my daddy?" or worse "Why doesn't my daddy love me anymore?" What am I supposed to tell him. I have dated but I haven't found a boyfriend yet and have not introduced him to anyone yet because I don't think its appropriate, so there is no father figure from me anytime soon, I think. I mean I wish I could give him a daddy with the snap of my fingers, but I can't, so what am I supposed to do when he asks these questions one day?

Can someone who received WIC in California please tell me how much milk they are getting from WIC for their 2 year old? My sister, whose daughter is 2 1/2 years older than my son, said her duaghter got 4 1/2 gallons of milk at 2 yrs and it stayed that way ever since and she is now 4. I asked WIC and they said the packages for 1-2 yrs are the same, which are 3 gallons and the packages for 3-4 years are the same which is 4 1/2 gallons. It doesn't make sense to me that they say the children 1-5 years need 2 8oz cups of milk per day, which would require 4 1/2 gallons, not 3 gallons.

So yeah can anyone tell me please what they get for their 2 yr old or if they work for WIC in california only though because I know it can differ from state to state.

Thanks so much.

I am trying to read about surface tension and the lungs in my book but it is a very short segment and so I am a little confused.

From what I am reading, I think surface tension helps collapse the alveoli to increse the pressure of air within. Now what is the air..Oxygen going to the blood, CO2 going outside, both? Oxygen would just diffuse into the blood right, so its CO2 trying to get out, right? so this is a part of expiration? I know surfactant reduces this tension and keeps the alveoli from collapsing, but did I get the concept of surface tension right? Anything else I missed or something that i said that isn't right?

Thanx for the help

I am throwing a party for my son's 2nd birthday. I need some advice on how to keep the people entertained. there will be adults as well as kids, ages babies to like 10 years old. I am sure the adults will be fine socializing but if any one has ideas for keeping everyone entertained let me know please.

I have a pinata, pin the tail on the donkey, and music. I have a prize for winning a game, but Im not sure what game they can win to get it...so I was thinking of a dance contest or something for the kids.

do these sound like good ideas? Does anyone have other ideas?

I am trying to write directions to my house for my son's birthday party but I need some help in Spanish.

I need to say exit Goldenwest Street. How do you say exit in that form?

So does anyone know if they have come up with a budget yet and if checks will be delayed as of February 1st.

I am a working college student on welfare, so I am triple screwed over this,(with my Cal grant for school, my welfare check, and my state tax refund) so I really need to know.

I dont want any lazy comments or other rude comments. I am on welfare not by choice but because stuff happens. I am in FT nursing school, PT work, and volunteer at a hospital PT and I am a single mom. I will be off for sure come May or June anyway, and I dont get much aid anyway because of my paycheck. So appreciate no rude comments, although I know I am bound to get some anyway.

I applied for a volunteer position at 2 different hospitals and I got accepted to one for sure and the other one I am still waiting on the acceptance or rejection letter.

If I do get accepted I really dont know which one I should work at.

1) I really wanted to work there. This hospital is more known and more classy. It is the hospital I used to go to as a patient so I am somewhat familiar with it.

BUT it is really competetive and to get the floor I want; they said it may take a couple rotations, if at all to get that particular floor.

2) It is more of a ghetto hospital. I did a phlebotomy internship so I am very familiar with it and some of the people. It is way less competetive so I am sure I can get the floors I want pretty easily. I for sure am accepted.

One thing is I am getting my phlebotomy license and will be soon looking for a job in a hospital with that and was hoping if they saw my work as a volunteer and there was ever a phlebotomy position open at the hospital, it would be easy to get a job there if they like me. Well #1 I think i wouldn't mind working as a phlebotomist at. #2 I have worked there as a Phlebotomy intern so it would be really easy to get a job there anyway and even easier if I am a volunteer too, BUT the phlebotomy bosses are horrible to their employees and I wouldn't want to work there unless it was a last resort.

so which should I chose?????

I am trying to do my FAFSA and I am an independent student but it asks if I want to include my parent's information. How come it reccomends including it if you are a health profession student. I am curious because I am a nursing student so I really want to know why in case I should include this info.

thanx

I need to get a notarized copy of my certificate of completion of my Phlebotomy program in order to take the licensing exam. About how much does this cost to get done?

Someone at my school was telling me about this and I am not sure really what it is. All I now is you can get more financial aid money for working. How do you apply, like is there something on the FAFSA? Also, what jobs count? Any jobs or does the school assign you? Is it an internship? Really confused help me? Oh also, if you chose the job, does it have to be related to your major?

Okay its been so long since I had to worry about this kinda stuff because my last relationship was a long term relationship so dont laugh at me okay lol. I know it should be like riding a bike, you never forget, but i guess its not.

But anyways, what the heck do people do on dates and where do they go besides dinner and a movie? I went on 2 dates already with this guy dinner and a movie and doing that is gonna get old soon. I was thinking dinner on the peir at the beach and walking the beach would be really romantic but it is way too cold for that this time of year and its been raining, so thats out lol. Like what else should we do? I'm not all into the whole bar thing but I guess I would do it, but rather do something else. Someone give me some advice please cuz he cant think of what to do either.

I need to buy the giggle n shake elmo chair for xmas for my son but I took too long to buy it and the stores no longer sell it anymore so I need to find a good site to buy it from online. I tried craigslist but no one has it nearby me and ebay people are crazy trying to sell it for $90 when it was only $35 in the store.

Please help me find a good site to buy from.

Thanx