Babytalk: It was a busy 2019 at the maternity ward at Manatee Memorial Hospital
As I say good bye to 2019 and hello to 2020 I recall how quickly 2019 passed. It was a busy year at the Family Birthplace.
At Manatee Memorial we delivered 1,840 babies. When you factor in the average labor can be between 10 and 18 hours, that is a lot of intense care. The number does not quite tell the whole story because we also triage any woman who is more than 20 weeks pregnant, or comes in because she has a concern about her baby. Last year we triaged over 800 women who were concerned there might be something wrong or thought they might be in labor. Sixty per cent of those women were then admitted to the hospital either to continue on to have their baby or they were in need of treatment for something complicating their pregnancy.
Working at the Family Birthplace requires nurses to have many skills. They must be competent to take care of not only a woman in labor, but to be able to recognize any condition that may be complicating her pregnancy. Those complications range from preeclampsia, medical issues, to depression. I tell patients all the time they have nothing to worry about. That is our job. We are here to answer their questions and make sure they go home healthy with a healthy baby.
We are also here for those families experiencing the death of their unborn child. Nothing is harder than to tell a woman who comes to us because she has not felt her baby move and she is scared there may be something wrong, her baby has died.
We are here for all families. We strive to give every patient compassionate care no matter the circumstance.
Maternity nursing is multifaceted. A nurse who works in maternity must be able to assess labor progression, recognize signs of complications threatening the health of the mother and baby, be prepared to help during a surgical delivery, be able to resuscitate a mother or a baby, to recognize when the mental health of the mother is complicating the pregnancy. After a baby is born the nurse working on the mother baby unit is also a highly skilled nurse. Mothers continue to be at risk during the post partum period for hemorrhage, high blood pressure, and other physical and mental health issues. Another challenge the post partum nurse faces is teaching the parents. Most parents are still in a fog during the first 48 hours after their baby is born. We are teaching, but they are in Charlie Brown’s classroom and hearing about every other word.
A vitally appreciated member of our Maternity team is the NICU (neo- natal intensive care unit) nurse. They are heroes everyday. Last year 428 babies came into our NICU. Most of those babies only stayed a few days as they were just having trouble transitioning to life outside the womb. However for those babies who came too early or their mother’s health affected their health, they stayed longer. Our NICU team is strong. They are always available to attend a delivery if it is suspected there will be a complication with the baby.
I love where I work. I am a firm believer in knowledge is power. Teaching is my passion. Taking classes to prepare for the birth of a baby helps people to have the skills they need to not only cope with labor and early parenting but also helps them recognize when something may not be going well.
We are an amazing team. We are a team of 120 people who come from many backgrounds. We are dedicated to helping families experience the birth of their baby with joy.
We look forward to being here to deliver a couple of thousand more Manatee County citizens in 2020.
Katie Powers, R.N., is a board-certified lactation consultant and perinatal educator at Manatee Memorial Hospital’s Family BirthPlace. Her column appears every other week in Healthy Living in the Bradenton Herald. Contact her at katie.powers@mmhhs.com.