inner_wolf (inner_wolf) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-05-28 08:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, nina pickering, sharon carter |
Who: Nina and Sharon
When: Recently pre-plot
Where: Irvine General
What: Checking in
Rating/Warnings: Low/Pregnancy Stuff
Status: Complete
Nina didn’t often cover shifts in the OB/GYN department but when she had arrived at work that day they’d been shorthanded and since she was the senior nurse with the most experience she’d offered to help them out. It was actually rather nice, she’d brushed up on all her knowledge when Audrey had been pregnant with Ben and she was enjoying the change in her working day.
Turning she noticed a woman just entering the department, “Good Morning, how can I help?”
Sharon broke into a smile. “Hi. They sent me up here for a Non-Stress Test?” Sharon said, pulling out her paperwork. “I’ve been having some Braxton Hicks Contractions… I know I’m not keeping hydrated enough.”
She held the papers out to the nurse behind the counter. Doctor’s orders for some bloodwork and for Sharon to be connected to a machine to monitor the state of her uterus and the stress levels of the baby. It’d also force her to sit down for a half hour, drink plenty of water, and relax.
“Of course” Nina said smiling as she took the papers from her, “Miss Carter, if you’d like to come with me I can set you up right now” she said, entering the details and logging her into the computer system before leading the way.
“Thank you.” Sharon moved to follow the nurse toward one of the L&D rooms not in use to use the monitor there. She had her own elastic bands to wrap around her, the ones that hold the monitors in place. She climbed up onto the bed to get situated. “I don’t know if we’ve met before,” she added, giving the nurse a smile. “You can call me Sharon.”
“I’m Nina, I’m a senior staff nurse but I’m usually in the ER” she said with a smile in return, “Now other than the contractions and dehydration how have you been feeling?” she asked as she attached the monitors efficiently.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nina,” Sharon said, moving her shirt out of the way so the monitors could sit straight against her skin. With that jelly stuff between. “Pretty good. I mean… tired. Really missing the coffee right about now, but I’ve only got a couple months left. Well, then nursing… but I can pump and dump, I guess, if I really need that coffee. And there’s nothing wrong with a little formula, right?”
“You too” Nina said, smiling as she sorted everything out to check the baby, and mother of course. “Coffee withdrawal is fairly common but it won’t be too long. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with formula” she assured her. After all there were women out there who had to rely entirely on it for one reason or another both medical and personal choice and so it had to be pretty damn good.
“You should hear some of those La Leche League reps. Saying things like, ‘feeding your baby formula is evil’, and ‘you’re not a proper mom if you don’t nurse’…” Ugh. Horrible things for poor Sharon to hear. So much pressure. As if she wasn’t stressed enough!
“Well I think it’s a disgrace that they’re allowed to say that” Nina said, “There are no conclusive studies to back up any of their propaganda and it’s awful to say to a woman who may end up physically unable to nurse their child that they’re evil for it”
“I agree with you,” Sharon said, breaking into a smile. She liked Nurse Nina. “You’re one of the good ones, aren’t you?” She said, and pulled out her water bottle to drink. She had to stay hydrated, even though it meant several trips to the toilet every day.
"Thank you" Nina said, knowing she could get rather passionate about things especially when it came to her job, "I try to be. I think too many nurses get complacent and forget they're dealing with people who don't all have the same experiences and background"
“I think that no matter how much I read, I’ll never be an expert. And none of those people who wrote those books or pamphlets are experts, either. Everything is so personalized, every situation so unique. No one can tell me what’s best for my baby because they don’t know the full situation.” Sharon was trying to convince herself of this more than anyone else.
“That is exactly right. Nobody is truly an expert and you’ll find your instinct is much more use than any books out there” Nina advised her, “Check things when you feel you need to, go with your gut and talk to your friends”
“I like the way you think.” Sharon laughed. “Can you just be around all the time to give me pep talks and stuff?” She leaned back against the pillow and set her smartphone down on the bedside table.
Nina laughed, "I'm glad I'm helping. And seriously if you do ever need to talk I'm pretty easily found" she said before focusing on the task at hand. "Well you have a pretty active little one here" she commented running the wand over Sharon's tummy.
The offer was very kind, and Sharon was absolutely going to take her up on it. “Thank you,” she said. The baby started to turn over, or something, and interfered with the monitor for just a moment. They’d have to wait for her to stop swirling about in there to get another proper reading. “She’s keeping me on my toes, that’s for sure.”
Nina paused until the baby had decided to settle, “I bet she is” Nina said with a smile, “Probably will even more once she’d out in the world” she added, “My best friend had a baby at Christmas and they’re slowly beginning to get a good sleeping pattern going”
“Only now?” Sharon asked, eyes a little wide. “But… it’s May.” Oh God. This was going to fuck up her whole life, her whole schedule. “I need to start getting more books about how to raise a baby.”
"Five months is actually really good" Nina said, "I'm afraid babies don't really stick to timetables" Sharon would be fine, Nina was sure. "Do you have any friends with children or babies?" she asked as she checked to see if the baby had settled down yet.
“No.” Sharon said, shaking her head. She turned to watch the machine as Nina checked on the baby. It was spitting out a roll of paper with the baby’s movements listed on it. “...this whole baby thing is new to me. Completely new.”
Luckily everything was appearing normal for this time in her pregnancy and Nina wasn’t worried, “There are a few mum and baby groups around, it might be nice to join one” she suggested, “They have women who are still waiting to have their baby right up to those with two and three year olds”
“I’ll look into it.” Sharon said, smiling warmly. She would, too. “I’m sort of on my own with this whole thing, so. I’ll have to.” She wasn’t about to unload about how lonely she felt sometimes being pregnant and on her own. It felt like an insult to Aramis. He was there for her, of course. But she was alone in bed at night every night. And she felt that cold deep in her bones.
“I’m sorry to hear that. But I promise as soon as you have this baby in your arms you won’t feel alone. You’re going to be a wonderful mother, I can tell” Nina told her warmly.
“I don’t know what they’re paying you around here,” Sharon said with a grin on her face. “But you deserve a raise.” Nina was probably the best nurse she’d had in a long time. She felt much more relaxed now. And the baby was doing just fine.
"Thank you" Nina told her, "Feel free to let my boss know" she said with a wink. "You and baby are absolutely fine" she added just so Sharon knew for sure.
Sharon gave a little laugh. “I’ll do that.” She was grinning as she nodded. “Thank you. Can I go home, then? My sofa’s calling to me for my afternoon nap.”
"You are free to go" she said as she cleared Sharon's stomach of wires and things. "I wish I could join you, a nap sounds amazing"
Sharon laughed. “Maybe when you’re done with work?” She asked. “I have the rest of the day off from work myself, so I’m totally taking advantage.” Once she was free of the machine, she pulled her maternity blouse back down over her stomach and then sat up to climb off the table.
"Definitely when I'm done. Sleep sounds so good" she smiled, helping Sharon from the table. "Are you planning on working right up to the birth?" she asked as she moved to update Sharon's file.
“I’m planning on working as long as I can,” Sharon said, after a quick ‘thank you’ when she was helped up off the table. “But I have to see what the doctor says, and how my health go. I’m pretty healthy and it’s been a fairly easy pregnancy so far.” As far as pregnancies go, anyway.
“You seem very healthy so I’m sure you could work for a while longer if you wanted to. Though obviously we advise you to take it as easy as possible” she added.
“I definitely will. I’ve still got a few weeks left until I’m planning on taking leave. So long as she doesn’t come early, I’m planning on working through the Fourth of July.” The baby was due in late July, so working up until her 37th week of pregnancy didn’t seem that far of a stretch for Sharon.
Nina nodded, “That sounds like a good plan to me. Just listen to your body, let’s be honest you know it better than anybody else” she smiled, “It was good to meet you Sharon and I hope everything continues to go smoothly”
“Thank you.” Sharon gave the nurse a smile. “You, too, Nina. I’m sure I’ll see you again.” And then turned to head off down the hall and out of the hospital.