Lazy days

I am feeling lazy today.

I'm on days off before a 4 day/night stint from Saturday onwards. I've had a lovely week at work, with some nice women. I saw 35 week twins born on Monday morning - really quickly to a first timer, who I then saw out walking in the corridors later that day! Cigarettes are a powerful motivator!

I then had a young woman on Tuesday afternoon who was a bit depressive, had a really flat affect plus immature petulance on top of it. Now that the epidural was in effect she remained whining and grumpy with her partner, playing one family member attendant off against the other in the matter of who gets to cut the cord. Spare me. Her mother stood around telling about her births, even during contractions. It was a bit intrusive. The young woman birthed really beautifully in the end, had a pretty horrendous and challenging tear internally (with an intact perineum - ironic) and I was fulsome in my praise of her for holding it together when she just shut out all the outside influence crap and just focused with me. I made a subtle point of keeping the young father involved in the birth, he ended up doing the second umbilical cut that actually is the closest to the navel. There's more than one opportunity to cut a cord if there's competition!

When the baby (another 35 weeker) had to go to the nursery, young Dad got the chance to step up as there must be a parent at all times with any visitor to the nursery. The girl's mother had been interacting and answering all the questions the paed asked of the new mother, even standing between the resus cot and the bed so her daughter couldn't quite see what was going on! We kept moving the cot and pointedly turning the baby to a better line of sight for her. Anyway, the young Dad got a bit of status back by accompanying the baby with me to the SCN. Later he also came back to the room when she was being sutured and I asked the others to leave while he stayed by her side, and just quietly kissed her hand and connected with her as she bravely endured the stitching under (pretty solid) epidural cover. He glowed and nodded with pride at my repeated murmurings of praise for her for the way she birthed so calmly, and they both took in the information I gave them about the next few days and what they could expect with a baby in the SCN. They are very young, and I prefer to give them information that allows them to walk through the experience with better knowledge than they may have gained from watching any 'Home and Away' style melodrama. There are much better ways of being.

Once she was stitched up, fed and showered we went to the ward briefly then she walked down to the SCN with me and took her sister in with her to see the little one. He had had a partial lung collapse by this time and was in the higher level nursery with some breathing support, but she was pretty calm, just asking and accepting the reassurance from the doctor, nurse and myself that he would recover and mature well in this supported environment. What he was experiencing was not uncommon with 35 weekers and within a day or so he would off support and continue the task of finishing his growth. He wasn't quite cooked yet. I was really proud of her in the end.

Now I'm on days off I'm engrossed in re-reading a book I haven't read for years from a series and author whose work I just adore.

By Robin Hobb - this book, Fools Errand, is book one of the Tawny Man series - the third trilogy of a three trilogy set about a mythical and mystical place with dragons, telepathic magic, nobility and prophets. I first read them years ago and have recommended them ever since to all and sundry. So absorbing and I just can't put it down. It's nearly noon and I'm still in my PJs. I had all sorts of plans today...sewing, painting, tidying the house for our dinner guests tonight, shopping cooking ... showering!

And here I sit, ass getting broader. Sigh.

Here - enjoy another couple of One Year Ago World Tour flashbacks. The photos are from our last days in San Diego with Lesley and David Z, old Perth friends now living in SD. It was such a thrill to see them in their new environment, and we were so grateful to have a homely like place to start our trip (as you'll see in the links!)

LZ and I are partners in crime from waaaaaay back in 1990 - and in the next few days you will see links that take us from playgroup to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon Arizona!!!! Yeah baby!