Not-good-things that nurses do

I love some L&D nurses; they can be awesome, a huge help to the patient's goals, an advocate with the doctors/midwives, a doula's best friend. But I have a few pet peeves:

* Nurses who tell women they have to be in bed because they can't trace the baby otherwise. You know what happens after you get the woman in bed? You still have to mess with the monitor to trace the baby. Why didn't you try doing that when she was on the birth ball, instead of assuming the baby would be untraceable that way?

* Nurses who tell women they have to be in a specific position (ahem, on their back) because they can't trace the baby otherwise. You know what else could help? If someone was holding the monitor on where it needed to be. I've seen nurses be that "someone" - why not you? Or if you're willing, I can do it; it's not rocket science. But when I walk out and see you chatting at the nurses' station, I wonder if you could have done it after all.

* Nurses who tell women it's good to change sides in bed, and don't actually come in and encourage her to do it regularly, which an exhausted mom will probably forget to do. Or don't come in to help her at all, instead letting a mom with an epidural struggle to move herself around.

* Nurses who tell women how good it is to walk and move around, while doing all of the above.


Can you tell I'm frustrated? I promise to write a good post about good things that nurses do too!!