Patricia Douglass Case Summary

There are many differences in cultural practices between the Hmong and Americans. In the first chapter, soon after birth, the father in the Hmong family dug a hole at least two feet deep in the dirt floor and buried the placenta. Traditionally, if it was a girl, her placenta was buried under her parents’ bed; if it was a boy, his placenta was buried in a place of greater honor like near the base of the house’s central wooden pillar. In America, there are many policies in place that prevent people to take home the placenta of their children. It is usually taken to the laboratory and then disposed of as “biohazardous waste”. It may be possible for individuals to obtain the umbilical cord. Additionally, patients may express cultural and/ social

Women have given birth in hospitals for decades, but before hospitals were available children were born in houses; without the high-tech medical assistance offered today. The controversial subject of giving birth at a hospital or giving birth in a home is widely deliberated between women around the world. There are pros and cons for each side of the argument, but hospital birth has more beneficial pros and fewer cons than at home birth. It is said that an at home birth is just as safe as giving birth at the hospital. However, if anything were to happen, there would be no medical attention present to assist the mother or the baby. A hospital birth is more beneficial than an at home birth, because if there are complications with the mother she

The anticipation of the first born is filled with a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and pain. My pregnancy had been normal and healthy. I did not have any problems or concerns during my whole pregnancy. With my due date approaching, I expected the birth of my child would be the happiest time of my life. However, a serious of avoidable and unfortunate events caused by my doctor and nurses lead me to have a horrifying experience. I went through a nightmare before I could hold my little angel.

I first found out I was pregnant two months after turning eighteen. Looking at that positive pregnancy test, I was terrified. I had countless emotions running through my head at the same time. The first question was, am I going to be able to do this? Of course, abortion was never an option. From that moment on, I decided I needed to find the courage inside me to step up and become a parent at such a young age.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy contribute to significant maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia affects 5-10% of all the pregnancies and contributes to 10-15% of maternal deaths worldwide. Estimated case fatality rate due to eclampsia is 14 times higher in developing countries compared to developed countries 1,2.

My clinical site is at Good Samaritan Hospital at Downtown, Los Angeles. On my first day, I was a bit nervous because I have never seen a friend or family member give birth. All I can think about is, how can I carry a newborn baby, change diapers, and feed the newborn. We did orientation on my first day and we were introduced to each floors that we will be assigned for the next three weeks. On the 7th floor is the Post-Partum floor, and the 8th floor is the NICU and Labor and Delivery

The physician has written discharge order for Rudd. Rudd`s son, Matthew is also at the bedside, waiting for the nurse to bring the discharge paperwork. Rudd`s blood work and X-ray, CT scan results do not show any signs of organ damage. The assigned RN checked vital signs before discharge. The vitals are as follows: Temperature: 97.20F, Heart rate: 70 beats per minute, BP: 130/76 mmHg, respiration: 18breaths per minute, and Pulse oximetry: 98% on room air. Rudd reports no pain on pain assessment using PQRST pain assessment method. Rudd is looking very happy to go back home. The nurse brings the discharge paperwork, educational booklet and discharge medication reconciliation form. The nurse also calls the hospital pharmacy and gets the one month supply of Rudd`s medications as per discharge medication reconciliation orders.

For families that dealing with taking care of premature birth and low birth weight baby are very challenging situation. Parents should be given more education and information regarding the care of the baby and some expectation along this journey. A premature birth occur when the baby is born more than 3 weeks before its due date (Mayo Clinic, 2014). A baby who is born weighing less than 5lbs., 8 ounces, he or she is considered to have a low birth weight (Kulich, 2015).

My observation in the Fetal Care Center was intended to follow one family (Family A) through their day of appointments, starting with the Genetic Counselor, Social Worker,

“Orthostatic hypotension is a condition in which there is insufficient recovery of the blood pressure drop which occurs after getting up, which causes a temporary reduction of cerebral perfusion. This increases the risk of falls resulting in injuries (JAHR, 2018).” When lying blood pools in the legs and the abdomen when changing positions from lying, to sitting, to standing. A person may exhibit clinical symptoms of OH when systolic pressure drops below at least 20 mmHg and diastolic drops at least 10 mmHg during position transition.

On my first shadowing experience, I followed a nurse practitioner. On October nineteenth, I drove downtown to Chicago to the Anne and Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital. There I met Linda Zekas, a nurse practitioner in the NICU, or neonatal intensive care unit. We sat down, and she went over a normal work day for her. She also showed me x-rays of the babies in the NICU and their conditions. Then, I went with her on her rounds on hourly check ups on the babies. There were a few babies on ECMO, extracorporeal life support. This machine takes the oxygen poor blood out of the body, filters it, and puts it back into the body. This lets the newborn’s lungs and heart develop normally again. It was very interesting to me to see so many newborns on ECMO

Blood pressure 98/62. Pulse 72. Temps 35.7. Weight _____(115, stated 118 above) pounds. The patient is very pleasant in no acute distress. Full hospital records are reviewed.

This includes room number, postions in room as in bed/window, insurance information, correct tests, collection date, time and if he/she is fasting. This is important due to the fact that tests such as glucose and lipid profile can and will be altered if there has been an intake of food or drinks. After each patient requisite is in order with accurate information, I proceed to each patient’s room with my tools and supplies organized neatly in tool box. Although I have made sure my paper work is accurate it is necessary to make sure I properly identify the patient by asking their name and checking the patients’ wrist band. Now I am ready to begin the blood

Advances in medicine have allowed us to save babies lives before they are even born.

I started to backtrack to the very first day that we found out and it all began to play in my head like a motion picture film. I had so many thoughts running through my head, but I remained calm as a butterfly fluttering in the air. I was lost in thought and I remember snapping back to reality as one of the nurses asked me, “aw, did you mean to wear pink today?” I looked down at my shirt and coincidentally, I was wearing a magenta V-neck and grey sweatpants. I replied, “no, but it sure is wonderful luck!” It was already midnight and the nurses would come check in every so often to make sure Jazmine’s vital signs were okay and that the baby’s heartbeat was beating