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Another Day At The Office

Recently had the delightful task in the postnatal ward of weighing the newborn babies going home

Wheeling them to the scales one at a time in fish bowl hospital cots

Quickly, gently, wrangling them out of clothes and nappy

Talking to them , shushing them, apologising for ma cold hands

Placing them atop the scales on the blanket nest, tiny bums in the air, so cute!

Just as quick, dress em up again, straight back to mum’s arms

Next day a shift in emergency, seeing the polar opposite example of human

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Chapter 18. An Accident

The day I had the accident it was heaving down with rain. I was heading to the GP with my youngest lad to see if he needed antibiotics for a painful ear.

Driving uphill on a familiar straight stretch of road, down through winding rainforest, a route i’d taken hundreds of times before, was very comfortable with.

That complacency was my downfall

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A Shift In The ED

Nurses learn to navigate the back and forth between the world of hospital and the world of everyday norms, one minute dealing with intense human vulnerability the next heading home to family, to the normal domestic routine. We learn to make the switch (hopefully), not bring work home, out of head onto paper helps me

I mention suicide here, read on with care or maybe not at all?

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Chapter 8. My Birth Stories

Maternal red thread, me, mum, granny, great granny and great great granny below
Great, great granny

My births were rare in today’s world, both spontaneous labours, no vaginal examinations, no drugs, no interventions of any kind, nothing DONE to me. Afterwards both times, I felt like superwoman like “bloody hell if I can do THAT, I can do anything!”

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Floods, Mudslides and Roadblocks Feb 2022

I live in a gorgeous semi rural village north of the city, a 30-50 minute commute to work depending on time of day. It’s been raining here for days and days culminating this past weekend in the worst flooding event for years , records smashed in my state of QLD, there’s been half a years rainfall in this one weekend.

I was booked to work early shifts Saturday and Sunday. The drive in 6.30am Saturday straightforward first flood I came across was five minutes from the hospital so spun around found an alternate route heading back towards the city which led me eventually to my destination , entered the carpark via the usual way shooshing through a big puddle (which was later to turn into a big flood) traffic lights out but everyone inching forward slowly navigating them politely and safely

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Chapter 16. Complications

Usually pregnancy is a joyful time but for some women things go wrong and hospital admission is needed.

Separated from family, friends and support network, stuck in hospital, often miles from home, joy is replaced by anxiety and fear

For some women …..

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