Going to the AWHONN 2017 Convention

Every year that I can, I try to go to the Association of Women's Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) annual convention.  This year was no different and the convention was held in New Orleans!

I was excited to be going to the convention with one of my internet buddies as my roommate and several other people I work with going too!  I was also excited because I was going to be speaking at this year's convention with two of my other friends from the west coast!    Last year at the convention in Grapevine Texas I sat around a table with Catherine Ruhl and Paris Maloof-Bury and we discussed submitting a proposal to AWHONN for presenting at this conference.  We were talking about Labor Support and providing Labor Support for Every Woman~~ Well, guess what, we did and we were selected to present our proposal!  This to me was a if you dream it, sometimes it will happen moment!  

On Sunday of the convention, President of AWHONN Emily Drake, PhD, RN stated that she had received many rejections in her career, but that did not stop her from trying again!  Great advice Emily!  You never know unless you try!

On Monday, the key note speaker was Stephanie Arnold who spoke of her personal experience with survival of an amniotic fluid embolism.  She wrote a book about her experience, 37 Seconds.  I  bought the book!  What I learned from her talk was Listen to your intuitions.  Listen to your patients.  If they say something is wrong, it very well might be.  Here is a link to her page to learn more:  http://stephaniearnold.net

On Monday, one of my staff nurses, Roseann Civil, BSN, RNC-OB, CBC,  spoke on a panel for Johnson and Johnson on the Power of Touch.  Not only was it a great presentation, I was so proud of Roseann for stepping out of her comfort zone and speaking to a room of 200+!!    The picture above is Roseann demonstrating the Power of Touch with a new dad!  You can do hard things!  You can make a difference!!

And then it was Tuesday, our turn to speak!  So there we were, on the big, big stage!!  It was so amazing to share our knowledge about the very cool things happening on our units with our teams regarding labor support!  It is important to share our knowledge with our professional colleagues.

Next year, convention will be in Tampa Florida!  So what are you going to do?  Will you submit a poster presentation, will it be your time to be at the podium?  Think about it!  They will call for presentations soon!  If you dream it, you can do it.  You have to try if you are going to make it happen!

The Patient Experience

Tonight I saw a post from one of favorite my blog posters, http://adventuresofalabornurse.com on the patient experience.  She was talking about a mother who delivered a 22 week fetus in an Emergency Department and how it was so different in the ED than it would have been on an OB unit.

In about two weeks, I am going to be speaking at the AWHONN Convention in New Orleans about Labor Support and basically a how to make it happen on your unit.  Labor support to me is something that every woman who is having a baby no matter what her gestation age is entitled to.  Providing great labor support is providing an exceptional patient experience to the laboring/childbearing woman and her family.  

Do you ever think about how the woman and her partner are greeted at the front of the department when they arrive?  Is someone saying "OMG there is another belly at the desk?" or are they saying "Welcome to xxx Hospital Family Birth Place!  What are you here for today?" with a smile?  To us, she may be number 5, number 10 or number 25 patient who has arrived for that particular shift, but to her, she is about to have one of the most important days of her life.  This is a day she will always remember.  A day she has dreamed about for a long time.  She is excited, she is anxious, she is scared a little bit (or a lot!).  We are there to help her, to orient her, to assess her and to care for her.  We are there to educate her as she makes this life transition.

So where does it begin?  To me, it begins with the environment.  Is the room set up for her when she arrives?   Have you turned the lights down low?  Is the music on and made sure that the room is totally set up so you do not have to run outside and fetch stuff to take care of her?  (Of course, after you get her in bed to assess her, you are going to have to turn the lights up) but, allow her some peace as she enters her birthing space so she can feel that she has privacy for the important work of childbirth.  In our unit we have some signs that we put on the doors of labor rooms.  We are a LDRP unit so there can be delivered mothers right next to laboring mothers and it is important to know which is which!  The picture at the top of this post is one we use on every labor door.  Allow mothers to get into their sacred birthing space when they arrive. 

Know the things to have in your bag of tricks to enhance her experience in labor.  Some are very easy to obtain and to put into practice on your unit. 

 Birth balls, peanut balls, positioning devices, chairs, tea lights for the room and for the tub!

Aromatherapy to enhance her experience!

But most of all, she needs YOU!  To tell her that she is doing a great job; that she is amazing; that she is strong;  that she can do it!!  

All of these things are intentional tools that nurses can bring into their practice to enhance the birthing experience provided to women and families on their units.  These are all a part of the Optimal Healing Environment in Women's Services.  

At the end of the shift, it is all about this... a happy mother with a smile that says it all!   We truly do make a difference in the life of women and it is something they never forget. They may forget our names, but they never forget the experience of that day when they were giving birth no matter what the gestational age.  We .have an awesome responsibility to make it right for her in so many ways.  

The last few months have been very busy and very exciting! People always ask me "why and HOW do you do all the things you do?"   I do what I do because I follow my passion and I try to make a difference in what I do.  So what have I been up to so far in 2017?

On a  local level, it is where I work, my departments and my health system.  We have formed a County Breastfeeding Coalition this year.  Working with our local Health Department with a team looking at the Infant Mortality in our area with various other community members.  We are very busy working on becoming 3 Baby Friendly hospitals!

On the state level, I have been busy with my regular AWHONN activities as a Chapter Leader, State Conference committee member, AIM State Nurse Leader. http://safehealthcareforeverywoman.org/aim-program/about-aim/   I have been busy with my activities with Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative (FPQC) as a Steering Committee member, Hypertension in Pregnancy workgroup member, Primary Cesarean Reduction Initiative workgroup member and Data Use workgroup member.  http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/chiles/fpqc  I also joined the board of the Florida Breastfeeding Coalition in January!  http://www.flbreastfeeding.org 

Oh and for fun.... I have worked with my Salty Dawgs.... working with our local University of Georgia Alumni on various activities in SW Florida!

I have been busy with my speaking activities!  In my last blog post I talked about speaking at the Eye Bank Technician conference about my cornea transplants.  I also spoke at the Florida Breastfeeding Coalition conference with my friend Carol Lawrence.  Our topic was "Shining Bright-Using the Golden Hour to Support Breastfeeding Friendly Birthing Facilities".   Just this week speaking to nursing director group at our Health System on "Employee Rounding".  Now I am getting ready to go speak at the AWHONN National Convention in New Orleans on "Nurses Implementing Change & Innovative Labor Support Practices" with my friends Paris Maloof-Bury and Catherine Ruhl.  Right now, I am busy working on a webinar that will be presented later this year for one of my organizations. 

I also like to refill my cup and learn new things.  This involves going to conferences and listening to webinars.   Some are even FREE to attend!  When you work on a committee or volunteer with some groups, they actually give you a discount to attend the conference.  This makes it more affordable and it allows you to travel to other places!  This year, I will have traveled near and far to St. Pete/Tampa area, to New Orleans, to Atlanta, to Washington DC!!   Always get as much as you can out of the conferences!  Be open to new ideas that you can bring back to your own place of employment.  Go to the poster sessions!  Meet other people and ask them what they do.  

I also know that I can not do everything I want to do and I definitely can't do anything without a terrific team!   When I have an idea for a project I pass that idea on to my team who can volunteer to work on the idea and make it happen.  It takes a village!   This year two of my staff nurses, Kathy Moses and Roseann Civil went to Washington DC and participated on a project with AWHONN!  Now Roseann is speaking at AWHONN National Convention in New Orleans!!  

So, the answer to how do you do it?  For me, it is follow your passion!  Volunteer.  Make a difference not only in your own small community, but in your state and on a national level!  For me, it is making a difference for a single woman and her baby and thus, many women and many babies.   Have fun.  Enjoy the ride!!  Don't GIVE UP!