Name: Maci Musolino

Date of clinical experience: February 16th, 2023

C- Section Labor and Delivery Journal

Overall, my clinical experience watching a c- section labor and delivery was very

interesting. This may have been my favorite experience so far due to the uniqueness of this

delivery. The patient had a placental abruption and was 29 weeks. This c- section was an

emergency one due to the severity of it. The first interesting thing that happened was seeing the

water break as the stomach was open, so amniotic fluid splattered everywhere. Then, the doctor

continued to hurry up and cut to get to the baby as fast as he could. He finally got the baby

delivered and it was so small. The baby was not crying or breathing very well when it was

delivered. The placenta came out in pieces due to the abruption. While watching the nurses

perfomr on the baby, they did many things. They had to get an IV in the tiny baby and had a hard

time. They even tried putting it in the veins in the baby's head. They also gave the baby oxygen

to support his breathing. This was a very sad experience that I learned a lot from. Nursing skills

and competencies that I observed during the c section were the nurses working swiftly to care for

the preterm baby. They utilized oxygen masks, IV’s, and monitored the vital signs every 5

minutes to make sure they were improving. They also took the baby to Akron Children's

Hospital so they could perform special care to the baby. The nurses working on the babies used

teamwork and good communication to facilitate care in a timely manner. One appropriate

nursing diagnosis that was utilized was impaired gas exchange related to the baby not breathing

correctly. The second appropriate nursing diagnosis that was utilized was risk for injury due to

the size and complications the baby had when it was born at 29 weeks.
 The most significant event or learning experience of the day that I observed was seeing

what a preterm baby looked like at 29 weeks old. The baby was 2 pounds and 12. 8 ounces. It

was so tiny and barely able to survive on its own. Another significant learning experience was

seeing what the nurses had to do in order to help the infant. It was amazing what the health care

workers were able to do for the baby. It truly made me appreciate the work and dedication nurses

have to save lives.

One objective I met for the day was, “Demonstrate professional accountability, reliability,

and responsibility while implementing health-focused, nursing care that incorporates

professional organization’s standards of care and “Patient’s Bill of Rights.” I met this by

demonstrating a professional behavior and attitude throughout the c- section. This was a very

serious emergency procedure with a lot of emotions involved. I displayed a positive attitude and

stayed professional to show my respect to the mom and health care workers. Another objective I

met was, “Uses the nursing process to formulate a plan of nursing care, which incorporates

holistic health care needs of the childbearing family and women throughout the lifespan.” I met

this by identifying appropriate nursing diagnoses based on an assessment. I observed the nurses

assess the baby and developed my nursing diagnoses based off of that. The third objective is,

“Demonstrate critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and therapeutic interpersonal skills

while caring for childbearing families and women in diverse settings.” I demonstrated

appropriate communication skills with clients, families, health care members, peers and faculty.

When the faculty told me to stand in a certain spot or watch what they were doing, I listened to

their communication and followed what they said. A fourth objective is, “Implement effective

interpersonal skills with acute or chronically ill childbearing family members, women clients
and their families, peers, and health team members.” I showed my respect for the clients,

families, and health care members.

As I’m sitting here evaluating my clinical experience and what I got to observe, I feel

lucky that I had the opportunity as a student to see a procedure that serious. I got to witness the

amazing world the health care workers provide and the emotions in the room from not only the

mom but everyone there. I got to see what a preterm 29 week old baby looked like and how the

nurses swiftly took care of the baby to save his life. It was a privilege to be able to see this and I

had a great cynical experience.