Hurray for Kim!  I totally agree that IV in labor "just in case"
is a crock of baloney. I worked labor and delivery for years and would
take her comments just one step further. Like Kim, I was NEVER unable to
get a line in when I needed to. Moreover, there was only ONE patient whom
I did not anticipate as a possible candidate for a hemorrhage who did
indeed hemorrhage. Bedside nursing is exactly that; at the bedside! Not
in front of the central monitor at the nurses' station. Not in the break
room. No in front of the chart. Any L&D nurse who is worth her salt
should be able to anticipate that a patient needs a line before they have
a full-blown disaster. If the nurse is at the bedside where she belongs,
"just in case" takes on an entirely different meaning.

--
Marie Biancuzzo, RN MS                      Perinatal Nurse Consultant
PO Box 1562                                        Phone: 703-758-0092
Herndon, Virginia 22070-1562     email: [log in to unmask]