Published Article

St Joseph's Perinatal Hospice Program is being featured in "Working Nurse" magazine...For those of you who don't get the magazine you can check it out here on line. (just click on the link and look for the 'My Speciality' "Part one - Neonatal Hospice Nursing Outpatient")
And then...continue to scroll down until you see Part Two...which features the inpatient side. I was interviewed for part two. I've seen/read the online version and am awaiting the actual printed version. I just think it will be fun to see myself in a magazine. Though the subject is not an easy subject for some to read about it is a part of my job that I do enjoy and that I think is a valuable service to our families.
And while I'm on the subject of perinatal hospice...click on the video at MSNBC - they did a good job telling about the job that we do.

Patients as Friends

Going through nursing school, I can remember being taught - "Don't make friends with your patients. Don't give them your full name nor any contact information. Remember - this is your job, not your personal life".
Well, I of course did not take that fully to heart and I am glad that I didn't. If I had, I would have missed out on some relationships with some really awesome people. Women who have touched my life and who I now see on a regular basis. It is fun to be invited in to people's lives, to watch their children grow up, be invited to birthday parties, dedications, and maybe some day weddings!
One such person that I met as a patient, is my friend Giselle. I met her about 4 1/2 years ago when she came in laboring. After our initial introductions - I checked her since she looked like she was in pretty active labor. Giselle says that one of the very first things she remembers me saying to her is. "Oh, that is not a head that I feel....I think your baby may be breech". Yes - I was the first one to touch her babies little butt!!
The following day I went to visit G - we had bonded and I wanted to check on her...only to have her tell me with tears in her eyes, "They think my baby has Down's Syndrome...will you please go check on her?" So - off to the nursery I went - only to have to agree with the doctors and to have to go back to tell G that.
That was the start of our friendship. I actually even helped take care of Emma for awhile at home when she was little.
So -fast forward to 2008. Giselle and I still see each other. She came to my wedding, we go to lunch, visit and talk about all kind of things.
Giselle was blessed with another pregnancy and we had planned the whole delivery this time. I was to take care of her again with the delivery scheduled this week. We had the day planned, the anesthesiologist picked out, her MD lined up before he went out of town and another person to document the delivery in pictures. But as life sometimes happens - our plans fell completely apart when she ended up delivering early!
Giselle delivered little Abby Rose on April 9th at 0844 am. She was only 32 weeks and only weighed 3-12, and was 16 inches long. She spent a little time in CHOC's NICU but is now home and doing so well! I got to play with her this week and snuggle that cute little body of hers. She is just so sweet. Congratulations to both Giselle and John on their newest arrival!!
And now on to some photos:
Giselle and I - a patient that is now my friend!!Welcome Abby Rose! Little Abby Rose - home and now 6 pounds

The infamous Emma - the one who started our friendship :)

Big brother Jack and baby Abby

A special thanks to those other patients that have come in to my life and enriched it by their presence...Heather, Trishe, Lori, Tami, Kathy, Annette, and many others. I am so glad that I met you and got to be a part of your special day and that I chose to break the "rule" of 'never make friends with your patients'!!

Nationals

Erika qualified for Nationals in the steeplechase! She has to take her finals early, get moved out of the dorms and then they leave for Edwardsville, Illinois later this week.

Not too bad for a freshman....ran nationals in cross country, ran nationals for indoor track and now nationals for outdoor track!! I'm proud of you!

Honor

This week was Nurses' Week.
St Joseph's does a great job of giving us nurses special treatment during the week - from a fabulous luncheon, to the blessing of hands, to raffle prizes, to special recognition. I just so happened to be nominated for two awards this year. I was nominated for the Nancy Berardino Award (which has to do with clinical excellence) and the Roy Family Award (which is for service and compassionate care). The Roy Award was established by a family who felt they received excellent care at St. Joseph and wanted to turn around and honor nurses each year. This award also has a monetary gift with the award.
Well...I was awarded the Roy Family Award this year. What an honor to receive this award! It came at a good time for me for I was feeling a little burned out and now I am rejuvenated to keep on working :)
Here's me receiving my award:

Katie Skelton talking about me (ok - that is a bit embarrassing! I hate being in the spotlight!)
Here's the actual excerpt:

"Debbie Bolton is a very special nurse and a worthy recipient of the Roy Family Award for patient service. She has been an employee here at St Joseph Hospital for 20 years and the majority of them have been in the labor and delivery department. Debbie was raised in the area which gives her the unique ability to know several of the families that present to L&D, which is a connection that Debbie takes in stride. When patients see her in Labor and Delivery and are greeted with her friendly smile, no matter how hard their contractions are or how busy Debbie is, they seem relieved to know a familiar face. Frequently she will be requested by these patients to be cared for by her, which she gladly accommodates. When she is on the unit this is fairly easy, but when it is the middle of the night and this request comes in, Debbie frequently will get up and come in. That is dedication. One patient wrote, 'Thanks for your caring, you are fabulous and God bless you for being so caring, patient and loving. You made my delivery a memorable one'

Debbie is very active in our Perinatal Comfort Care program which cares for patients that are expecting a baby with a lethal diagnosis. She takes great care in capturing their requests for delivery to make sure these families, who may only have a few precious moments to celebrate their child's life, find comfort with their birthing experience. She frequently cares for these patients in labor, which at times is emotionally draining but Debbie treats each family with love and compassion even though her own heart is breaking. What a comfort she is to those who have such high needs. She excels in providing expert nursing care while attending to the complex social, and spiritual needs of her patients.

Thank you Debbie for delivering perfect care and providing sacred encounters along the way, you are an inspiration to all of us"

My L&D friends!

Lily

I am so far behind in my blogging...but it is for a good reason! Jon and Kim have been out of town so I've had the pleasure of having Lily at my house and we have been so busy!!!!We have gone to track meets, shopping, out to dinner with cousins and to the American Girl Doll Store in LA. Plus I sort of forgot how much work a 3 month old is...feedings every 3 hours, awake at night and all of the extra stuff you need to pack to go anywhere. But, I'd watch her again in a heartbeat for she is just so sweet! I can't even write all I want to right now for she is squirming in my lap but I promise to catch up soon...

Please can I have that doll??

Fun with cousins.
Shopping at The Grove with Auntie Shel

One has to cover up in the sun at track meets!

Visiting Auntie E at Biola

Bath timeWhew! I think I need a nap!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my baby's 25th birthday! It is hard for me to believe that I have a child that is 25 years old. 25 is like an adult - able to make one's own decisions and live one's own life. Where did the time go?

I can remember giving birth to Jon like it was yesterday. I remember his cute little face and chubby thighs. How he had jaundice really bad and had to be hospitalized. But then he came home and we got in to our routine and I found out what true love was...

I remember how kind and caring he has always been even as a little boy. His kindergarten teacher still asks me about him and always says what a neat kid he was.

I remember the time he crashed in to a light pole while riding his bike because he was looking the other way - and the next day was photo day at school.

I remember him playing basketball, soccer and baseball before he fell in love with blading. I remember the time he was a goalie on his soccer team...but still scored a goal. I think everyone was so shocked that he left the net that they didn't know to stop him...!

I remember the broken bones - a broken collar bone from tripping over the dog and two broken arm bones from skating.

I remember the face plant and breaking off of his front teeth...needing stitches to his face and an emergency trip to the dentist late on a Saturday night.

I remember how he always wanted to take care of me and be the man of the house since I was a single mom...helping to care for his sisters too.

I could go on and on - for I just can't believe that I have been lucky enough to know Jon for the past 25 years. What an awesome experience it has been. He has grown in to a wonderful young man and I am proud to be his mom.

Happy Birthday Son!

He may be grown...but a kid still lives inside him and I don't think he will ever give up those blades!

And of course little Lilly needs to get in her words today too :)

Shot time

Today was shot time in our world. First off was little Sydney - she got 3 shots and a nasal dose of medication and lots of treats. She didn't even seem to care about the shots - just kept wagging her little tail and eating up those treats. She has put on 4 pounds since being sick - she is now up to 10.5 lbs. The vet gave her a clean bill of health. :)

We took her out on her first adventure outdoors after her doctor's visit. She seemed to have a good time but really needs to learn how to walk on a leash! Then she came home and took a nap.Silly dog!!

Then on to Lilly - I was just looking on her blog and she also got shots today - but she got 5 plus her oral polio.

Now I am not against vaccines - I've seen the effects of diseases on the human body and spirit. But I do have some great reservations about giving babies 5 shots in one day...and this is not to make you moms out there feel bad...but I think the vaccine schedule needs to be changed. It needs to be stretched out. Needs to be a bit more flexible. It takes a persistent, loud and probably obnoxious parent to buck the system and who wants to be that parent? Don't the parents feelings count in raising and trying to do what is best for our children? Thanks to modern medicine for doing a good job and eradicating many diseases but I still think we may need to look at how we are going about that process...

Just random food for thought.

Kim is such a good mommy - look how these two lovingly gaze at each other. Can't you just hear those baby coos?Daddy giving comfort...I couldn't post the screaming photo - you'll have to go to Kim's site to see that one. Makes me want to cry right along with her.Love you little baby! Sending big hugs your way.

fun times

I know it is a job...but sometimes you meet people and you just click with them...then it turns in to more fun than just a job. You become part of the family, not just the nurse for the day. Like the patient who was a Biola grad (where Erika goes) and her husband was a Long Beach state grad (where Michelle is going to go)...we had lots to talk about. I had done their previous delivery so it felt right to be doing this delivery too. She literally laughed the baby out - I never did have her push and the doctor barely made it in to the room. The dad said he would have needed to call a "condition H" for HELP! if I hadn't been standing right in the room watching it all.
Then the other family - the big one with visitors everywhere. They were all so funny and they are opening a restaurant in downtown Fullerton in a couple of months. I want to say it will be called "Rory's" but don't quote me on that...and a perk of my job...I get to go for dinner as a family member :) Oh - and the fried zuchinni that they brought me from Dukes was a yummy snack. I think we talked about food all day during that delivery.

I don't think I could ever go back to a management job - I just love the patient contact too much for that. There is just something to be said about being with a family and experiencing such a special moment with them. I believe in family and want to provide family centered care and hopefully get families off to a good start. This is the part of my job that makes me say, "I love my job".
And since no post is complete without a picture and since I'm writing about family....here's a picture of Michelle trying to manage both babies in our family at one time!