A question about hospital nurses

[Forget-Me-Not]

I just had a c-section a few months ago and my nurses were very attentive. It may be different in the maternity ward though. I did have one particularly weird experience. My doctor had told me in the morning that my days goals should include walking around the unit three times and taking a shower. (This was my third c/s, so I was not unfamiliar with this.) I had heard/read several places that walking around as soon as possible speeds along the healing process. My nurse came in and when I told her I wanted to go walk, she acted like that was ridiculous. She told me none of her patients were up and walking when I was. I told her my doctor had told me to. She says "oh yeah, it really does help with healing. I had a hip operation last year and there was another girl who was having the same thing done. My husband made me get up and walk and I recovered a lot faster than she did." What on earth?!? She knows the best thing is to get up and walk and she is actively encouraging her patients not to do it?!?! I had to argue with her to let me go. She was the nicest person though. Very attentive and helpful.

It is different on the OB floors I think. My mom is a postpartum nurse, and she points out that, with a few notable exceptions, her patients are pretty healthy and independent. The staff is mostly just watching mom and baby for signs of infection and managing pain. Babies room in with moms, so the moms handle most of the baby care. The post-op patients are on a catheter, but once they're up, they can usually handle getting to the bathroom and bathing themselves. That's not to say that they don't get busy and crowded and run ragged, but their patients, generally, aren't as needy as some on a med/surg floor.

 

I would be interested to know if it was close to change of shift when that nurse argued with you about getting up. It's a bit of a process for the nurse--having to remove catheters and IVs and be on hand when you get out of bed. If it was close to the end if her shift, she may have been hoping to let it slide for the next shift to handle.