It's nearly 1 a.m. and I'm still awake, on purpose. I'm heading into my last string of night shifts tonight. I've actually liked working nights, since mornings aren't my forte. It's the trying-to-sleep-during-the-days-with-other-humans-living-nearby that has been problematic.
Doesn't the whole world know I'm working nights and I need my sleep like some people need to breathe!?
Seriously.
First, we have the phone. For the most part people who know us call us on our cell phones. It's those pesky telemarketers who call on the house phone and there's really not that many. But just like conception only takes one sperm, it only takes one dastardly phone call to kill a good sleep.
We've considered just cancelling our home phone, but our Internet is tied into it. I don't have the capacity to worry about such things right now, so after school is over I will work on that.
Speaking of that - school being over - 19 days!!
Ahem, back to my rant.
Next we have electricity or rather the fallibility of it. It's not a perfect phenomenon and there are times where it will stop working. Case in point, last Thursday, the power went out at the local high school (the high school LB goes to). First, we have the phone calls and then we have the teenager. He came home and decided it was imperative to notify the sleeping parent of the house that he and some friends would be going fishing.
Great! Did the phone lines go out as well and you couldn't call your father??? Sorry, mommy's grumpy...
Then we have the other teenager who comes home after his regular school day, because thank heavens the archaic building he goes to middle school in didn't lose power. He proceeds to ask me if he can go to a friend's house.
Yes, that was all in the same day. That night shift was so not fun! I was physically ill. Have you ever been that exhausted, where you feel almost as if you're experiencing vertigo, and you most certainly have nausea, and basically feel as if you're green?
Then there's the fact that my 39-year old body is just not used to staying up all night long anymore. I've done it though. Six whole nights so far, to be exact. Because the birthing center I've been doing my preceptorship at is relatively small, and not much has gone on, I've been able to catch up on some of my reading.
Don't get me wrong. I've gotten tons of good experience. I did have to go in for an 8-hour day shift today just to see a c-section. I've come close to seeing vaginal deliveries, but no cigar. I'm hoping tomorrow night might just be the night for it. Hopefully, typing this won't jinx it, but we have three inductions scheduled for tomorrow, and one isn't until 1530.
The other student who has been working nights has seen three vaginal deliveries during her nights, but I don't know about c-sections for her.
Speaking of exhaustion and the fact that I don't have to stay up all night, well the rest of it anyway, I'm going to head to bed and try to sleep through the morning. I'm hoping the teenagers will wake up on time, on their own - which has been a challenge all it's own!
