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Report on Progress of Professional Portfolio
COMPETENCY NUMBER
Include the competency number
and letter, subcategory
SIGNIFICANT LEARNING
EXPERIENCE
Described one significant
learning experience in this
course related to a CLPNA
competency.
Provide an example.
Major Competency Area: K Maternal/Newborn Care
Competency: K-3-1 Knowledge and Assessment of Labor
Subcategory: Demonstrate knowledge of stages of labor and delivery:
 stage 1 – labor onset to full cervix dilation
 stage 2 – full cervix dilation to delivery of baby
 stage 3 – delivery of baby to expulsion of placenta
 stage 4 – expulsion of placenta to afterbirth recovery
In NFDN 2004 I learned that labor is a series of unique events by which
abdominal pressure and uterine contractions expel a fetus and placenta
from the woman’s uterus. Labor consists of four components within a
normal birth that are commonly referred to as the four P’s (the power, the
passage, the passenger, and the psyche) along with four stages of labor
which normally “begin between the 37 and 42 week of pregnancy, when a
fetus is sufficiently mature to adapt to an extra-uterine life” (Pillitteri,
2014, p.251). More in depth, the four stages of labor begin with the first
stage which is subdivided into three phases- the Latent phase, the Active
phase and lastly the Transition phase. All in all, the first stage of labor is
known as the ‘dilating stage’. This stage begins from the onset of strong,
regular contractions until the cervix is completely open (fully dilated) and
averages in length of 12 hours for a new mom with first baby and 6-8
hours in length for second baby. The second stage of labor is known as
the ‘pushing stage’, occurring from full dilation of the cervix until the
baby is born. This stage can last for about an hour in length. Are able to
see the top of babies head (crowning) and mom will be told to bare down
and push. A set of vitals will be taken on mom and if an episiotomy is
needed this would be the time. The third stage is known as the ‘placenta
stage’ this is from delivery of the baby until the placenta (afterbirth) is
delivered. Contractions will start up again after the birth of baby, the
placenta will separate from the uterine wall and we will see a rush of
blood from mom. Delivery of the placenta can take up to 30 minutes on
average, any longer then the doctor may have to go in manually or
perform a C-section. Any suturing will be done in this stage. The fourth
stage is the ‘first 24 hours after birth’. This stage involves vital signs and
assessments being taken on mom and baby, the mom is encouraged to
breast feed the baby and bonding time between the mom, dad and baby
are encouraged. Since this stage is very hard on mom, she is most at risk
for post-partum hemorrhage so mom is closely monitored. Attaining the
knowledge of the four stages of labor was done in theory of NFDN 2004
by watching videos, learning through lecture with power point from my
teacher and reading the required chapters from our Maternal & Child
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Health Nursing textbook. This relates to the competency of maternal/new
born care by me gaining knowledge of what each stage of labor entails
which allows me to provide the best possible holistic care for mom and
baby during my preceptorship and in my future career in nursing.
WHAT YOU LEARNED
Described the significance of the
learning experience related to
the competency learned.
PROFICIENCY RATING
Rated self-according to
Proficiency Categories in the
Learning Guide and identify
what was done to achieve it.
I learned a great deal from my NFDN 2004 theory of when, how and what
to assess on mom and baby during the four stages of labor. I will be more
confident on being able to identify any abnormalities should they occur
before, during or after the four stages of labor which will help me to
provide safety for both mom and baby. This relates to the competency by
allowing me to demonstrate my knowledge and my ability to assess mom
and baby during labor and delivery. In SIM lab I was able to go through
the proper assessments with my fellow students on how to assess mom
and new baby which helped me set a baseline for me to go off of in the
future when working in a labor and delivery unit with laboring moms and
family. With the knowledge that I have learned I will be able to provide
the proper teaching to mom and dad/family. A wide range of teaching
covering the topics from what to expect during each stage of labor to
assisting mom with breast feeding. Teaching/showing how to wash
herself (i.e. pat to dry peri area with sutures and or from soreness, wash
front to back, no soap on nipples- will dry them out etc.) and how to wash
baby to prevent infection and promote optimal healing of umbilical cord
and genitals (i.e. water with q-tip around base of umbilical cord then dry
q-tip and if the penis of baby is uncircumcised do not retract foreskin- just
clean what you see etc.) all of which will provide safely to both client’s.
For the proficiency categories I rate myself as ‘good’. I feel that I
understand the competency of maternal/new born care, subcategory: able
to demonstrate knowledge of four stages of labor along with
understanding when and how to apply my thinking and assessments
towards laboring moms and families along with in SIM Labs. I learned
the four stages of labor from my instructor through lecture with the use of
a power-point, reading the Chapter 15 in Maternal & Child Health
Nursing textbook along with completing an assessment on mom and baby
in SIM Lab. Putting knowledge to use through kinesthetic learning really
helped me become more confident and absorb the knowledge along with
completing my prenatal teaching plan assignment.
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WHY IT WAS MEANINGFUL /
SIGNIFICANT
The knowledge that I have learned in NFDN 2004 has become
meaningful and significant to me because it prepares and teaches me to
look for the signs of labor, what each stage of labor entails, I will be able
to more easily tell what false vs. true labor looks like and will be able to
help manage labor pain in laboring moms during my preceptorship and in
my future nursing career. This knowledge will also help me in my
personal life with family and friends; if they have questions and or
concerns with their pregnancies I will be able to help answer their
questions and concerns to the best of my knowledge.
I will use the information I have learned from the four stages of labor in
NFDN 2004 and use it in my preceptorship in the Winter semester 2016
NURSING PRACTICE
either in maternity and or in a rural setting with laboring moms and
families along with sharing the knowledge along the way with moms
Described how the knowledge
and experience will be applied in trying to get pregnant or who are already pregnant but may have
questions. Once I graduate the practical nursing program here at NorQuest
current and future nursing
College I would like to work at a hospital with laboring moms, I find new
practice.
life truly amazing and interesting.
Title: Building Your Professional Portfolio
School: NorQuest College
Name: Destinee Lidstone
Instructor: Allison McFadden
Date: December 3rd 2015
Class/Section: NFDN 2004- Section A02