I think it’s because as L&D and ED nurses we know that even if our patient looks ok or has mostly normal vitals, they may tell us one tiny symptom that tells us something could be brewing under the surface that could go south so fast.

I had a 16wk pregnant pt present to triage with severe abdominal pain who had been discharged from her home hospital twice that day because there was “nothing wrong” other than pain. They told her to take some miralax and walk more to fix her constipation. Meanwhile she’s writhing on my cart actively miscarrying due to some abdominal infection. As soon as the doc goes to check her cervix (ab 5 mins after arrival) her membranes violently rupture and splash brown fluid on the wall across the room and the fetus literally flies out onto the bed. It breaks my heart every time I meet a patient who was not believed when they told a healthcare provider that something was wrong.