[BSNtobe2009]

As the mother of a preemie, I can only imagine how horrified the parents were at bringing their baby home and having the baby have a seizure. The first two nights after I brought my baby home I didn't sleep and I was terrified she would stop breathing, b/c all I kept hearing was she was high risk for SIDS, etc.

Are the parents over-reacting? Somewhat, I would agree with you. However, education is the key to helping them understand what is going on.

I remember when I first started visiting my baby in the NICU, everytime an alarm went off I freaked..until they showed me how to read the monitors, and I was able to focus on my baby instead of the monitors.

See if there is a NICU support group for parents for babies who have been born too early or have ongoing issues when they are released. I know I could not have made it through without them.

[33-weeker]

Being a mother of 3, I know how irrational parents can seem when it comes to their kids. The saying is true - it's different when its yours. You are sooo bonded to those little ones, that health decisions take on much more weight, and crises seem so much more frightening.

And, being a nurse, I know that not all doctors & nurses are competent simply because they are employed by a hospital, and just because a doctor orders it, doesn't mean its necessary or appropriate. Therefore, I have difficulty trusting medcial professionals I do not know - - pair that with a specialty I don't have much experience with, and it makes for one nervous mom!

I understand how the OP would be frustrated with those parents. They did interfere. But, I also wonder how it would have gone if someone had taken the time to ask questions and educate them.

I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt when they do strange things like that. Or perhaps I should say, things that seem strange to me. Perhaps the focus in the NICU was the phenobarb level, maybe anemia was discussed. I know it is a common issue. They hadn't had long to get used to her disorder, so they would be freaked the first few times it happened, I know I would - and I'm a nurse.

Did anyone ask them why they didn't want the ativan given? Did anyone try to explain the treatment plan for seizures in the ER and how it differs from what they were accustomed to in NICU. Did anyone explain that the lab has to spin the blood down first, yada yada yada... or whatever the case is?

I know with bili results (for jaundice in newborns), since I have started preparing parents by telling them the lab has to spin the blood down first, and that it usually takes about an hour to get the results back, that far fewer are bugging me about the results too soon.

When I have nervous moms in the NICU who jump every time the monitor beeps, I teach them a little about false alarms and tell them that they aren't allowed to get worried unless I get worried. "When you see me running across the room to your baby, THEN you can worry." We all have a laugh, and they calm down. A well-timed joke can go along way when calming parents' fears. It makes them consider their behavior from the perspective of the bigger picture.

Anyhow, maybe all these parents needed was for someone to sit down after the crisis was over and explain what managing their child's siezures would be like day to day. Giving them a mental picture of what to expect and what things to be concerned about would have probably gone a long way toward their mindset and the behavior that stems from it.

Last but not least, I'd much rather deal with parents who seem to care too much, than those who don't seem to care at all.