[KRVRN]

Had a little 2 pounder squirm and squiggle her left leg up and out the top of her diaper, with diaper tabs still attached. Her right leg was still in the proper place. AND SHE DIDN'T MAKE A MESS. Don't ask me how.

[kate1114]

I love reading all these stories!!! I miss NICU SO much!!!!

I love going to reunions and seeing babies who had fought for life 2-3 years ago revisit us as happy healthy toddlers. It doesn't happen all the time of course, but some of the kids we thought would have poor prognoses sometimes really surprise us!

People who come back a long time after their child was discharged and remember us, and thank us.

Heck, just getting a thank you. Sometimes we have parents make presents or bring in sweets. That's nice, but all I really want is a thank you

[danissa]

Originally Posted by 2curlygirls

Your post brings me back to the time I spent in Edinburgh with the community midwives there (I've since dragged my husband there because I loved it so much)
We have a nurse in our unit from Glasgow who always charts in the comment section "Out for a wee cuddle" I love it!

2curlygirls send cuddles to you and your friend the nurse from "Glesga"(I'm from falkirk so would say it this way!!)( GO YURSEL THE FALKIRK WHEEL!!!!, how proud am I?? look it up on t'internet, amazing thing!) please send her all my best!! arlene

[Sweeper933]

Ah yes... squirting poop... I once had a little boy who somehow managed to squirt through the porthole at the end of the isolette - right onto the other nurse in the room who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time! The look on her face was priceless! It's even funnier when the parents are here to see the "explosive poop" in action! They're never sure whether to be concerned - or laugh!
It also never ceases to amaze me when a kid will be perfect all night, no desats or anything. And then during report in the morning/evening - they're desating the entire time. It's as if they know when we're talking about them or something!

[LilysMom]

I am only a pre-nursing student/NICU/PICU nurse wannabe, but you guys are making me laugh and cry with these posts and the vivid memories they invoke of my daughter's stay in the NICU. My daughter has Down syndrome and is a Houdini by nature, so she had several bouts of "eye-PAP" and a few "ear-PAP's" too. We were forever searching for the sock that helped keep her pulse-ox attached to her toe. The best memory, however, was when one of her nurses put her in actual clothing for the first time. I was 50 miles away from her during part of the week, so my SIL was there every day. That one morning, my SIL called me, absolutely elated, nearly screaming that they had her in a white dress with pink flowers, and she looked like she was ready to go to church! The nurses also took pictures of her and placed them in an album so I could see what she looked like that day, a 3.5-pounder, completely engulfed by her preemie-sized outfit. (Today that dress sits framed in my SIL's home--good memories from not-so-good times, if that makes any sense...)
Anyway, you NICU nurses are AWESOME--don't ever forget that--we parents are eternally grateful for the care you've given our precious babies

[RN4NICU]

I was peeking into an isolette to check on one of my babies only to find him with both hands wrapped around his NG tube pulling on it with all his might.

AHA! Caught ya you litte bugger!

[mir4777]

I helped out in the regular nursery (when Peds is slow) which is connected to the NICU. A 4 year old was not allowed in the NICU to see his baby brother, so he was waiting outside with his grandfather. He was interested in everything that was going on, so I explained what the different wires did and that he was being fed by the tube in his hand, etc. He loved it and so did grandpa. I don't think anyone had bothered to try to explain anything to him. It was so cool

[dbscandy]

We had a very laid-back RT once who was NEVER in a hurry and hardly got ruffled in ANY emergency.

Well, one of my co-workers had a baby on the scale and when she raised his butt to slip under the diaper, the kid shot poop about 6 ft, straight down this guy's leg.

He stood there for a few seconds, said, "Awww, s**t"!! and s-l-o-w-l-y walked out of the room, holding his pant leg. To this day, I just cackle whenever I think of this.

After 19.5 years, I still love my babies, having never had any of my own. But I am so grateful that I get to go home at the end of the 12 hours! (maybe that's why I didn't have kids, just cats!)

But the best moments for me are the dads when they see the baby and touch them for the first time. They are so frightened by this tiny human; so overwhelmed by the magnitude of pain & illness, their loss of control, their new responsibility. Big, strong men who find an uncharacteristic tenderness in themselves and can cry at the drop of a hat.

Yes indeed, to me, these are the real men.

[prmenrs]

I once had a Dad who had been a pro football player. I put his ~ 2# baby in his arms, and w/in 5 minutes, he told me, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but my arms are tired!!" We both laughed, I put the baby back and told him he'd be more relaxed next time.

[Cherry Ames SN]

Your stories have been such an inspiration and funny as all get out too!

2curlygirls, did you have a good day?