Nurse Called Police/CPS on Parents over Jaundice

[Simply Complicated]

I find this completely absurd, and IMO this nurse needs some sort of repurcussion for her actions. Calling CPS is a big deal, and should not be taken lightly. I was curious what other nurses opinions would be over this.

BABY HELD AT HOSPITAL, NURSE CALLS CPS WITHOUT CAUSE AFTER PEDIATRICIAN GIVES OK TO RELEASE BABY

Las Vegas, NV - A mother laboring under the care of Certified Professional Midwife April Kermani was transported to Summerlin Hospital Tuesday for stalled labor. Dr. Donald Roberts assumed care, and the mother gave birth lady partslly to a healthy baby girl about 7 hours after admission. On Wednesday the parents, Cecilia and Lincoln Rogers, were told they could not be discharged without a blood test for jaundice, a common and typically harmless condition among newborns. The test results came back with slightly elevated levels of bilirubin, indicating a mild case of jaundice.

The nursing staff told the parents they would have to place their daughter, Lilia Taylor Rogers, in isolation to undergo phototherapy and not allowed to nurse, but fed artificially with formula instead. They refused the treatment since newborn jaundice will usually resolve itself within two weeks. The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends that jaundiced newborns continue to breastfeed regularly, as frequent feedings help remove bilirubin in the body. They were told by the attending pediatrician they were cleared to take the baby home and follow up with their midwife and pediatrician over the next several days.

A pediatric nurse then reported these parents to social services and the police, for unknown reasons. Their baby was held against their will at Summerlin Hospital for well over 24 hours. "We are being treated like criminals," says the distraught mother. The CPS social worker calls the case "ridiculous." Lilia's bilirubin levels were back within the normal range very quickly.

[savnlivzPRN, LVN]

I don't know too much about much at this point but as a parent I would have been enraged beyond belief....

Could it have been the nurses personal preference and feelings getting in the way? I'm thinking she was maybe against a new born leaving the hospital with out normal treatment and saw the parents in the wrong for leaving? IDK...

This is odd...

[danh3190]

I have a feeling there is some more info out there that's not being published. In any case an investigation certainly needs to be done.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

As a peds nurse, we see babies with jaundice all the time. However it's not a medical emergency, and certainly would never warrant the actions that this nurse took.

I am surprised though that she went to such great lengths all on her own. Most nurses I've worked with in peds know that typically social work is the one to contact police/CPS if the physician does not. Perhaps she knew social work would tell her she didn't have a case?

[Southern Magnolia]

If this is the true extent of the situation this is ridiculous (from a non-nurse mother's perspective). Both of my children left the hospital with mild jaundice and still bfing on demand with a follow up bili at the pedis office . . . I would have refused "isolation" and fomula feeding as well.

[leslie :-D]

i don't understand how the nurse's report, trumped the orders of the dr...

and who responded to the nurse's complaint, if the sw at cps found the case ridiculous?

the police?

this story just doesn't make any sense.

op, have a link?

leslie

[klone, MSN, RN]

I have a feeling there is some more info out there that's not being published. In any case an investigation certainly needs to be done.

I agree on both counts. If what was in the article is truly what took place, it's outrageous. I wonder if there is more to the story.

Sort of like the woman who has had her child taken away from her for 5 years "because she wouldn't consent to a C/S"

[Simply Complicated]

I can't find the link I had saved for the actual article. But this was what it said. For some reason when I saved it, the link didn't save, just the content. I agree, it does sound like there should be more to it. Why the child was held for 24 hours doesn't make sense to me. It's not like they were doing anything AMA. The doctor ordered for them to go home.

As ridiculous as this is though, things like this do happen.

On a parenting forum I belong to though, I do hear all the time about nurses pushing the issue about formula feeding the jaundice babies, and not letting them BF. I do know a couple people who were threatened to have CPS called, as they said they were endangering their childs well being.

If this is what actually happened, what do you think the consequences for the nurse should be?

[klone, MSN, RN]

If it happened as the article said it happened, I think she should be fired

[Simply Complicated]

I did find a FB page about this. It happened in Las Vegas. They are arranging a rally apparently at the hospital about it.

[azhiker96, BSN, RN]

This whole situation smells.

When my daughter was born 30 years ago, her bilirubin was high so we took her to the hospital a few times for UV treatment as an outpatient. She was breastfed the whole time.

We did have a run in with CPS because my wife didn't like the first pediatrician and refused to take my daughter back to him and also refused to tell the office staff that we'd already taken my daughter to a different pediatrician. That office turned us over to CPS out of concern for our daughter's health. CPS was looking for us but once I told them the name of the new pediatrician and they confirmed with his office, they closed the case.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I'm surprised the RN was able to initiate a court hold on the baby. WHere I work, it can only be done through a physician order.