Originally posted by babynurselsa

My personal philosophy has always been no baby dies on the warmer. If hte parents aren't there to hold then I will. [/b]

My thoughts exactly (standing ovation) to you Elsa

You don't really need an assessment on that small of a fetus. You can put a sat monitor on to keep track of the heart rate intermittently. Hold the baby, keep it warm--use heat lights, it actually helps them die a little faster. Keep them wrapped--it's actually like burned skin they have, so the less air that touches their body the better.

Take pictures and foot/hand prints. Some people have a little memory box--if you have appropriate stationary, you can write a little condolence note. We had a Resp Care Practitioner who made plaster castings of the feet and hands from a kit she got from ?Zany Brainy, I think. She'd color the plaster pink or blue, write the baby's name in it. We also had special tiny outfits and blankets for them. And the real tiny diapers.

It was a REAL baby for that family, so doing all this helps them w/their grieving. Needless to say, Social Work is very involved, and if the family wants spiritual support, baptism, etc., we would help w/that.

It's amazing that even when it's really busy, somehow, time is found to help families that have lost an infant, even a 17 weeker.