When a baby is born....what does your hospital do?

ZASHAGALKA, RN · Sep 27, 2005

We don't do anything. :)
steph

and you would think, if only they'd of known your kid was spidey, they'd of played a whole concert for you.

or at least I would have. I love spidey. You have to be rich to be Batman, from another world to be Superman, an amazon princess to be Wonderwoman. But spidey is every man.

Or your son, one.

Sorry, back to your reg sched thread

~~~ they don't do anything at my hospital.

~faith,

Timothy.

BabyRN2Be · Sep 27, 2005

I have lost two children and speaking from experience I don't think it would bother me to hear the little lullaby. Why does everyone else have to suffer because of me? What I think is cruel is putting the moms who have lost their child on the floor with the new moms. You hear those real babies crying and it's
terribly painful. Our hospital puts grieving mom on the floor with the hysterectomy's etc......

I think that it's a great affirmation that life does go on.

Dutchgirl, you are absolutely right. I think it's terrible for moms who have lost a baby to be placed on PP where one can hear all the new babies crying. Even worse, it would be horrific to the grieving mom if she was placed in a semi-private room with someone who had a happy baby with tons of family coming in. That would be cruel.

At the hospital I work at, moms who have lost a baby are placed in obs rooms that are right across from the PACU to the c-section area. The doors are closed and the international symbol (leaf with a teardrop) is placed on the door and the outside of her chart. She is kept there as long as there is room, otherwise she's moved to GYN if there's room. They are considerate of the mom's needs and do their very best with grieving moms.

Even though babies are lost every day in the hospital (more than the general public might think about), I do believe that it is an affirmation to everyone that life does go on. :twocents:

USA987, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 27, 2005

We play Brahms as well, but it can not be heard in any of the L&D rooms or postpartum rooms. We have the father or significant other press the button as we are wheeling them down the hallway to postpartum.

The folks in the nursing home attached to the hospital love to hear it. :balloons:

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Sep 27, 2005

We play "Twinkle, Twinkle" at our hospital. When our staff in NICU hears it, everone grins. It really lightens the mood, especially if you are the one who saved that baby's life in the OR/delivery room!

zambezi, BSN, RN · Sep 28, 2005

We also play Brahams lullaby...you can't really hear it in any of the rooms though.

It is always strange how when you have a code or someone dies within the hour another soul is brought into the world, announced by the lullaby (at least it seems that way). I like hearing it, it reminds me that good things are happening too (not that death is always a bad thing...)

pink2blue1 · Sep 28, 2005

Our hospital does this and I thought it was a wonderful idea, until I was sitting in OPSU waiting for my D&C because the baby I was carrying died at 12 weeks in utero. (my 5th loss) I wanted to reach through the speaker and smash the song to pieces. I vowed that if I ever carried another baby to term I wouldn't have the song played, and I didn't. If they do play it I think it whouldn't go into patient care areas because you just never know. :crying2:

I was at a sister hospital in Nashville this week attending a class. I was sitting in the cafeteria having lunch and heard a little baby giggle and then about 30 seconds of Brahms Lullaby. I heard it several times during the week. I asked someone sitting near me, what's up with that? and they said that is played everytime a baby is born. I thought that is so sweet. I'm going to suggest this to my hospital. My daughter is due in 7 weeks and I think it's a super idea! Does your hospital do anything special when a baby is born?

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 28, 2005

I worked in one hospital that used to do that. They stopped when we brought up the fact that the families who were losing babies on the same floor could be very hurt by it being broadcast everywhere.

Same here. We had the lullaby for a week played on the intercom, and then one day, a woman came out of her room, crying and screamed "It's bad enough i'll never be able to have children, but MUST i be reminded that i will never hear that sound for myself??" went back in her room and slammed the door. (Pt. was post op from ovarian cancer at the age of 23)

That was the last time it was played, the nurse manager of the floor put in a call to the hospital president and that stopped it.

DonnaRN · Sep 28, 2005

Our hospital does this and I thought it was a wonderful idea, until I was sitting in OPSU waiting for my D&C because the baby I was carrying died at 12 weeks in utero. (my 5th loss) I wanted to reach through the speaker and smash the song to pieces. I vowed that if I ever carried another baby to term I wouldn't have the song played, and I didn't. If they do play it I think it whouldn't go into patient care areas because you just never know.

I have to agree. Having had my newborn daughter die almost an hour after being born, if I had heard that played in the hospital I probably would have wanted to do the same thing. It's been six years now, and it wouldn't be as traumatic, but it would always remind me of my little girl. You never forget.... :cry:

jmgrn65, RN · Sep 28, 2005

We play the lullybye also, we just started a year or so ago.

fergus51 · Sep 28, 2005

Same here. We had the lullaby for a week played on the intercom, and then one day, a woman came out of her room, crying and screamed "It's bad enough i'll never be able to have children, but MUST i be reminded that i will never hear that sound for myself??" went back in her room and slammed the door. (Pt. was post op from ovarian cancer at the age of 23)
That was the last time it was played, the nurse manager of the floor put in a call to the hospital president and that stopped it.

It's very unfortunate. We had to have women who had lost babies on the regular post partum floor (for a variety of reasons) but they were always in private rooms at the end of the unit to try to minimize the chances that they would hear random baby crying (and few women said they did) but the announcement music was always heard and was a hurtful event for several women. I was glad when it stopped.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 28, 2005

It's very unfortunate. We had to have women who had lost babies on the regular post partum floor (for a variety of reasons) but they were always in private rooms at the end of the unit to try to minimize the chances that they would hear random baby crying (and few women said they did) but the announcement music was always heard and was a hurtful event for several women. I was glad when it stopped.

So was i.

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 28, 2005

The replies from those who would NOT want it played made a lot of sense. As I've never lost a baby, I couldn't relate from experience, only what I "think" my opinion of the lullaby's playing would be. I defer to those dear ones who have unfortunately been in that situation. Bless you, how hard that must have been/be. I can understand your not wanting to hear it; situation is hard enough. Again, bless you and gentle hugs to those of you who have experienced that loss, no matter how long ago. Thank you for posting. -------- D